There are multiple diseases that can affect goats, sheep, and cattle. Usually, they are the result of metabolic disorders and parasite infestations. Other causes include infections from fungi, viruses, or bacteria. Nutritional imbalances, excesses, or deficiencies are responsible too. All of them can have a massive impact on animal health.

Farm animals might not always exhibit visible signs of disease. However, most diseases will lower production, reproduction, and growth. This means you have to remain vigilant for outbreaks. We are going to discuss some of the more common ones here so you know what to look out for.

BVDV

Firstly, there is Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV). The Bovine Pestvirus is responsible for this. What we have here is a viral infection. Animals get affected once they encounter the bodily secretions of other infected creatures.

So, you must isolate any animals with BVDV. Blood tests can reveal if separate animals have been infected. Also, you can use a bulk milk ELISA test to gauge the milking heard’s immunity. There aren’t any particular treatments for BVDV; it lets up on its own.

Bovine Johne’s Disease

The bacteria Mycobacterium paratuberculosis leads to this. Symptoms include weight loss, reduced milk production, diarrhoea, and eventually death. Animals become infected after ingesting contaminated faeces.

It is tricky to detect infection in live animals reliably, especially in the early stages. But, you are able to manage the spread by isolating infected animals from young calves. Furthermore, you can cull infected animals. Do this to minimise the shedding of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in an environment. If you need products focused on animal health, talk to us.

Bluetongue

Another issue is bluetongue. This virus can cause fever, bleeding in the nose and mouth, and small ulcers. There can also be nasal discharges and dribbling of saliva.

Lab tests done on blood samples can confirm bluetongue virus infections. It is a disease that transmits between animals via biting midges belonging to the Culicoides family. These are midges that feed on infected animals. The virus then multiplies within their salivary glands. When they bite another creature, it spreads the disease.

Salmonella

Infections appear across a plethora of reptiles, birds, and animals. Salmonella is capable of moving from one species of animal to another. It tends to be carried within the gut of birds and animals. Or, it can spread in effluent from creatures on pastures. Lactating cows and young calves are especially vulnerable. Contamination of water or food with faecal matter can result in huge outbreaks. In the event of one, you must act fast to provide your farm animals with antibiotics.

Q fever

The cause of this is a bacterial infection of Coxiella burnetii. Animals get it after ingesting an infected creature’s placental fluids, faeces, milk, or urine.

Taking care of calves

Now that we have had a look at the diseases, we want to finish by talking about how you can guarantee good animal health with young calves.

One detail to keep track of is colostrum. This is the first milk generated after a cow gives birth, being yellow and thick. It holds antibodies as well as other substances that aid calves in posting their immunities. You should encourage the calf to consume as much of it as possible within the initial two days after birth.

Milk feeding is also important. After the colostrum, your cow will begin producing standard milk. One calf should get milk equal to 10% of its body weight. This will help it to get a daily weight gain of around 500 grams. Let’s say your calf weighs 50 kilos when it is born. It’ll need 5 litres of milk each day. You can separate this amount into two to three portions. Have the calf consume the milk straight after milking to lower the danger of infections.

Using calf pellets is also a good idea. You can add energy-rich ones to the milk from roughly the third week. Start by adding just a few spoons of them. From there, gradually increase amounts to the recommended dose. This will aid you in preventing digestion problems.

Start using quality animal health products

At JS Hubbuck Ltd, we have plenty of merchandise available that will help with keeping farm animals healthy. By working with us, you will have a far easier time managing this essential detail. We can also offer information about using different products.

So, if you are interested in improving animal health, feel free to get in touch with us. We would love to help.