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Animal husbandry and goat farming require a lot of care and knowledge. If you are into goat farming, being aware of the different diseases that affect Goats and the steps to take for preventing them are an essential criterion to look into. Intensive goat farming is considered one of the primary causes for spread of diseases amongst the goats. Lack of knowledge and ignorance to the diseases has led to an increase in the mortality rates thereby causing greater loss.
These aspects make it extremely necessary for goat farmers to be aware of common diseases and their prevention so as to prevent any loss in goat farming business. Herein we acquaint you to the common diseases that affect goats, their signs and symptoms for identifying the disease and the applicative preventive care.
Common diseases of Goat
The diseases can be divided into bacterial, viral, endoparasitic and ectoparasitic. Below listed are the most common type of goat diseases that are known to extensively affect goats in large number across the country.
Enterotoxaemia
This is a bacterial disease that affects the digestive system of the goats commonly caused during the rainy season. When left unaware this also causes sudden death of young goats.
Symptom – mucous diarrhea
Prevention – Vaccinate your goats before the rainy season. Avoid feeding green grasses which are susceptible to the bacteria.
Pneumonia
A water-borne bacterial disease is another cause of mortality among goats. The common symptoms include frequent coughing and fever, difficulty in eating.
Prevention – Ensure the water is clean and the shed well ventilated keeping it dry and without any dirt.
Anthrax
Symptoms include high fever often leading to sudden death. One can often witness blood flowing from the nose and other outlets.
Prevention – Vaccinate your goats for anthrax. Ensure to bury the body deep inside the ground so as to prevent the spread among the flock.
Haemorrhagic Septicemia
Most commonly spread during the rainy season, it often leads to high fever in addition to causing inflammation in the intestine. When left unheeded can also lead to the death of the goat.
Prevention – Vaccinate the goats in advance.
PPR – Peste Des Petits Ruminants
The symptoms of this viral disease include frequent nasal mucous discharge, high fever, respiratory disorder, and mouth lesion.
Prevention – Affected goats must be kept in isolation from the flock. Vaccinating the goats once every year is one of the best ways to prevent the flock from getting affected by the lethal viral disease.
Foot and Mouth Disease
One of the most common viral disease amongst goats, the symptoms include high fever, foot rots, mouth lesions, inability to walk and increased salivary secretion.
Prevention – Ensure to vaccinate newborn goats first in the third month and later in every 5 to 6 months interval.
Goat Pox
This disease leads to nasal mucous discharge respiratory distress, pox lesions appear on thighs, lips, udder causing a high fever.
Prevention- Vaccination once in a year.
Coccidiosis
Leads to blood-stained stools, anemia and can lead to sudden death of goats.
Prevention – Maintain hygiene in the shed, spraying 10% ammonia solution for cleaning the place and rendering them anticoccidial drugs
Fluke infection
This often leads to anemia, edema in lower jaw and emaciation.
Prevention – avoid grazing early morning and evening. Conduct deworming in a regular period.
Common preventive measures
Many of the diseases and illness of goats can be prevented by following the necessary steps such as:
- Vaccinate your goats at regular intervals
- Keep the sick goats separated from the flock
- Keep the environment and shed clean
- In case of death of a goat, bury or burn them far away from the shed
- Take care of feeding habits, maintain hygiene, offer clean water and carry on rotational grazing.