Sheep and Goat Health Care - PVNRTVU SHIKSHANA

HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT

Good hygiene and preventive treatments are vital aspects of good production.

The signs of good health include general alertness, good movement, absence of lameness, good uniform fleece and absence of rubbing, active feeding and rumination and no wounds, abscesses or injuries.

General Hygiene

Proper cleaning of handling areas and houses.
During housing, proper attention should be given to ventilation.

Disinfection

General disinfection of all the equipment used for routine procedures and treatment.
Thorough disinfection is required during the lambing season of housed sheep.

Preventive and other treatments

Treatments involve vaccination, dosing (drenching), spraying or dipping foot bathing and foot treatment. Programme of treatment is usually taken up following consultation with veterinary surgeon.

Control of Parasites

The important parasites of sheep include stomach worms, nodular worms, lung worms, liver flukes, ticks and lice.
Phenothiazine, thiabendazole and tramisol are some of the products that may be used to control stomach and nodular worms.
These may be alternated in use to avoid the development of resistant strains of parasites.
Each year the ewe flock and rams should receive deworming medicines: two weeks before the breeding season.
Ticks can be controlled by dipping or spraying with toxaphene, malathion or by dusting with rotenone.

Vaccination schedule for sheep

Disease	Age	Dose (ml) s/c	Booster	Interval	Season
Food and mouth disease	Adult	5		Annual	Preferably winter/autumn
Rinderpest	Adult	1	6months	Annual	Winter
Black disease	Adult	2		Annual	All seasons
Lamb dysentery	Lamb	2		Annual	All seasons
Black quarter	Adult Lamb	2 3		Annual	All seasons preferably May/June
Enterotoxemia	Adult	2.5-5	7-10 days	Annual	Lambing season
Haemorrhagic septicemia	Adult	2		Annual	March/June
Sheep pox	Lamb sheep	3 5	Repeat at 6 months Repeat annually		December/March
Lung worm	Lamb 3 months age	1000 larvae First dose	One month later 2000 larvae

Source: Schultz, R.D. and cott, F.W. (1978). The veterinary clinics. North America, 8:755. W.B. Saunders Co.; Philadelphia, London, Toronto.

Vaccination schedule of goats

Disease	Age	Booster	Route and dose	Remark
FMD	6-8 wks	Repeat every 6-9 months	1 ml s/c or i/m depending on the vaccine
HS	3-4 months	Repeat annually	1 ml s/c	May/ June
Sheep pox	3-4 months		1 ml s/c
Tetanus	3-4 months	Repeat at 6 months and then annually	0.5-1 ml s/c or i/m
Anthrax	4-6 m	Repeat annually	0.5 ml s/c at tail fold	In endemic areas only
Enterotoxemia	3-4 m	Repeat at 5 days and then annually	2.5 ml s/c	First two doses before august
PPR	3 months	Repeat annually	1 ml s/c	Do not give in pregnant animals

COMMONLY OCCURING DISEASES IN SHEEP AND GOAT

DISEASES	SYMPTOMS	HOW CONTACTED	TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
Acute viral pneumonia	Nasal discharge, frequent sneezing, coughing, diarrhea, symptoms subside within 7-10 days	Direct contact, nasal discharges	Use of antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection, limited success with combined vaccine PI.3 & P. haemolytica
Peste des petes ruminantia (PPR) (pseudorinderpest)	High fever, oral necrosis, catarrh, nasal discharges and diarrhea. Within a week high mortality due to dehydration and respiratory problem. Mucopurulent discharge from nose.	Direct and indirect contacts, respiratory or nasal discharges	No effective treatment, control by Vaccination and quarantine, slaughter of sick and exposed goat, disinfections, prevent secondary infection.
Foot and mouth disease	Small lesions on tongue and mouth typical vesicles on dental pad, interdigital cleft with pronounced foot lesions, salivation, lameness, high rise in body temperature	Direct or indirect contact by material contaminated feed, beddings tools, fence, manure etc	Segregation and other sanitizing measures, vaccination in Feb/ March (polyvalent- FMD vaccine)
Contagious pustular dermatitis (CPD) or orf or contagious ecthyma	Swelling as red spots at mouth commisures, lips and nostrils. Vesicles followed by pustules forming scabs loss of body condition, death due to starvation and pneumonia secondary infection.	Direct or indirect contact by material contaminated feed, beddings tools, fence, manure etc	Isolation of sick animals, application of antiseptic cream on lesions. Annual vaccination of pregnant does, antibiotic administration.
	Affected sheep show dullness, depression anorexia and pyrexia, salivation, mucopurulent nasal discharge, lachrymation
Maedi visna (dyspnea-wasting)	Weight loss, respiratory distress, circling and posterior peresis, lameness due to knee joint involvement.	Direct or indirect contact by material contaminated feed, beddings tools, fence, manure etc	Contaminated of affected goats selective culling, no to grazing, culling of reactors at 6 month interval
Viral entiritis	Lack of appetite, dyspnea, abdominal pain, blood stained faeces	Direct or indirect contact by material contaminated feed, beddings tools, fence, manure etc	No proper specific treatment, proper hygiene, vaccination
Scrapie	Excessive excitability, shivering of head and neck, restlessness, incoordination of gait followed by emaciation and impaired vision	–	No treatment, all the affected animals should be killed
Goat pox/ capri pox	Temp. 40-40.6⁰C, blisters and pustules on various parts of body skin around mouth, nostrils, eye, ear, udder and teat are affected, discharges from eyes and nose	Inhalation, through broken skin, material contaminated with discharge	Antibiotic treatment for early healing, washing of lesions by H₂O₂ and apply antiseptic cream, isolation, vaccination
Blue tongue	Depression and sluggishness, high rise of temp, edema of muzzle, lips oral and nasal mucosae, excessive salivation, ulcers in oral mucosae, swelling of tongue bluish in look, animal off feed. Lameness due to coronitis and pain in hooves	Insect borne infectious disease, Culicoides midges	Destruction of midges breeding sites, isolation, smoking and spraying of insecticides. Use of antibiotic

FMD

ORF

Fig 1: Contagious pustular dermatitis virus most commonly results in proliferative lesions following trauma of the lips/gums

Fig 2: CPD virus and Dermatophilus congolensis may act together to produce large granulomatous masses extending 4 to 8 cms from the coronary band often referred to as “strawberry footrot”.
MAEDI/ VISNA:

PPR

A) oculonasal discharges and matting of eyelids
B) diarrhea soiling the perineum
C) submandibular edema
D) sores and nodules on the gums and tongue

a.Necrotic lesions on dental pad;
b. lesions on gum and oral cavity;
c .oro-pharyngeal sections showing necrotic lesions on palatine tonsils and small fibrin deposits on the base of tongue;
d. zebra striping in large intestine and
e. consolidated lungs

Sheep pox- Erythematous papules, nodules and plaques around mouth , nose and eyes

Sheep pox in sheep – vesicle on teat

Goat pox – pock lesions at the base of the tail

Goat pox

Blue tongue

Haemorrhage of the coronary band

Swollen cyanotic tongue

Haemorrhage at the base of the aorta

Edema of the muzzle and excessive salivation

BACTERIAL DISEASES

DISEASE	SYMPTOMS	ROUTE OF INFECTION	TREATMENT AND PREVENTION
Black Quarter	Gas gangrene, death before 48 hours, high rise in temp, limping gait, septicemia	Contaminated food and water with blood; or by biting insects; wound infection	Sanitation, isolation, anti-BQ serum, annual vaccination by formal killed vaccine
Hemorrhagic septicemia	High fever, swelling in neck egion, labored breathing, eyes swollen, enlarged tongue, off the feed. Difficult swallowing, death in 24 hours up to 70%	Fatigue from journey predisposing factors, direct contact, contaminated feed and water	Segregation, use of sulphanamides and antibiotics such as pencillins; vaccination.
Atypical pneumonia or enzootic pnuemonia	Reduced appetite, chronic coughing, depression, dyspnea, dropping ears, mucopurulent nasal discharges, reduced weight gain, general unthriftyness, bronchitis and pleuritis	Direct contact, contaminated water and feed, ingestion and inhalation	Administration of sulphonamide antibiotics up to 3 days, vaccination 2 weeks before rain
Johne’s disease	Gradual loss of body condition, pasty or loose faeces, thickening of mucosa of small and large intestines, emaciation, enlargement and paleness of mesenteric lymphnodes weakness. Normal appetite, mild but constant coughing weakness, rough coat, intermittent diarrhoea.	Contaminated feed and water	No effective treatment, isolation of suspected unthrifty animals, proper disinfection and vaccination
Pasteurellosis or pneumonic septicemia	Temp. 103-106⁰F, dullness, difficult respiration, muscular tremors. Discharge from eyes and nose. Death in few days to 3 weeks. Salivation, continuous coughing, localized edema at neck and or brisket parts	Direct and indirect contact in transportation and over-crowding, Aerosol route.	Administration of sulphonamide antibiotics, vaccination with vaccine of most serotypes
Enterotoxemia or pulpy kidney disease	Dullness, oral frothing, jaws movement abdominal pain, staggering gait, chewing of dirt, irregular breathing, twitching of muscles, convulsions, grinding teeth, coma and death within 1-4 hours. Constipation followed by blackish diarrhea, blood in faeces in last stage due to intestinal haemorrhage.	Contaminated feed and water, discharges from affected animals	Vaccination before 2-4 weeks before kidding; again to new borns at 3-4 months age followed by booster dose after 15-20 days; use antiserum, repeat vaccination yearly; no treatment.
Tetanus/lockjaw	Minor stiffness and difficult to move muscles become stiff and rigid, head and neck stretched, jaws become locked, difficult breathing, if falls on the ground legs are over extended. High alertness, sensitivity to noise continuous tonic centriction to muscles Asphyxia.	Contaminated soil, camel and horse dung, entrance through wounds from shearing, docking, castration etc.	Cleanliness, aseptic precaution in castration and docking, vaccination
listeriosis	In nervous form: dullness, goes off feed, fever, walking in circle, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, tongue protrudes, salivation. Abortion form: placentitis, still birth, abortions, death of new born, metritis; seepticemia, hepatitis, splemitis, phenumesia, pyrexia, fever and diarrhea	Contaminated pasture grass, feed, water, silage	Prevent stress, follow sanitation and hygiene to prevent contamination, use of antibiotics and sulphonamides use of attenuated vaccine.
Foot rot	Lameness, painful swelling on foot between cleft, Rapid loss of body weight	Wet marshy and badly drained pastures, insanitary conditions of stalls, foot injury	Proper trimming of hooves, keep proper sanitation and hygiene, keeping floor dry, apply 10% chloramphenicol in 70% alcohol in foot, driving goats through foot bath containing 5% copper sulphate solution.
Navel ill/joint ill or neonatal polyarthritis	Slight fever, lameness, one or more joint release greyish white pus.	Use of unclean tools, dirty pens, wet floor, badly drained pastures.	Colostrum feeding of young ones, proper disinfection of navel with iodine, general sanitation and hygiene in pens, streptopencillin in early stage effective.
Wooden tongue (Actinobacillosis)	Wooden tongue, tongue become hard-unable to eat	Entry through wounds	Use of antibiotics

JOHNE’S DISEASE

Enterotoxemia

Enterotoxaemia- Dilated intestine showing a patchy congestion

Pulpy kidney appearance

BACTERIAL-ABORTIONS

Brucellosis	Both goats and sheep are affected, abortion occurs in late pregnancy, before abortion animal is uneasy. Other symptoms are mastitis, synovitis and arthritis	Licking of aborted fetus, eating placenta, organisms enter through mouth, inhalation, conjunctival, even through skin	Isolation and give rest. Treatment is not effective. Single dose of Rev.1 vaccine, periodic testing and elimination. Burn fetus, placenta, bedding disinfect the place with 2% lysol
Campylobacteriosis	Abortion in last 6 weeks of gestation, still birth, weak kid/lamb, metritis after abortion, few doe may die after abortion; those survive develop 2 years immunity.	Licking of aborted fetus, eating placenta, organisms enter through mouth, inhalation, conjunctival, even through skin. Contaminated feed and water through carriers	Isolation and rest. Vaccination by combined vaccine with chlamydia and campylobacter
Salmonellosis	Abortion in last 7 weeks of gestation, still birth, metritis after abortion	Licking of aborted fetus, eating placenta, organisms enter through mouth, inhalation, conjunctival, even through skin. Contaminated feed and water through carriers	Isolation and rest. Proper disposal of placenta, fetus and contaminated litter by burying in quick lime, use antibiotics to decrease losses

PARASITIC INFESTATIONS

Protozoan diseases
Coccidiosis	Unformed faeces, loose motion, faeces mixed with blood, dehydration, loose body weight, rough hair coat, anaemia, low apetite, may have slight fever.	Contaminated feed and water, pasture with sporulated oocysts	Sulphamizathine 5 days per oral. Amprolium drenching for 3 days. Other drugs are nitrofurazones, sulmet course 4 days; bifuran avoid humid conditions, proper hygiene of sheds, sanitation. Avoid humid conditions, proper hygiene of sheds, sanitation
Theileriosis	Pyrexia (104-107⁰F), anorexia, depression, anaemia, oedema under lower jaw, pregnant animal may abort. Swollen liver, persistent diarrhea, exhaustion, dehydration	Transmitted by ticks from sick to healthy animals	Course of Berenil alongwith quinine, antibiotics. Control of ticks; treatment is not satisfactory
Helminthic diseases
Trematodes
Fascioliasis	Sick goat/sheep get isolated, irritation; off feed, weak, anaemic, edema under lower jaw, pregnant animal may abort. Swollen liver, persistent diarrhea, exhaustion, dehydration	Animals of 4 to 12 months age are more susceptible. Contaminated feed, water with snail (Limnaca)	Proper land drainage, use of CuSO₄ for killing snails in ponds etc.
Small liver fluke (Lancet fluke)	Low feed intake, keep standing, abdomen is distended and painful upon manipulation, death in few days.	Contaminated feed with metacercaria, snails and ants as first and secondary hosts	Use of Albendazole, Refoxanide as per vet advice.
Nematodes Abomasal worms 1. Haemonchus contortus 2. Oestetagia circumcincta 3. Trichostrongylus axei	Diarrhea, soiling of hind quarters, bottle jaw, paleness of mucus membranes, inflammation of intestines, low feed intake, poor growth, weakness, unthriftness, mortality range 1 to 13%	Infective stage of eggs, larvae are eaten up by grazing animals in spring or rainy season	Prevent pasture contamination by eggs in monsoon kidding/ lambing season. Use of broad spectrum antihelminth seg., Fenbendazole, Albendazole, probenzimidazole, Livansole, Morental, Ivermectin.
Cestodes-tapeworms	Loss of condition, unthriftiness	Infective stage of eggs, larvae are eaten up by grazing animals in spring or rainy season	Ploughing of grazing area and cross grazing with large animals. Dosing with Fenbendazole and niclosamide
Verminous pnuemonia	Frequent coughing, retarded growth and loss of body weight. Nasal, eye discharges with difficult respiration and sometimes diarrhea in later stages	Infective stage of eggs, larvae are eaten up by grazing animals in spring or rainy season	Effective drugs are Fenbendazole, levamisole, Albendazole, Ivermectin; use of irradiated vaccine

DEFICIENCY DISEASES

DISEASES	CAUSES	SYMPTOMS	TREATMENT/CONTROL
Goitre	Lack of iodine in body, feed and water	Kids lambing die soon after birth, enlargement of thyroids below the angle of jaw bone	Supply amount of iodized salt to breeding stock in gestation period
Pine	Cobalt deficiency	Loss of appetite and condition, loss of body weight, progressive anemia, coma and death	Mix cobalt sulphate in feed/mineral mixture. Give vit B12 inj. Supply CuSO₄; cobalt chloride+Ferrous sulphate mix in 1:1:4 ratio @ 1 gm per doe/day upto 5 days
Sodium, potassium chlorine	Lack of minerals in soil, feeds/fodders, water and blood serum	Anorexia, conditions like edema, progressive loss of condition, low feed intake, low growth rate, low productivity and fertility.	Balancing the diet, add sufficient minerals as per requirements
Calcium, Phosphorus	Lack of minerals in soil, feeds/fodders, water and blood serum	Hypocalcemia, poor milk yield, poor growth, rickets, pica, depression, weakness, unable to stand.	Supply enough vit D through additions maintain Ca: P ratio 2:1 in feed
Copper, cobalt iron, zinc, magnesium	Lack of minerals in soil, feeds/fodders, water and blood serum	Anaemia, emaciation, birth of weak young ones, slow growth, poor development, low production sway back and paralytic, pine syndrome, hypomagnecaemia	Balancing the ration, supply supplevit, min. mix
Manganese	Lack of minerals in soil, feeds/fodders, water and blood serum	Swollen joints, stiff gait, poor fertility	Balancing the ration, supply supplevit, min. mix

VITAMIN DEFICIENCY DISEASES

Vit.A	Lack of green feeds	Opacity cornea, weakness, retarded growth, lowered resistance; tests growth retarded, placental degeneration in female causes still birth or abortion, blindness	Vit. A supplement inj. Of aquous stabilized vit.A @ 400-I. U per kg body weight; feeding green.
Vit B₁	Faulty diets	Nervous symptoms, cerebro-cortico necrosis anorexia, clamping of jaw, ruminal stasis, weakness	Balanced diet, vit. Supplement, Balanced diet, vit. Supplement, injection of thiamine or B complex in early stage effective
Vit D	Poor sunlight, strict prolonged confinement in stalls	Weakness, impaired vision, stiff movement, stretching of head and limbs, excessive salivation, aimless movement developing convulsions. In last stage animal falls on side with legs holding high and kicking violently and then death, weak bones, rickets, poor growth and development	Feeding sun dried hay; vit. D supplement in ration

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

DETERMINING THE AGE OF GOATS

By just looking at the lower jaw of the goat it will be easy to determine the age of the goat.

Goat is a ruminant and does not have any incisor teeth in the upper jaw but posses’ hard pad on the top while the lower jaw has eight incisors front teeth. The goats have toward the back of mouth large teeth called molars which help the goat in chewing the grass.

First year of the kid	The front teeth are small and sharp in goats \| with less than one year age.
Second yearling	The center pair of teeth fall out and are replaced by two permanent teeth.
Third year	Two more large front teeth appear on the side of the centre pair.
Fourth year	Six permanent teeth appear.
Fifth year	At this age eight permanent teeth appear in the front of lower jaw

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE GOAT

Birth weight of kid	0.94 kg Black Bengal 3.54 kg- Jamunapari
Adult body weight of Indian goats	19-40 kg
Body temperature	39-40.5⁰C
Age at puberty	4-5 months
Breeding season	In tropics (all year round), in Temperate (sept to Feb)
Duration estrus	12-48 hrs
Gestation period	146-154 days
Average milk production	800 gms per day per animal for 150 days

Characteristic	Sheep	Goat
A. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Tail	Generally long, hanging, hairy, broad	Short, thin and upright
Back and withers	Round & well fleshed	Sharp, little flesh
Thorax	Barrel shaped	Flattened laterally
Flesh	Pale red and fine in structure	Dark red and coarse with goaty odour. Sticky subcutaneous tissue which may have adherent goat hairs
General appearance	Fatty, mostly roundish type	Taller, thinner and more angular
Body covering	Wool, hairy wool and hair	Hair
Presence of bear	No bear or an odoriferous tail glands	Beared and strongly odoriferous tail glands in males
Nature of horns	Mostly homonymous	Heteronymous
B. REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR
Onset of puberty	4-12 months	4-8 months
Avg. age at first service	12-18 months	12-18 months
Length of estrus cycle	14-20 days	7-24 days
Duration of estrus	24-48 hrs	16-50 hours
Gestation period	150 days	150 days
Time of ovulation	1-24 hrs before the end of estrus	25-30 hrs after the onset of estrus
Optimum of time of service	18-24 hrs after the onset of estrus	12-20 hrs after the onset of estrus
Advisable time to breed after parturition	Usually in next winter	80-90 days after parturition
Breeding life span	5-8 years	6-10 years
C. COMPARATIVE FEEDING BEHAVIOUR AND DIGESTIVE PHYSIOLOGY
Activity	Walk shorter distances	Bipedal stance and walk longer
Feeding pattern	Grazer, less selective	Browser, more selective
Browse and tree leaves	Less relished, preference is on grazing	Relished and high preference
Varieties in feeds	Prefer lesser	Prefer greater
Taste sensation	Less discerning	More discerning
Salivary secretion rate	moderate	Greater
Recycling of urea in saliva	Lesser	Greater
Dry matter intake
—-for meat	3% B.wt	3% B.wt
—-for lactation	3% B.wt	4-6% B.wt
Digestive efficiency	Less efficient	Higher with coarse roughages
Retention time	Shorter	Longer
Water intake/ unit DM	Higher	Lower
Rumen NH3 concentration	Lower	Higher
Dehydration
—-faeces	Relatively higher water loss	Less loss
—-urine	Less concentrated	More concentrated