ANIMAL HEALTH
Causes and prevention of livestock diseases
A
basic knowledge of
animal diseases, and
the factors that cause
diseases to occur, should be
the aim of every livestock
owner, however small or
amateur his farming operation
may be.
Three principal reasons most
often cited for the spread of
diseases are poor sanitation,
improper management and
introduction of new animals
into a herd.
From page 29
And, the relatively small
distances between herds and
flocks on adjoining
smallholdings in Gauteng, and
the fact that many stockowners are ignorant or
neglectful of the causes of
disease, means that veterinarians describe Gauteng's
plotland as a vigorous
generator of otherwise
preventable ailments.
Knowledge of what causes
disease, and of how animals
can get a disease, helps us to
know how to prevent disease
and to treat sick animals.
K Parasites are organisms
that have to live on or in
other organisms, such as
animals, in order to survive.
Most parasites are easy to see,
although some mites and the
early stages of worms can
only be seen under a
microscope.
Some live outside the animal,
such as flies, lice, mites, fleas
MYCOTOXINS
stand the effects of mycoFeeds should generally be
toxins. Stress, physiological
consumed within ten days of state, nutritional standing,
delivery.
and disease status will
Cleaning and sanitizing
independently and collecfeeders, storage bins and
tively determine the response
other equipment is another
of a given animal to a specific
basic precaution.
mycotoxin level or complex
One should also maintain the of mycotoxins.
best possible level of health
Mycotoxins may also be a
in poultry and livestock, so
hazard to human health since
that they are able to withanimal products consumed
by people may contain
mycotoxin residues.
Mycotoxin deactivators can
be added to animal feed in
order to help fight the effects
of the chemicals.
The Agricultural Research
Council is currently working
on breeding strains of crops
that are resistant to mycotoxins.
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and ticks.
Others such as flukes and
round worms live inside an
animal. They usually live in
the stomach and intestines
but also in other parts of the
body such as the lungs and
liver. Parasites cause a variety
of diseases in animals.
K Microbes or germs are
usually too small to be seen
with the naked eye, and only
Continued on page 32