Livestock health impressions from a veterinarian:
Dr. Gaby Maier
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Dr. Gaby
Maier and Lauren, another veterinary student on our project, explaining antibiotics.
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By far the
most pressing issue for livestock owners was the lack of sufficient feed at the
time of our visit to Sabana Grande. Since the dry season had gone on for
several weeks beyond its regular time span, pastures were depleted of plants
with any substantial nutritional value. As a result, most cattle we saw were
very thin and most producers reported that cows had stopped giving milk. There
were reports of dying cattle in a different village once the rain finally
started, which was attributed to the stress of the change in weather. From a
conversation with a livestock veterinarian in Ocotal, we learned that there may
be room for improvement in the way feed is grown or processed by producers.
Students from the International Agricultural Development Department at UC Davis
who were visiting Sabana Grande as part of our team were evaluating the forage
situation to see what forage is grown and how it could be improved. Efforts
directed towards better livestock nutrition maybe of most value in trying to
improve livestock health in Sabana Grande.
From the
surveys that were taken it appeared that cattle reproduction could be improved
as well. Even though there are clearly times of the year when there is more and
better forage available, reproductive efforts are not aimed at coordinating
increased nutritional demands of late gestation animals or weaned calves with
the availability of better pastures. It also appeared that females are bred
when they are fairly old, 2.5 to 3 years, which may be due to a lack of good
nutritional support and consequently a late onset of puberty.
Babesiosis
seems common and ticks are abundant. However, all producers we talked to were
aware of the problem and had a tick control plan. Losses from babesiosis were
reported as few. Livestock diseases common in the US, such as issues with
lameness, diarrhea or respiratory problems appeared to be rare. Almost none of
the surveys we conducted reported problems with such issues. Likewise, dystocia
(difficult birth) does not seem to occur commonly.
When
problems occur, owners typically visit one of the veterinary offices in Ocotal
but rarely have a veterinarian come to the farm. They describe the problem to
the veterinarian who prescribes a treatment and sells the owners the drugs.
Only the more affluent livestock owners will have a veterinarian visit if there
is a problem. The health promoters who are assisting those who are part of the
“Bono Productivo” government program are meeting some of the veterinary demands
of small producers. Providing training to these individuals will benefit a wide
audience. For example, a workshop in obstetrics for the health promoters could
be helpful to the community, as they are likely to be consulted should problems
with births occur.
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