Updates from Sabana Grande Part 3: Laura Budd, Karen Sorenson, Hannah MacDonald, Gaby Maier

Livestock health impressions from a veterinarian:

 Dr. Gaby Maier

Dr. Gaby Maier and Lauren, another veterinary student on our project, explaining antibiotics.

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.