Disease Prevention and Control Methods in Muskrat Farming

I. Pasteurellosis

1 Symptoms: Diseased rats mainly contract pasteurellosis through drinking water, feed or exogenous infection. Diseased rats show refusal to eat, rough fur, accelerated and difficult breathing; a few diseased rats have paralysis of the hind limbs and muscle spasms, and the disease strikes suddenly. Those in better physical condition are often more affected, with no diarrhea, but some pass blood from the anus and urinary opening, and most die in the water pool, with a few dying in the nest cage.

2 Prevention and control: ① Ofloxacin can be injected. Strictly control the dosage for intramuscular injection, generally 0.2-0.3 ml per rat, 2 times a day, for 2-3 consecutive days. ② Inject cephalosporin intramuscularly, 0.15 ml per rat, for 3 consecutive days. ③ Mix enrofloxacin, Bajunke powder or norfloxacin (crushed) into concentrated feed according to the instructions and feed for 2-3 days. If enrofloxacin is temporarily unavailable, Bajunke powder or ciprofloxacin can be mixed into concentrated feed, fed once each morning and evening for 2-3 consecutive days. ④ Feed fresh feed, analyze whether the concentrated feed may be exogenously contaminated, do not use leftover concentrated feed, replace with fresh feed, and after high-temperature sterilization (once cooled), mix with medicine before feeding. ⑤ Strictly disinfect tools, feeding utensils, nest cages and the ground. Disinfectants can include Lysol, bleaching powder, potassium permanganate, lime milk, and strong sterilizing agents, and increase air convection in the facility to ensure clean drinking water.

II. Paratyphoid (Salmonellosis)

1 Symptoms: It has obvious seasonality, and infection is especially likely from June to August. The main symptoms of the disease are fever, diarrhea, and foul-smelling feces. After death, dissection shows the spleen enlarged 5-8 times and dark red in color.

2 Prevention and control: ① Analyze the water source, remove any original leftover suspicious feed, and ensure the supply of feed with comprehensive nutrition and strong palatability. ② For severe cases, first inject 0.2 ml of penicillin intramuscularly, or administer furazolidone or chloramphenicol, tetracycline, aureomycin, etc. (crushed and given orally with water). ③ For the whole group of muskrats, mix one of the above drugs into the concentrated feed and feed for 3 consecutive days. ④ Isolate diseased rats and treat them separately.

III. Coccidiosis

Once this disease breaks out, it can also cause losses, so coccidia should be eliminated 4 times a year. In particular, after breeding rats arrive at the facility, coccidia should be eliminated once, and thereafter 4 times a year. Coccidiostats such as clopidol, robenidine, pagoda sugar, and the Chinese patent medicine “Coccidia King” can be used, mixed into concentrated feed according to the instructed dosage. Intestinal parasites include not only coccidia but also some parasites that even experts in specialized testing departments cannot name. Therefore, clearing and killing various intestinal parasites is especially important.