What are the common diseases in donkey farming

As people's consumption level rises, demand also becomes diversified. Many people like to eat foods made from donkey meat, and donkey hide products have high medicinal value. These demands drive the development of the breeding industry, but there are also many problems in the breeding process. What are the common diseases of donkeys and how should they be prevented and treated?

I. Common diseases of donkeys

The common diseases of donkeys mainly include influenza, pneumonia, infectious bronchitis, serous arthritis, acute gastric dilatation, sarcoptic mange infection, gastric botfly myiasis, and intestinal spasm.

II. How to prevent and treat common donkey diseases

1. Influenza

(1) Condition: The donkey influenza virus exists in the respiratory tract mucosa and secretions of sick donkeys. When a sick donkey coughs or sneezes, it sprays out virus-laden secretions that form droplets floating in the air. After a healthy donkey inhales these droplets, it becomes infected and develops the disease. It occurs more frequently in seasons with variable weather.

The nasal discharge of a sick donkey is initially watery, then becomes turbid and viscous and grayish-white, and in some cases purulent or mixed with blood. Body temperature can reach 39.5-42°C, and the respiratory rate increases.

(2) Treatment: For treatment, penicillin and streptomycin can be injected intramuscularly, twice daily. Antongding 10-20 ml, Daqingye or Banlangen injection 10-16 ml, intramuscular injection, twice daily.

For traditional Chinese medicine, the following can be used: Banlangen 30 g, Daqingye 30 g, Niubangzi 30 g, Huangqin 30 g, Jiegeng 15 g, Chaihu 30 g, Zhizi 25 g, Gancao 25 g, ground into powder or decocted in water and administered by drenching. Once daily. For severe cases, fluid replacement should be carried out.

2. Infectious bronchitis

(1) Condition: Infectious bronchitis is mostly prevalent in early spring and late autumn, and within 2 days the whole herd becomes infected with an extremely high morbidity rate. If there is no secondary infection, the mortality rate is very low. Clinically, it is mainly characterized by a dry, dull, painful cough.

(2) Treatment: When this disease occurs, isolate the animals immediately. Placing sick donkeys in a clean, dry, dust-free, warm place helps them recover faster. Without secondary infection, this disease can resolve on its own after 7-10 days. If there are complications, treat according to the proven prescription for pneumonia with cough as the main symptom.

3. Serous arthritis

(1) Condition: Also known as joint synovitis, it is an exudative inflammation of the synovial layer of the joint capsule. It is mostly seen in the hock joint, knee joint, fetlock joint, and carpal joint. Joint deformation can present three oval-shaped protruding soft and fluctuating swellings, located respectively at the anteromedial side of the hock joint, behind the lower end of the tibia, and on the medial and lateral sides in front of the calcaneus. When these three swellings are pressed alternately, the fluid within them flows back and forth. In the acute stage, heat, pain, and swelling are all prominent, and lameness is also obvious. When standing, the affected limb is lifted and flexed, or the tip of the hoof rests on the ground, with moderate lameness. The affected joint is enlarged and its contours are unclear, especially the synovial blind sac between the three patellar ligaments.

(2) Treatment: In the early stage of acute inflammation, use cooling therapy; after it subsides, use warm therapy or apply a wet bandage, such as a saturated saline wet bandage or an ichthammol alcohol bandage, changed once daily. For chronic inflammation, repeatedly apply iodine-camphor ether mixture by rubbing, followed immediately by warm compresses, or apply traditional Chinese medicine externally.

When the exudate is difficult to absorb, use a syringe to draw out the fluid from the joint, then quickly inject warmed 1% procaine solution 10-20 ml and penicillin 200,000-400,000 units. Finally apply a pressure bandage, and under the bandage apply realgar powder mixed with vinegar, periodically adding vinegar into the bandage to maintain the effect of the realgar. Replace the realgar powder and bandage every other day, and this can be used several times in succession. For both acute and chronic inflammation, hydrocortisone can be tried, injected subcutaneously at several points on the affected area or into the joint cavity, and 10% calcium chloride solution 100 ml injected intravenously, used for several consecutive days.

4. Acute gastric dilatation

(1) Condition: Acute gastric dilatation is a type of abdominal pain disease in which the stomach rapidly expands due to overeating and impaired gastric emptying function.

Primary gastric dilatation usually occurs suddenly within 1-2 hours after eating or immediately during intense work after feeding.

In the initial stage, moderate intermittent abdominal pain appears (the interval between pain episodes is 10-30 minutes), but it quickly turns into continuous severe abdominal pain. The sick donkey constantly gets up and lies down abruptly, or walks quickly and rushes forward, and some sick donkeys assume a sitting-dog posture.

Secondary gastric dilatation first shows symptoms of the primary disease, with severe abdominal pain, followed by belching, with a large amount of sour-smelling liquid containing grass residue flowing from the nostrils. Systemic symptoms are more severe, and the pulse is rapid, thin, and weak. After the liquid is drained out, the sick donkey becomes quiet, but it recurs after a certain time, with a repetitive nature and shortened intervals.

(2) Treatment: Using a stomach tube to expel gas from the stomach is an important method for treating primary acute tympanitic gastric dilatation. Then through the stomach tube administer chloral hydrate alcohol mixture: chloral hydrate 10-20 g, 95% alcohol 30-50 ml, add warm water 300 ml, dissolve and mix, administer by drenching at one time. Or use lactic acid 15-20 ml, alcohol 100-150 ml, liquid paraffin 500 ml, add an appropriate amount of water, administer by drenching at one time.

For tympanitic gastric dilatation, after expelling gas with a stomach tube, administer an antifoaming agent by drenching.

For food-stagnation gastric dilatation, use procaine powder 2-3 g, dilute hydrochloric acid solution 15-20 ml, liquid paraffin 500-1000 ml, ordinary water 500 ml, mix, and administer by drenching at one time, with relatively good results.

5. Sarcoptic mange infection

(1) Condition: Sarcoptic mange is a common disease in winter in cold regions. The skin of sick donkeys is extremely itchy, with hair loss, and the skin oozes yellow fluid or forms scabs. Because of the itching, sick donkeys bite and gnaw all day, rub against walls and posts, are restless and uneasy, cannot feed and rest normally, gain weight slowly, or become emaciated. In winter and spring, if the area of hair loss is large, it can also cause sick donkeys to freeze to death.

(2) Treatment: Take 1% trichlorfon solution and spray or wash the affected area, once every 4 days, for 3 consecutive times. If the temperature is too low when washing the affected area with the medicinal solution, the donkey shed should be appropriately warmed; sulfur powder 4 parts and vaseline 10 parts can also be made into an ointment and applied to the affected area, and the walls and floor inside the shed can be sprayed with 1.5% trichlorfon solution to kill the mites.

6. Gastric botfly myiasis

(1) Condition: Gastric botfly myiasis is a chronic wasting disease caused by the larvae of various botflies of the genus Gasterophilus in the family Oestridae parasitizing the gastrointestinal tract. Sick donkeys are depressed, extremely emaciated, with conjunctival congestion, body temperature 37.8°C, disappearance of bowel sounds, accelerated heartbeat, shallow and rapid breathing, severe abdominal pain, increased abdominal circumference, and cessation of defecation. The mouth is moist and slippery, with a grayish-white tongue coating and a sour odor, and fecal water flows from the nose. Horse botfly larvae are attached to the anus. The feces contain white larvae, and there are symptoms such as poor coat and emaciation.

(2) Treatment: First guide the stomach and insert a stomach tube to drain out the stomach contents. Then administer talc powder 800 g and trichlorfon 10 g through the stomach tube. Then mix 2% procaine hydrochloride 30 ml, 10% anacardine 20 ml, and 10% saline 300 ml, and inject intravenously.

For horse botfly disease, in late autumn and early winter, use trichlorfon 8-14 g, add water 1000 ml, and administer through a stomach tube for preventive deworming. During the flight period of adult flies, apply 300 mg/kg deltamethrin to egg-laying sites such as behind the elbows, once every other day, to prevent horse botfly larva infection.

7. Intestinal spasm

(1) Condition: The main cause of intestinal spasm is cold stimulation of the donkey. During intestinal spasm, intermittent abdominal pain occurs. During an attack, the sick donkey shows moderate abdominal pain, and after lasting 5-10 minutes, it enters an interval period. During the interval period, the sick donkey appears healthy and free of disease, and often continues to feed and drink as usual.

The sick donkey defecates more frequently. Because intestinal peristalsis accelerates and intestinal fluid secretion increases, the sick donkey continuously passes small amounts of soft, thin feces, and some feces have a relatively strong sour odor and are mixed with mucus.

(2) Treatment: Use 30% analgin solution 20-30 ml, injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly at one time for pain relief; use sodium sulfate 200-300 g, alcohol 50 ml, ichthammol 15-20 g, water 5000 ml, administered orally at one time to clear the intestines and stop fermentation.

The above merely lists several common diseases, and does not mean that all of them are included here. We hope this has some reference value for everyone.