Prevention and Control of Common Summer Diseases in Mink

In summer, pathogenic microorganisms multiply in large numbers, and the resistance of mink declines. Therefore, farmers must pay extra attention in summer to preventing mink from becoming ill, as well as from poisoning and heatstroke. So which diseases are mink prone to in summer? How to prevent and control them? What preventive measures can be taken?

1. Which diseases are mink prone to in summer (clinical symptoms)

1. Colibacillosis

Affected mink are depressed, have reduced appetite, become emaciated, and suffer from persistent diarrhea; the feces are yellow, gray, or dark gray and mixed with mucus, and in severe cases there is fecal incontinence. The affected mink have weak hind limbs and unsteady standing, and in the later stages develop incoordination, coma, and even death.

2. Salmonellosis

Affected mink refuse food, are depressed, and have an elevated body temperature; the fur is rough and lusterless, and sometimes there is purulent discharge from the eyes. There is vomiting and diarrhea, with feces that are porridge-like or watery, often mixed with large amounts of mucus and sometimes blood. The affected mink have weak limbs, and the visible mucous membranes are highly icteric; they rapidly become emaciated and die.

3. Pasteurellosis

Affected mink suddenly refuse food, drink more water, have difficulty breathing, and develop diarrhea with grayish-green loose stools, often mixed with blood and undigested feed; they become anemic and emaciated, and often die after convulsive episodes.

4. Eperythrozoonosis

In the early stage, affected mink have dry feces with mucus, which later becomes loose, with indigestion; in severe cases there is watery diarrhea that is yellow, green, or tar-like, with yellow urine, progressive emaciation, jaundice, weak limbs, and death from exhaustion.

5. Heatstroke

It mostly occurs at noon on the hottest days of summer. The body temperature of affected mink rises rapidly; they are depressed, have a staggering gait, vomit, have difficulty breathing, and develop generalized convulsions, finally dying in a coma.

6. Poisoning diseases

These are mainly divided into food poisoning and drug poisoning.

(1) Food poisoning manifests as sudden onset in the entire group; the faster they eat and the larger the amount they eat, the more acute the onset and the more severe the symptoms. Affected mink eat little or refuse food, vomit, have diarrhea, and in severe cases die.

(2) Drug poisoning produces different symptoms depending on the various drugs involved.

2. How to prevent and control

1. Infectious diseases such as colibacillosis, salmonellosis, and pasteurellosis

These are bacterial infectious diseases. On different farms, the same pathogen has different degrees of sensitivity to the same antibiotic. That is to say, treating the same disease with the same antibiotic may be very effective on one farm, while on another farm the treatment effect may be unsatisfactory or even ineffective. Therefore, after mink become ill, it is best to collect samples from dead mink for bacterial culture, conduct drug sensitivity tests, select the drugs that are effective on that farm, and administer them under the guidance of a veterinarian. The carcasses of dead mink and their feces should be deeply buried, and the environment, cages, and utensils must be strictly disinfected.

2. Eperythrozoonosis

Add oxytetracycline hydrochloride bulk powder to the feed; add 40-50 g of oxytetracycline hydrochloride bulk powder per 50 kg of feed and administer continuously for 10 d.

For severe cases, long-acting oxytetracycline injection can be given intramuscularly, according to the instructions for use. Strictly use one needle per mink.

Adding astragalus polysaccharides and VC to the feed can enhance the body's resistance.

3. Heatstroke

When mink with heatstroke are found, they should immediately be placed in a well-ventilated, shady place, with cold compresses on the head or cold-water enema.

4. Poisoning diseases

After food poisoning is discovered, the spoiled food should immediately be stopped, and glucose or mung bean soup, etc., should be given orally for detoxification.

3. Prevention and control measures

1. Infectious diseases such as colibacillosis, salmonellosis, and pasteurellosis

Preventive measures mainly involve strengthening feeding management, enhancing the body's resistance, and eliminating pathogens. The specific measures are:

(1) Strictly control feed quality, do not feed spoiled or deteriorated feed, ensure drinking water hygiene, and provide high-quality complete feed that is nutritionally rich, palatable, and easy to digest and absorb, supplying sufficient protein, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, and minerals, etc. Without wasting feed, supply as much as they can eat, so that the physique of breeding mink recovers rapidly and the young mink grow quickly.

(2) By-products of livestock and poultry must be cooked before feeding, to prevent infection and disease caused by eating by-products from livestock and poultry suffering from such diseases.

(3) Maintain hygiene of feeding utensils, tools, and the environment, disinfect regularly, promptly remove feces, and eliminate mosquitoes and flies.

2. Eperythrozoonosis

This disease is mainly transmitted through the bites of blood-sucking insects, needle injection, and other routes. Therefore, controlling this disease requires eliminating blood-sucking insects.

3. Heatstroke

When summer arrives, shade sheds should be set up on the farm to prevent direct sunlight; maintain sufficient drinking water, reduce stocking density, strengthen ventilation, and when necessary cool down by sprinkling water.

4. Poisoning

(1) Preventive measures for food poisoning. Strictly control feed quality, do not feed spoiled or deteriorated feed, establish a reasonable feeding system, and ensure drinking water quality. Feed in the cool morning and evening; when feeding with food bowls, mix the food thicker to reduce the food volume and shorten the feeding time. After each feeding, remove the food bowls 1.5-2 hours later, to prevent disease caused by eating spoiled feed. It is best to place the thick feed on the cage wire for feeding.

(2) Pesticides should be properly stored on the farm, and the use of rodenticides is prohibited.

In short, farmers must not be careless in summer management. By doing a good job in daily management, providing mink with a good growing environment, and feeding nutritious feed to improve resistance, they will certainly be able to get through the summer safely.