What are the key measures for the prevention and treatment of sheep diseases (Part 2)
Key measures for the prevention and treatment of sheep diseases (2)
(Agricultural Wealth Network) Establish and improve veterinary diagnostic laboratories, and set up basic archive materials such as epidemic prevention files, quarantine certificates, diagnostic records, prescription slips, medical records, and breeding and mating records. Adopt various effective serological or etiological methods to regularly and systematically monitor the disease dynamics of breeding sheep flocks, and resolutely cull positive and virus (bacteria)-carrying sheep; when a suspected disease occurs, promptly isolate and treat or cull the sick sheep and suspected infected sheep, and carry out emergency vaccination for presumably healthy sheep.
Treatment of sheep diseases
On the basis of "prevention first, prevention more important than treatment", targeted treatment should be given according to different symptoms. Adhere to the principles of "eliminating the cause, treating when cost-effective, treating mild cases before severe ones, and giving priority to those easy to cure", and effectively avoid causing serious waste of manpower, financial resources, and drugs. The medication treatment methods are summarized below:
1. Common administration methods
There are mainly 3 types: oral administration, rectal infusion, and injection.
① Oral administration
Most drugs for expelling internal parasites of sheep and treating gastrointestinal diseases are administered orally. The method is to make the sheep stand, clamp its neck with your legs, or have an assistant hold the sheep's neck; the person administering the drug inserts the left thumb from the corner of the sheep's mouth, presses down the tongue, and at the same time uses the right hand to extend the bottle nozzle from the other corner of the mouth into the mouth, gently lifts the sheep's head with the left hand, and then pours the medicinal liquid in evenly. If there is a large amount of medicinal liquid, administer it slowly to prevent too rapid administration from causing choking into the trachea.
② Rectal infusion
For constipation or expelling parasites in the posterior segment of the large intestine, the rectal infusion method can be used. The method is to restrain the sick sheep in a standing position, slowly insert the enema tube into the anus, then lift the funnel and slowly infuse the drug into the intestine; if the medicinal liquid flows too slowly, gently move the tube to speed up the infusion rate.
③ Injection
It is divided into 3 types: subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, and intravenous injection. Subcutaneous injection is performed on the inner side of the thigh. According to the author's experience, in order to improve injection speed, it can also be performed at the wrinkled area on the inner side of the front leg, but no matter what site is used, the skin at the intended injection site must be lifted with the left hand to form a wrinkle, and then the needle is inserted subcutaneously at a 15-degree angle for injection. Intramuscular injection is mostly performed in the inner and outer muscles of the thigh or the neck muscles, and injection into the neck muscles is preferable because it is easier to operate. Performing intramuscular injection on the inner and outer sides of the thigh is not only difficult to locate and operate, but also easy to insert the needle into the bone, causing lameness in the injected sheep. Intramuscular injection does not require lifting the skin, and the needle is not inserted at a 15-degree angle but at a 90-degree angle; when inserting, attention should be paid to moderate depth, and it must not pierce blood vessels. The main site for intravenous injection is the jugular vein. During injection, the sick sheep stands or lies on its side. The method is to shear the hair and disinfect the injection site on the neck (in actual work, disinfection can also be done directly), press the lower part of the neck with the left hand to block blood return; at this time the vein bulges like a cord, and the right hand inserts the needle. If the needle hits the vein, blood will flow into the syringe, and jugular vein injection can then be performed. If the needle is inserted too deep, it can be slowly withdrawn a little until blood appears in the syringe.
2. Precautions
① Some drugs cannot be used on pregnant ewes or lambs, so when using drugs for prevention, selectivity is required, and operations must strictly follow the instructions to prevent accidents.
② Long-term use of antibacterial drugs will destroy the normal microbial ecological balance in the rumen, affect digestive function, and cause indigestion. Generally, continuous use for 5 to 7 days is appropriate. In particular, oral administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics to adult sheep, such as oxytetracycline, often causes severe flora imbalance and even the risk of animal death, so broad-spectrum antibiotics should not be used in adult animals.
③ Long-term use of a certain antibiotic or chemical drug makes it easy to produce drug-resistant strains, affecting the preventive and therapeutic effect of the drug. Therefore, drug sensitivity tests should be conducted frequently, and highly sensitive drugs should be selected for prevention and treatment.
Treatment of sheep diseases
On the basis of "prevention first, prevention more important than treatment", targeted treatment should be given according to different symptoms. Adhere to the principles of "eliminating the cause, treating when cost-effective, treating mild cases before severe ones, and giving priority to those easy to cure", and effectively avoid causing serious waste of manpower, financial resources, and drugs. The medication treatment methods are summarized below:
1. Common administration methods
There are mainly 3 types: oral administration, rectal infusion, and injection.
① Oral administration
Most drugs for expelling internal parasites of sheep and treating gastrointestinal diseases are administered orally. The method is to make the sheep stand, clamp its neck with your legs, or have an assistant hold the sheep's neck; the person administering the drug inserts the left thumb from the corner of the sheep's mouth, presses down the tongue, and at the same time uses the right hand to extend the bottle nozzle from the other corner of the mouth into the mouth, gently lifts the sheep's head with the left hand, and then pours the medicinal liquid in evenly. If there is a large amount of medicinal liquid, administer it slowly to prevent too rapid administration from causing choking into the trachea.
② Rectal infusion
For constipation or expelling parasites in the posterior segment of the large intestine, the rectal infusion method can be used. The method is to restrain the sick sheep in a standing position, slowly insert the enema tube into the anus, then lift the funnel and slowly infuse the drug into the intestine; if the medicinal liquid flows too slowly, gently move the tube to speed up the infusion rate.
③ Injection
It is divided into 3 types: subcutaneous injection, intramuscular injection, and intravenous injection. Subcutaneous injection is performed on the inner side of the thigh. According to the author's experience, in order to improve injection speed, it can also be performed at the wrinkled area on the inner side of the front leg, but no matter what site is used, the skin at the intended injection site must be lifted with the left hand to form a wrinkle, and then the needle is inserted subcutaneously at a 15-degree angle for injection. Intramuscular injection is mostly performed in the inner and outer muscles of the thigh or the neck muscles, and injection into the neck muscles is preferable because it is easier to operate. Performing intramuscular injection on the inner and outer sides of the thigh is not only difficult to locate and operate, but also easy to insert the needle into the bone, causing lameness in the injected sheep. Intramuscular injection does not require lifting the skin, and the needle is not inserted at a 15-degree angle but at a 90-degree angle; when inserting, attention should be paid to moderate depth, and it must not pierce blood vessels. The main site for intravenous injection is the jugular vein. During injection, the sick sheep stands or lies on its side. The method is to shear the hair and disinfect the injection site on the neck (in actual work, disinfection can also be done directly), press the lower part of the neck with the left hand to block blood return; at this time the vein bulges like a cord, and the right hand inserts the needle. If the needle hits the vein, blood will flow into the syringe, and jugular vein injection can then be performed. If the needle is inserted too deep, it can be slowly withdrawn a little until blood appears in the syringe.
2. Precautions
① Some drugs cannot be used on pregnant ewes or lambs, so when using drugs for prevention, selectivity is required, and operations must strictly follow the instructions to prevent accidents.
② Long-term use of antibacterial drugs will destroy the normal microbial ecological balance in the rumen, affect digestive function, and cause indigestion. Generally, continuous use for 5 to 7 days is appropriate. In particular, oral administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics to adult sheep, such as oxytetracycline, often causes severe flora imbalance and even the risk of animal death, so broad-spectrum antibiotics should not be used in adult animals.
③ Long-term use of a certain antibiotic or chemical drug makes it easy to produce drug-resistant strains, affecting the preventive and therapeutic effect of the drug. Therefore, drug sensitivity tests should be conducted frequently, and highly sensitive drugs should be selected for prevention and treatment.