Luna Veterinary Services

01/07/2024

Happy New Month of July!

Happy July!

Remember, we can always embrace the new month with warmth even if the previous month is full of challenges, sadness and frustrations as we actively pursue our goals with fresh plans and innovative approaches.

... Restoring farming culture

30/06/2024

Vaccine protects your dog from 5 diseases namely distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus and parainfluenza. It is important that your pet gets a complete shot of the vaccine and a yearly booster to ensure year round protection as some diseases no longer have "seasons"

12/05/2024

Incredible ❤️

04/03/2024

in town! Protect your animals

28/02/2024

Great loss...close monitoring is key. Professional advice from a trained personnel can go a long way in your agricultural business

27/02/2024

Deficiency Diseases in poultry

Different elements and compounds are required for the normal growth and development of poultry. If one or more of them are not present in the diet in adequate quantity, the normal functioning of the body will be impaired.

Vitamin A deficiency

Rate of growth falls below normal
droopiness, a staggering gait
ruffled appearance of the feathers.
the eyes become inflamed and there is a discharge from the nostrils.
In some there are swellings around the eyes and sticky exudate beneath the lids.
These symptoms may appear as early as the end of the third week.
Some of the chicks die before the 4th week .
In mature chickens the symptoms develop much more slowly than in growing chicks, but the inflammation of the eyes becomes more pronounced.
Often there is a white membranous film over the nictating membrane, or third eyelid, and a cheesy discharge, in the conjunctival sacs. There may also be a sticky discharge from the nostrils.
Vitamin D

Poultry requires vitamin D to effectively utilize calcium.
Vitamin D helps in the synthesis of calcium-binding proteins.
Calcium-binding proteins enhance Calcium absorption in the intestines especially.
Deficiency of vitamin D is evident in laying birds as egg production and egg weight decrease.
In growing birds, the symptoms are similar with that of calcium deficiency. There is bone weakness and re****ed growth.
Vitamin D in feed may not be totally available to the birds due to destruction by oxidation and mycotoxin interference.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant. It protects the body from free radicals that may cause harm. Just as selenium, its deficiency will lead to myopathies of the gizzard, the heart and skeletal muscles .
Other signs may include prostration with legs and head outstretched.
Males become infertile.
There is reduced egg production and hatchability of eggs .

Vitamin K

Vitamin is necessary for blood clotting.
Deficiency of vitamin k will lead to bleeding (hemorrhage).

25/02/2024

There's an increasing piglets and weaners mortality (death) recently. Pig farms should have knowledge of effective biosecurity at this moment. Biosecurity involves all practices and structure put in place to prevent the introduction or spread of diseases within a farm. Bringing in a new pig from unknown farms is a red flag. Allowing butchers into your pig pens is another big red flag. Always check up on your animals from time to time and get your vet involved as soon as you notice odd behaviour

24/02/2024

We are getting reports of PPR infections in sheep and goats within Abakaliki and it's environs. is a viral disease of small ruminants( sheep and goats) that comes with pneumonia and diarrhea. The animal may be seen coughing at times with rough hair coat. Nasal discharges as seen in the picture below may be evident. It is important to vaccinate against this disease if your area had witnessed such previously. A vaccine will protect your goat or sheep for a year.
Treatment for PPR is usually symptomatic. Therefore early commencement of treatment will surely make a difference.

22/01/2024

Small Ruminants Production ( Sheep and goats)

In Nigeria, small ruminants contribute an estimated 35% to the total meat supply; they are more important in the north than in the south, and more important in rural than in urban areas. Population estimates suggest there are roughly 1 million head of sheep and 7 million goats in the subhumid zone of Nigeria. In livestock units, this represents 3% and 16% respectively of total ruminants in the zone. Generally in Nigeria there is estimated population of 7.2 to 8.2 million sheep and 22 million goats

Breed

The major breed of sheep is the Yankasa; the West African Dwarf is the major goat breed. the Red Sokoto goat can be observed frequently in urban areas as far south as Ilorin. Again, crossbreeding is common, particularly in the northern part of the zone, where Red Sokoto goats are found not only in cities but also in rural areas.

Management

Sheep are kept predominantly by pastoralists, who manage them fairly extensively. Goats are kept mainly by crop farmers, whose management practices include housing overnight and tethering by day during the wet season, some cut-and-carry feeding shortly before harvesting their food grain crops, and allowing them to roam freely in the dry season.
In sheep flocks managed extensively, fertility of ewes (female sheep) is high almost 100%, twinning rate is 12%, and lamb mortality up to 3 months is 25%.
Based on limited weight data, a productivity index has been calculated of 0.327 kg lamb/kg ewe per year, assuming a weaning age of 90 days, and 0.490 kg for an assumed 180-day weaning age. The major problems in sheep keeping are a high rate of adult mortality, liver fluke infections, and lameness during the wet season.
In goat flocks kept by farmers, twins and triplets account for almost 40% of total births, but overall fertility is low (below 100%). Low fertility maybe as a result of management system employed. Mortality rates are low: 22% for kids and 14.4% for adults. Calculations of productivity indices for 90 and 180 days weaning age are 0.259 kg and 0.437 kg kid/kg doe respectively. Low fertility and weight losses during the second half of the wet season are the major problems in goat keeping.

Profitability

The importance of small ruminants for meat production in the tropics is well recognized. More than 11% of the meat supplied from slaughter-houses in Nigeria comes from sheep, and would be greater if rural unregistered slaughters are taken into account. While goats contribute about 20% of Nigerian meat supply. This means that about 35% of total meat supply comes from small ruminants. Nevertheless, large differences exist between regions as well as between the countryside and city. In rural areas of northern Nigeria the contribution of small ruminant meat to total meat consumed is three times that of beef; but in the cities small ruminants contribute only a quarter as much as cattle to total meat consumption. In the rural areas of southern Nigeria, beef and small ruminant meat are equally important, whereas in urban areas beef consumption is more than eight times as great as the consumption of small ruminant meat. The numerical ratio between sheep and goats in Nigeria would thus be 1 to 3. This ratio contrasts with neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Togo and Ivory Coast, where sheep slightly outnumber goats.

Nutrition

Sheep tend to lose weight much less than cattle during the dry season in the subhumid zone, and goats are even less susceptible to weight losses than sheep. One reason for these differences may be that small ruminants select a diet of better quality from natural fodder resources than cattle do. Sheep are basically grazers, whereas goats eat a substantial amount of browse plants. Variations in the nutritional quality of browse plants from region to region may lead to differences in weight. There is evidence that goats may be able to digest low-quality forage better than either cattle or sheep. Nevertheless, the superiority of goats and sheep over cattle in diet selection capacities is undisputed.

Fertility

Generally, sheep and goats mature early. The age of sheep at first oestrus is 5 to 8 months for the West African Dwarf breed, 7 to 9 months for Yankasa and about 9.5 months for Uda. Age at first parturition varies considerably. In West African Dwarf sheep, it occurs between 11 and 37 months , in Mali 50% of the ewes had lambed by 15 months and the mean lambing interval of sheep was found to be 253 days, resulting in 1.4 births per ewe per year.
Since multiple births are common among small ruminants(sheep and goats), the number of lambs born per ewe per year (or kids born per doe) is higher than the lambing or kidding percentages reflect. Fertility shows number of parturitions per dam per year, while fecundity is the number of offspring born per dam per year. In Ivory Coast, it was found that fertility was 160% and fecundity 170%. Kidding intervals (for goats) are generally found to be similar to lambing intervals(for sheep); age at first kidding also differs little from age at first lambing.
Generally, three parturitions in 2 years is considered the maximum in both sheep and goats in Nigeria. The average twinning rate is usually greater in goats than in sheep with goats showing 32.9% of the births be single, 52.9% twins, 13.7% triplets, and 0.3% quadruplets, resulting in 260% fecundity. According to research, both species are highly fertile, but the fecundity of goats is normally superior to that of sheep, largely as a result of greater twinning rates.

Mortality

The survival rate of sheep up to 6 months of age was 70% in Mali and 75% in Kenya. The corresponding figures for goats are 65% in Mali and 78% in Sudan, indicating comparable mortality levels for kids and lambs. In the humid zone of Nigeria, preweaning mortality is around 15% or more. Major factors influencing preweaning mortality within a breed are birth weight, litter size and parturition number.
In Mali it was found that parturition intervals of 183 days or less resulted in a lamb and kid mortality of more than 50%, whereas mortality declined to 25% when the interval was 245 days or more. Age of dam at first service also influences mortality of young animals.
There is around 15% adult annual mortality for sheep and goats in southern Nigeria, and an overall mortality of approximately 30% for sheep and goats in the semi-arid region of Sudan.
The major cause of mortality in sheep and goats is attributed to diseases some of which can be prevented or controlled.
.. mobile veterinary services in

20/01/2024

Tsetse (fly) is the biological vector of Trypanosome which causes human sleeping sickness and trypanosomiasis in livestock. It is estimated that over 2 million livestock are lost to this disease every year in Sub Saharan Africa. Research are ongoing on possible production of vaccines and better control measures against the vectors. Contact your vet if you have these flies in or around your farm for prompt control



... mobile veterinary services in

16/01/2024

in Poultry

Colibacillosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli.

E. coli primarily affects broiler chickens between the ages of 4 and 6 weeks and is commonly associated with respiratory disease , which in severe cases leads to septicaemia and death.

High numbers of E. coli are maintained in the poultry house environment through faecal contamination and the common route of infection is inhalation of the faecally contaminated dust that contains large numbers of pathogenic E. coli .

Signs

Respiratory distress, reduced appetite and poor growth are usually the signs of colibacillosis. Some important lesions can be detected by the pathologist or veterinarian during post mortem examination.

Respiratory disease attributed to infection with E. coli is most commonly complications of other diseases from agents such as infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV).

Environmental conditions , such as temperature, humidity, and high concentrations of ammonia and dust in poultry houses, also contribute to the respiratory stress of birds most times worsening the situation.

Control and Treatment

Vaccination against mycoplasmas, IBV and NDV as they predispose the birds to E. coli infections.

Proper disinfection of poultry houses before and after stocking.

Ensuring proper ventilation and chlorination of drinking water also reduces the levels of environmental contamination.

Treatment of colibacillosis involves the use of antibiotics and this must be done with caution to minimize resistance.

.. mobile veterinary services in

15/01/2024

(PPR)

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as goat plague, is a viral disease of goats and sheep characterized by fever, severe diarrhea, severe gastro-enteritis, pneumonia, and death. PPR cases rise during the first rain between March and April.

of
- The virus is present in all body excretions and secretions such as tears, nasal discharge, sputum, and diarrheic f***s.

- PPR virus spreads by direct contact or close indirect contact

- infection is mainly by inhalation but could also occur through the conjunctiva (eyes) and oral mucosa.



*The severity of the disease varies with species, breed and immune status of the host.

*First sign is usually a sudden rise in body temperature (fever) .

*Affected animals appear ill and restless and have a dull coat

*Dry muzzle, congested mucous membranes, and depressed appetite

* Diarrhea may be profuse and accompanied by dehydration and emaciation

*The most typical signs are seen in the digestive tract

*When entering an affected flock, one sees many animals with hind limbs stained by sticky faeces

*Some animals have an arched back and show pain when defecating

*Fluid f***s are olive green to brown in colour

*Pneumonia may be evident and presents as rapid breathing

*Mortality may reach 50-80% in a naive flock


- There is no specific treatment, but treatment for bacterial and parasitic complications decreases mortality in affected flocks or herds. Antibiotics and supportive treatment with fluid and electrolyte therapy may be helpful.

- There are various claims of traditional treatments

and

*Do not purchase your stock from open markets instead get from reliable farms or from homes

*Apply strict biosecurity measures on your farm

*Vaccination should be your last resort. This is because there is a tendency of introducing the virus in the environment.
..mobile veterinary services in Abakaliki

15/01/2024

There are various niches in any livestock farming or production that are available for farmers to explore depending on convenience or economic or financial status of the farmer. Some cross (mate) animals and sell the pregnant animals to intending farmers; while some sell weaners (young ones) to other farmers who would rear them to table size or for breeding purposes.
Whatever the goal of the farmer is, success is most times dependent on some factors namely:
1. Finance
2. Disposition/convenience
3. Knowledge/training
4. Economic factors
Economic factors will have to refer to things like cost of production, price of finished product, relevance or the need for your product within your area(market).
Want to set up a livestock, poultry or fish farm? You can rely on us to give you the best!
.. mobile veterinary services in Abakaliki 09079609364

14/01/2024

Always vaccinate your dogs/cats against rabies. This is done once a year and will certainly protect your pets and family from the horror of rabies virus. Dogs that roam around the streets and bushes/hunting dogs are mostly at risk.

... mobile veterinary services in Abakaliki

Two children from Ogongonja Sub-county in Katakwi District have died, and seven others are hospitalized after being bitten by dogs suspected to be infected with rabies. | bit.ly/3tTXRxP?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_NTV_Uganda

13/01/2024

Blackhead disease (histomoniasis) is an important poultry disease that affects turkeys, chickens, and game birds. The disease is caused by the protozoa Histomonas meleagridis, tiny, single-celled organisms that are spread to the bird by the roundworm Heterakis gallinarum usually found in the intestines of chicken.
Turkeys are highly susceptible to this disease and can lead to a mortality of upto 70% or more depending.
That's why chicken and turkeys should not be reared in the same cage or pen. Always endeavour to put same species/breed/strain in a pen. Do not mix them as that can lead to proliferation of diseases
.... mobile veterinary services in Abakaliki 09079609364

09/01/2024

Use of certain insecticides/pesticides and herbicides on dogs 🐕 causes poisoning and can lead to death of your beloved pet. Avoid it. There are recommended acaricides for veterinary use. Always consult with your vet when in doubt

22/12/2023

case in sheep handled successfully. Ewe and lamb safe.

18/06/2023

Quality GSD puppy successfully delivered to Nsukka. More puppies still available 07036279720

12/06/2023

Caucasian puppies are available for a new home 🐶

03/08/2022

01/08/2022

Routine treatment for disease prevention and increased productivity

22/07/2022

Today's house call with
Emmanuel Toochi and Chijioke O. Nweze