Chapters 21 & 23

Understanding of the role of prevention in animal health

Knowledge of approaches to animal health, medication administrations, and physical signs of sickness

Role of quality assurance & risk management

Public perception, ethics, environment, and food safety concerns

Need for activeness by producers in decision-making processes

Mortality vs. Morbidity• Death loss• Sick loss• Costly to profit

Disease• Any variation from what is considered

normal health Physiological, anatomical, or chemical

Noninfectious disease• Injury• Genetics• Toxic poisoning from ingested materials• Poor nutrition

Infectious disease• Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, parasites• Contagious disease

Which is better, prevention or treatment? Components of a Herd Health Mgmt.

Program• Vet assisted planning• Sanitation• Proper nutrition• Record analysis• Physical facilities• Source of livestock• Proper medication use• Minimized stress• Personnel training

Planning w/ a Vet• Visit schedule• Training of employees• Useful record keeping• Necropsy

Sanitation• Many disease causing microorganisms live

& multiply outside the body• Manure and other organic waste are ideal

environments for their growth

Proper sanitation includes regular cleaning of facilities• Kills microorganisms due to temperature &

drying Antiseptics

• Applied to animal tissue to kill or prevent growth of microorganisms

Disinfectants• Destroy pathogenic organisms, used on

inanimate objects

Proper Nutrition• Must keep the animal healthy• Especially important during stress

Record Analysis• Does a health problem really exist?• Identify health problems & treatment

protocols Physical Facilities

• Injury or stress• Even proper facilities can cause problems if

not managed effectively

Source of Livestock• Key to preventing outside health problems

from entering your herd• Important points

Purchase from reputable sources Controlled exposure to people & vehicles Provide sanitary clothing & boots to employees

& visitors Quarantine of new animals Controlling pests Keep animals out of drainage areas

Biosecurity Plan• Management of all the issues regarding

movement of disease causing pathogens to/from your herd by whatever means possible that might affect herd health

• Plan includes? Proper Medication use

• Biologicals-used to prevent disease Examples? What do they do?

Pharmaceuticals-treat disease• Examples?• What do they do?

Administration• 4 ways to administer medications

1. Topically2. Orally

– Through feeding, drenching, or balling gun

3. Injection– Subcutaneous (SubQ)– Intramuscular (IM)– Intravenous (IV)– Intramammary– Intraperitoneal– Intrauterine

4. Intranasally

Medications come in many forms• Liquid• Powders• Boluses• Drenches• Feed additives

Stress• Any environmental factor that causes a

significant change in the animal’s physiological processes

• Examples?

Personnel Training• Difficult to manage• Can be a difference between what the

owner/manager sees as problems and what employees observe

• Affects Quality Assurance

Early identification is critical Visual Observation

1. Loss of appetite2. Listlessness/depression3. Droopy ears4. Humped back, head in low position5. Animal lagging from herd6. Coughing, wheezing, labored breathing7. Stiff, labored movement

Vital Signs• Body temperature

Taken rectally Elevation caused by overheating or infectious

disease Subnormal indicates chilling, or critical condition

• Respiration rate• Heart rate

Effective observation is Key!

Animal Rectal Temperature

Respiration Rate

Heart Rate

Cattle 101.5 30 60-70

Swine 102.0 16 60-85

Sheep 103.0 19 60-120

Goat 102.0 15 70-135

Horse 100.5 12 25-70

Poultry 107.1 12-36 250-300

What are some major diseases?• Beef Cattle• Dairy Cattle• Swine• Horses

Ensures that producers are producing products that wholesome, and offer consumers the highest degree of confidence

Basic components of a good QA program1. List of critical control points2. Develop & implement improved mgmt.

practices3. Ongoing monitoring4. High level of employee training

Issues facing animal agriculture today• Environment• Diet-health• Animal rights• Socioeconomic• Food safety

Special interest groups have become major influence on public policy

Animal agriculture should be promoting stewardship throughout their industries

Number of special interest groups is growing

Also indications that they are forming coalitions to combine resources and power• Over 71,800 sites referring to “animal

activist” on the web Vital that they stay in the public eye

by whatever means possible

Risk assessment becomes important as we evaluate virtually everything in animal agriculture

Major issues tend to fall in 4 categories1. Animal welfare2. Diet-health3. Environmental impact4. Food safety

Urban sprawl continues to cause problems with agriculture• Rural PA survey

33% complained about a neighboring farm 57% concerned about odor 18% flies

Only 5% response rate

Tends to be a continuum of these groups• Animal Exploitations• Animal Use• Animal Control• Animal Welfare

Humane Societies• Animal Rights• Animal Liberationists

Animal welfare is not an Us vs. Them theme• There are many issues to consider• Animals do have rights which dictate that

we must have good animal husbandry practices to assure good animal welfare

Modern animal welfare concerns• Production diseases• Large animal units• Physical & psychological deprivation due to

confinement

Concerns w/ animals in research• No suffering of pain• No repeated invasive experiments• Use of anesthesia when performing studies

w/ drugs that cause paralysis• Husbandry & housing should fit the animal• Oversight is necessary

These issues are not going away, we must find a way to deal with them and educate the consumer

Animal care guidelines development by the Food Marketing Institute and National Council of Chain Restaurants1. Transport & unload animals in a manner that

prevents injury/distress2. Nonambulatory animals should not be loaded

for transport to a market/harvest facility3. Nonambulatory animals as a result of

transport should be unloaded appropriately4. Animals should be handled humanely5. Animals must be completely insensible prior

to harvest

• Additional concerns: Follow best management practices for rearing,

transport, and housing Minimized beak trimming, increased space

allocations/animal, eliminate tail-docking in dairy

Application of physical, chemical, and engineering principles to biological systems• Blood factor VIII (hemophilia)

Genetic Engineering• ~20% of people have negative perception• Wide range of perceptions• However, a 2000 survey resulted in the

following: 57% approved if it improved the taste of food 69% if it increase food production 73% if pesticide use was reduced

Example bST• 5-15# increase in milk/d• 2-10% increase in feed efficiency• Completely safe to humans

Example Cloning• Low survival rate• Accelerated aging• Low reproductive efficiency• Increase birth weight• High cost ($15,000)

Many agencies, public and private, have been created as a result of concern over the environment

Waste Management• Manure management

Use as fertilizer has both economic and environmental benefits

• Odor Control• Give some examples of new technologies in

waste management

Water Utilization & Quality• Key issues

Nonpoint source pollution Direct ground or surface water contamination Amount of water used in agriculture

• Most prevalent in the West and Southwest Federal Lands

• Nat’l Parks, forests, etc. Endangered Species

• Act passed in 1973• >7000 listed species

Global Warming• Issue with ruminant animals due to methane gas

emission• No consensus as to whether this is actually

occurring• Methane also produced from many other sources

than ruminants• Methane only accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas

emissions Ruminants only responsible for 7% of methane produced Driving a few miles to buy a hamburger causes more

greenhouse gas than was emitted to produce the hamburger

Conversion of Agricultural Land• Challenges preservation of wildlife habitat

and food production capability

Diet and Health• Has great effect on our industry

Ex. Beef has been allegedly linked to heart disease & cancer

Be wary of Junk Science Warnings that have no or little factual basis Quick-fixes Good vs. Bad foods Simple conclusions from complex studies or studies

that have not been peer reviewed Invalid studies or recommendations

So, what is the cause of Atherosclerosis (plugging of the arteries)?• No conclusive evidence to support that diets

high in saturated fats cause heart disease Saturated Fats

• Animal fat Polyunsaturated Fats

• Vegetable fats Cholesterol

• We need 2,000 mg/d• Dietary intake on avg. is 600 mg• Body makes ~1,400 mg/d• Not used unless it can bind w/ a water soluble

protein

Dietary Guidelines Alliance• Be realistic-w/ small incremental changes in

eating & exercise• Be adventurous-try new foods• Be flexible-balance food consumption &

exercise• Be sensible-enjoy all foods, don’t overeat or

have huge portions• Be active

Food Safety• U.S. consumers enjoy the most plentiful

food supply in the world, and arguably the safest

• Joint responsibility Producers Processors Consumers

• Dangerous Temperature Zone 40 to 140°F

Food Hazards1. Microbial contamination2. Naturally occurring toxins3. Environmental contaminants4. Pesticide residues5. Food additives

Microorganisms• Molds, yeasts, bacteria, parasites,

viruses• Disease causing MO’s called pathogens

Residues• Pesticides• Hormones• Food additives• Organic animal products have no significant

influence on residues compared to conventional Organic & Natural Products

• Guidelines Edible poultry must from birds grown organically from

d 2 of life Milk products must come from cows managed

organically for >1 yr. Breeding stock cannot be purchased in the last 1/3 of

gestation

• Further provisions regarding feedstuffs, health products, records, and management

Catastrophic Disease Outbreaks• BSE