Livestock health
Livestock diseases
A plain-language guide to the diseases costing Indian dairy, goat, sheep, poultry, pig and fish farmers the most тАФ signs, spread, vaccination and treatment for each.
Type of disease
Animal
Showing 15 of 15
- ViralNotifiable
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
A fast-spreading viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals тАФ fever, blisters in the mouth and between the hooves, heavy drooling and sudden lameness. Few adult animals die, but milk yield crashes and often never fully returns.
CattleBuffaloGoatSheepPigRead guide - BacterialNotifiable
Haemorrhagic septicaemia (gal ghotu)
A sudden, fast-killing bacterial disease of cattle and especially buffalo in the monsoon тАФ high fever, a hot painful swelling under the jaw and throat, hard breathing, and death within a day or two.
CattleBuffaloRead guide - BacterialNotifiable
Black quarter (langri / BQ)
A sudden, usually fatal bacterial disease of well-fed young cattle тАФ a hot painful swelling in a hind or fore quarter that crackles under the skin, severe lameness, high fever and death within a day.
CattleBuffaloSheepRead guide - Bacterial
Mastitis (thanaila)
Inflammation of the udder from bacteria entering the teat тАФ the single biggest cause of lost milk income. It ranges from clots and flakes in otherwise normal milk to a hot, hard, swollen quarter and a very sick animal.
CattleBuffaloGoatRead guide - ViralNotifiable
Lumpy skin disease (LSD)
A viral disease of cattle spread mainly by biting flies, ticks and mosquitoes тАФ fever, watery eyes and then firm, round skin nodules all over the body. Most animals recover but milk drops sharply and weak animals can die.
CattleBuffaloRead guide - ViralNotifiable
PPR (peste des petits ruminants / bakri plague)
A highly fatal viral disease of goats and sheep тАФ sudden high fever, sore crusty mouth, foul-smelling diarrhoea, pneumonia and heavy death losses that can sweep a whole flock in a week.
GoatSheepRead guide - ViralNotifiable
Newcastle disease (Ranikhet)
The most devastating viral disease of village and commercial poultry тАФ sudden heavy death, greenish diarrhoea, gasping, and birds twisting the neck or paralysed. An unvaccinated flock can be lost almost completely.
PoultryRead guide - BacterialNotifiable
Brucellosis
A bacterial disease that causes abortion in the last third of pregnancy, retained placenta and infertility in cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep тАФ and passes to people as a long, debilitating fever.
CattleBuffaloGoatSheepPigRead guide - ViralNotifiable
Avian influenza (bird flu)
A viral disease of poultry that can kill a flock within days and also infects people who handle sick or dead birds тАФ sudden mass death, facial swelling, a blue comb and a sharp fall in eggs are the warning signs.
PoultryRead guide - Parasitic
Coccidiosis
A gut parasite disease of young birds on damp litter тАФ bloody or watery droppings, ruffled feathers and poor weight gain. It is the most common cause of lost growth in a broiler or backyard flock and is entirely preventable with dry litter and, where needed, in-feed medication.
PoultryRead guide - Viral
Infectious bursal disease (Gumboro / IBD)
A viral disease of young chicks that attacks the bursa, the organ that builds their immune system тАФ sudden diarrhoea and huddling in a 3тАУ6 week old flock, and a lasting weakness to every other disease and vaccine that follows.
PoultryRead guide - Viral
Fowl pox
A slow-spreading viral disease with two faces тАФ wart-like scabs on the comb and wattles that mostly just look bad, or a more serious form with cheesy plaques in the mouth and throat that stops birds eating and can suffocate them.
PoultryRead guide - Parasitic
Varroa mite
An external parasitic mite that feeds on honeybee brood and adults and spreads bee viruses at the same time тАФ deformed wings on newly emerged bees and a gradually weakening, dwindling colony are the giveaway.
BeesRead guide - Bacterial
American foulbrood (AFB)
A severe, spore-forming bacterial disease of honeybee brood тАФ sunken, perforated cell cappings and a foul smell from a patchy brood pattern. There is no cure, and burning the infected hive and equipment is the standard, regulation-backed response.
BeesRead guide - Parasitic
Wax moth
A moth whose larvae tunnel through and web over beeswax comb тАФ webbing, tunnels and a weakened or abandoned hive. It is a scavenger of weak colonies and unguarded stored comb, not an infection of the bees themselves, and a strong colony defends its own comb without help.
BeesRead guide
Managing a specific enterprise? Each enterprise page lists its own feeding plan, vaccination calendar and disease cards in the order you meet them.
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