Alpaka - Statystyki chorób

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//-->Survey ofDisease IssueConcerns onAlpaca andLlama FarmsBy Stephanie J. Mitro, Veterinary StudentDavid E. Anderson, DVM, MSCollege of Veterinary MedicineThe Ohio State Universitysurvey requesting owners andveterinarians to list their “top”disease concerns or problemsencountered on alpaca and llamafarms revealed a broad spectrum ofissues that vary among farm ownersandtheveterinarians.TheCamelidMed Electronic Newsletterdistributed the survey and yielded atotal of seventy-eight responses, fiftyof which were owners and the othertwenty-eight comprising veterin-arians. Responses from variousgeographic regions included Australia,Italy, Argentina, Canada, and twenty-four states in the U.S.A.Table 1:ADISEASE AND PROBLEM CATERGORIESRANKED BY OWNERS ANDVETERINARIANSDisease/ProblemOwnersParasites16.9%Cria Illness/Defects12.2%Reproduction9.3%Dermatitis9.3%Nutritional Imbalances9.3%Gastrointestinal8.1%Lameness6.4%Oral Health4.7%Abscesses4.7%Wasting Disease0.6%Ocular2.9%Heat Stress2.9%Respiratory1.2%Arthritis2.9%Foot/Nail Injuries1.7%Liver Disease.06%Bacterial/Viral Infections2.9%Other3.5%Vets10.1%9.5%11.2%8.9%8.9%8.4%2.2%12.3%0.0%4.5%5.6%3.4%2.2%0.0%2.8%2.8%2.2%5.0%The top medical concerns amongowners were parasitism, illnesses incrias, congenital defects, reproductiveproblems, skin disorders, nutritionalimbalances,andgastrointestinaldisorders. Veterinarians, on the otherhand, noted oral health as the numberone medical concern followed closely byreproductive problems, parasitism,illnesses in crias, congenital defects, skindisorders, and nutritional imbalances.These top six categories listed for eachgroup comprised approximately 64% ofthe owners and 61% of the veterinariansmain concerns in overall camelid health.Of the owners that responded to thesurvey, 16.9% noted endoparasites aswell as some ectoparasites as a majorconcern on their farms. Parasites ofparticular concern included meningealworms, coccidiosis, liver flukes,tapeworms, and ectoparasites (mites,lice, and ticks). 10.1% of veterinariansand 16.9% of the owners noted parasitesas high on their list of priorities. Oralhealth was of great concern toveterinarianswith12.3%ofveterinarians making note of theimportance of dental maintenance ofcamelids. Only 4.7% of owners,interestingly, noted oral health as a highpriority. Problems noted within thiscategory included abscessed teeth, longincisors, and mandibular disease.Diseases effecting health of crias,ranked second among owners and fourthamong veterinarians. These includedfailure of passive transfer of maternalimmunity,weakness,diarrhea,congenital anomalies and deformities,septicemia, and poor weight gain.Reproductive problems noted includeduterine infection, dystocia, abortion,uterine torsion, prolapsed uterus, andvulvar discharge. Skin disorderscomprised primarily those of idiopathicorigin and zinc deficiency. Obesity,various deficiencies as well as toxicitiesfrom the soil of certain geographicalregions, and the problem of keepingweight on some animals comprised thecategory of nutritional imbalances.Gastrointestinal problems includedulcers and diarrhea; however, peritonitis,GI obstructions, colic, and choke werealso noted. Ocular abnormalitiesincluded infections, traumatic injuries,corneal ulcers, cataracts, and glaucoma.In the “Other” category, owners notedindividual cases of a heart murmur,urinary tract infection, ear trauma, andmastitis. Veterinarians also noted aurinary tract infection and ear trauma,along with urinary calculi, neurologicdisease, fever of unknown origin,mammaryadenocarcinoma,management issues, and the threat offoreign animal disease.Geographic areas represented byowners and veterinarians and theirmajor concerns are noted below in Table2. Regions listed within the table onlycomprise those within Canada and theUnited States with at least five responsesto the survey for a moderatelyrepresentative sample. Only leadingcategories of concern were included. Inthe Northwestern U.S. (states includingOregon (2), Washington (3), andCalifornia (2)) owners noted criaillnessesanddeformities,gastrointestinal (GI) illness, nutrition,reproductive disorders, lameness, anddental problems as primary interestareas. Veterinarians, on the other hand,listed nutrition and lameness as less of aTable 2:GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF DISEASE CONCERNSDisease/ProblemNortheast Midwest Southeast Southwest West Northwest CanadaParasites14.3%19.4%16.1%11.1%7.8%7.0%7.4%Cria Illness/Defects8.6%6.5%16.1%11.1%23.1%14.0% 14.8%Reproduction5.7%6.5%6.5%11.1%23.1%14.0%3.7%Dermatitis11.4%6.5%6.5%5.6%15.4%7.0%7.4%Nutritional Imbalance 11.4%9.7%16.1%5.6%0.0%9.3% 11.1%Gastrointestinal5.7%9.7%3.2%5.6%7.8%14.0% 11.1%Lameness8.6%12.9%6.5%5.6%7.8%7.4%7.4%Oral Health11.4%6.5%9.7%16.7%7.8%7.4%7.4%Ocular2.9%6.5%0.0%5.6%0.0%7.4%7.4%Heat Stress0.0%0.0%6.5%5.6%0.0%0.0%0.0%Other20.0%12.6%12.9%16.7%7.8%22.3% 22.3%Total Responses353131181343251The Camelid QuarterlyJune 2003problem and added parasitism, dermatitis,and ocular lesions to their inventory ofdisease concerns. Within the WesternU.S. (Colorado (2) and Kansas) ownersnoted reproduction, cria illnesses anddeformities, dermatitis, and parasitesamong top concerns while a veterinarianfrom Colorado added GI problems,lameness, and dental problems to this listwith no mention of concern for parasitism.In the Southwestern states (Texas (4) andNew Mexico) the owners major concernappeared to be with dental problems withmention of various other concerns acrossthe board. Veterinarians in this area as wellwere fairly spread out in their opinions ofmajor disease concerns with no single areabeing represented more than once. In theSoutheastern states (Florida, Georgia,Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, andVirginia (2)) of most importance to ownerswere cria illnesses, nutrition, and parasites.Veterinarians also ranked these issueshighly but included dental disorders andheat stress. Owners in the Northeasternstates (Pennsylvania (2), New York (3),New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont)recognized major problems with criaillness, parasites (especially meningealworm), and lameness. Veterinariansexpanded this list adding abscessed teeth,dermatitis, and nutritional problems.Within the Midwest (Michigan (3), Ohio(3), Indiana (2), Kenucky, and Kansa)owners noted parasites, lameness,nutrition, and GI disorders primarily,while veterinarians concerns were focusedon dental problems and meningeal worminfection. One veterinarian from Alaskaranked premature crias, parasites,dermatitis, vitamin D deficiencies, teethabscesses, osteomyelitis, and colic amongtop interests in camelid health, and anowner from Montana noted zincdeficiencies, strongyle worms, arthritis,and reproductive problems of importanceto him.Outside the U.S., Canadian ownersfrom British Columbia and Ontario notedlameness, cria diarrhea, nutrition, and GIdisorders of significant concern. ACanadian veterinarian also mentioneddystocia, teeth abscesses and osteomyelitis,foot/nail problems, parasites, oculardisorders, and dermatitis. There was oneveterinarian from Argentina whoseprimary concerns included fatalities causedby Clostridiosis, but also noted someproblems with Sarcocystosis, Rotavirusinfections, Bovine Herpes virus, andLeptospirosis. A veterinarian from Italyalso noted Clostridiosis as a majorproblem along with parasites, GIdisorders, vitamin D deficiencies, heatstress, tooth abscesses, ocular disease, andbreeding problems. And lastly, twoAustralian veterinarians noted vitamin Dand selenium deficiencies, parasiteinfections (Haemonchus), and liver diseaseto be of major importance along withdermatitis, GI disorders, and heat stress.Among the twenty-eight veterinariansto respond to the survey were fiveveterinarians from the academic sectorof the profession. In comparison toveterinarians from the private sector,academic veterinarians ranked oralhealth highest (20%), followed byendoparasites (15%), and then neonatalproblems, reproductive disorders,dermatitis, and lameness all weightedequally (10%). Other concerns includednutrition, gastrointestinal disorders,urinary problems, bacterial and viralinfections, and wasting disease.In reviewing the differences brieflybetween the issues of camelid health andmanagement that owners and veterinariansfind most pertinent, it is evident that manyconcerns are similar. However, somedifferences were found and these areas mayneed further study. Both perspectives arehighlyvaluable,relevant,andcomplimentary to each other. This surveyshould help increase awareness amongboth owners and veterinarians as to themajor concerns of the other. This may helpto increase interest to learn more aboutthese concerns and guide research efforts.Priority health issues may need to beaddressed to secure more effectivemanagement practices leading to healthyanimals within the camelid industry.CQDavid E Anderson, DVM, MSDiplomate, American College of Veterinary Surgeons AssociateProfessor of Surgery, Food Animal 601 Vernon L TharpStreet College of Veterinary MedicineThe Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210Anderson.670@osu.edu, Phone: 614-292-6661, Fax:614-292-3530state.edu/docs/ClinSci/bovine/index.htmstate.edu/docs/ClinSci/camelid/index.htmlThe Camelid Quarterly2June 2003 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]