Goat pox, also known as "sheep smallpox," is caused by the goatpox virus. This disease spreads rapidly and has a wide contamination area. So, how can we prevent and treat goat pox? Let's find out.
Prevention of Goat Pox
-
Strict Quarantine: During the introduction of breeding goats, strict quarantine measures should be implemented, with a quarantine period of 3 weeks to ensure that there are no diseased goats before mixing them with the main flock. Pay attention to the health status of introduced goats, their history of goat pox, and whether they have been immunized against goat pox to prevent the introduction of infected goats into the herd.
-
Feeding Management: Regularly strengthen the breeding management of the goat herd, especially during the winter and spring seasons, by providing appropriate supplementary feed to improve body condition. A mixture of soybeans (40%), corn (30%), barley (20%), and wheat (10%) soaked in warm water for 6-8 hours, ground into a slurry, with the addition of 10%-15% soybean cake, 5%-8% bran, 1% salt, and 3%-5% bone meal. Feed the mixed concentrate to the goat herd 2-3 times a day, with each goat receiving 50-100g of mixed concentrate per feeding. Adjust the feeding quantity for young goats and pregnant ewes accordingly.
-
Cold Protection: Implement cold protection measures for the goat herd, regularly clean the goat sheds to maintain cleanliness and dryness, and regularly disinfect the sheds, breeding equipment, and surrounding environment to reduce the chances of goat pox infection.
-
Vaccination: In areas where goat pox is prevalent, susceptible goat herds should be vaccinated with goat pox chicken embryo attenuated vaccine once a year. The vaccine should be administered subcutaneously at the base of the tail, with a dosage of 0.5ml per injection. Strong immune effects can occur within a week after vaccination, providing effective immunity for up to one year.
-
Isolation of Diseased Animals: If suspected cases are found, diseased animals should be isolated early, and strict quarantine measures should be implemented. Contaminated goat herds, premises, drinking water, etc., should be strictly disinfected.
Treatment of Goat Pox
After the appearance of pox lesions, apply gentian violet or iodine tincture to the affected areas and allow them to scab over and heal quickly. For vesicular lesions, after the vesicles rupture, rinse with disinfectant water, then apply 10% silver nitrate to contract the wounds, and apply medication after drying. For lesions on mucous membranes, flush with a 0.1% potassium permanganate alkaline solution, then apply iodine glycerol for better effect.
Infected goats can also be treated with Chinese herbal medicine. During the initial infection phase, a decoction of honeysuckle, kudzu root, poria cocos, bupleurum, and licorice can be used. During the vesicular and crusting stages, a decoction of silver flower, scutellaria baicalensis, coptis chinensis, gardenia, forsythia, ophiopogon, dolichos lablab, pollen, licorice, and polygonatum can be used. Blood serum from recovered goats can also be used for treatment. Blood is collected from recovered goats, left to stand in a flask for half an hour, and the separated serum is injected into lambs, providing a certain level of immunity.
Above are the prevention and treatment methods for goat pox. This disease has a significant impact on the health of goats and is also a zoonotic disease. Therefore, goat farms must strengthen prevention and control measures.
