Escalating abortions in boer goats worry farmers



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Staff Reporter

Windhoek – Although no apparent cause of the wave of abortions east of Windhoek and in the Omaheke region has been discovered Last year, abortions in cattle still occur in these areas with a sharp increase in Boer goats.
Hundreds of samples submitted to the Central Veterinary Laboratory of Windhoek (CVL) and to Onderstepoort and Path Care in the Western Cape could not find a single cause of abortion, which has resulted in huge losses for breeders. Boer goat farmers started reporting abortions among their beloved herds last week, and in many cases samples were taken and sent to veterinarians. Once again, no apparent cause has been found so far and farmers continue to inject goats with proven antibiotics. The abortions caused up to 85% of livestock losses in the central and eastern Khomas region as well as in the Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions. Various private and state veterinarians worked closely together to stop what was supposed to be a deadly virus from an unknown segment.

Prominent farmers like Hueston Groenewaldt, Katuuo Katuuo, and Wolfgang Ludwig from the central area all reported losses from abortions. Boer sheep goats. Some farmers have suggested the possibility of poisonous plants because some of them are known to cause abortions in livestock. Another well-known farmer, Genno Himarwa, says that in his experience, these abortions occur only in very cold weather and that it is linked to the stress caused by the icy conditions that have started moving again since the weekend. last end. There are several reasons why a pregnant goat could have an abortion. Some abortions are of non-infectious origin, such as barking by other goats that causes fetal death in the uterus or malformation of the fetus in utero, which usually results in an abortion spontaneous pregnancy. The most common cause of abortion is the inadequate feeding of pregnant females – usually undernourished and often a shortage of energy (calories). Some cases of abortion can be attributed to infectious organisms such as chlamydia, toxoplasma gondii, Q fever, border disease, listeriosis, neospora caninum, camplobacteriosis, Akbane disease and brucellosis. . Because it occurs on a large scale every year, the usual abortion is one of the most important threats to the goat industry. On some farms, up to 50% of goats may have had abortions in the past.

The usual abortion is caused by the chronic overactivity of the adrenal cortex of the goat. It is closely associated with stress-related abortion, which is usually due to a disruption in the diet, causing a drop in blood sugar levels. In food stress abortions, apparently normal and well-developed children are expelled after the 90th day of pregnancy. Abortion due to the hyperactive adrenal cortex of the dog shows signs of edema (non-natural fluid collection) in the fetus. The heart rate is slow and heart failure occurs.

John Shoopala, Assistant Chief Veterinarian, advises farmers to control the problem in two ways: to reform animals that usually abort and to avoid choosing excessive amounts of fine hair. The latter could lead to increased susceptibility to abortions. To control stress-induced abortions, breeders are advised to provide good quality feed of the required quality to pregnant females. Shoopala urges farmers to immediately report any cases of abortion to the nearest state veterinarian.

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