Webquest 1

A) About cows

BVD

Bovine viral diarrhea is a viral disease of cattle and other ruminants that is caused by the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV).

BVD is transmitted in a number of ways. Either through a congenital infection of the fetus or after birth. Congenital infections may cause resorption, abortion, stillbirth, or live-birth. Congenitally infected fetuses that survive in utero infection (i.e., the live-births) may be born as BVDV-infected calves. The BVDV infection in these calves will persist during the entire life of the calf, and they will shed BVDV continuously in the farm environment.

In adults, clinical signs are highly variable. Signs of acute infection include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, ocular dishcharge, nasal dischargem oral lesions, diarrhea and decreasing milk production. Chronic infection may lead to signs of mucosal disease. 

Brucellosis

Brucellosis is an infectious disease that occurs from contact with animals carrying Brucella bacteria. Brucella can infect cattle, goats, camels, dogs, and pigs. The bacteria can spread to humans if you come in contact with infected meat or the placenta of infected animals, or if you eat or drink unpasteurised milk or cheese.

Brucella is highly contagious, spreading very easily between cattle as the calf, the membranes and the uterine fluids all contain large quantities of bacteria.

Symptoms: abortion; stillborn; weak calf born; retention of fetal membranes; signs of infection in the membranes; swollen testicles in bulls.

 Bovine Trichomoniasis

Trichomoniasis is a venereal disease of cattle, characterised primarily by early pregnancy loss and, occasionally, by abortion and pyometra. The disease is spread between cows, by bulls. Any bull found with the disease must be culled.

Cystic ovaries

Cystic ovarian disease in cows is usually seen in the first two months post calving. Ovarian cysts are characterised as structures greater than 2.5 cm (approximately 1 inch) in diameter remaining on an ovary for more than 10 days. Major categories of cysts include follicular cysts, luteinized follicular cysts and cystic corpora lutea. Factors predisposing to cystic ovaries include metabolic diseases, negative energy balance, high productivity, retained placenta, dystocia, stress and genetics. 

Bovine Anaemia-Theileria

Benign theileriosis is a tick-borne disease caused by intracellular blood parasites belonging to the Theileria orientalis group (BATOG). This disease represents no threat to human health.

Bush ticks are mainly a cattle parasite, but are able to attach to other mammals including wildlife, birds, livestock (including horses, sheep, goats and poultry) and domestic animals such as dogs and cats. In sheep, bush ticks prefer to attach mainly on body parts not covered by wool.

The most common sites of attachment on cattle are around the tail, on the udder, inside the legs, on the brisket, in the ears, and occasionally on the face and neck.

B) Horses

www.thehorse.com is a complete website about horses. I liked for the articles abut health and horse life and for the kind of information that presents the site. 

The website is the perfect guide to equine health care. It has many tools and advices for the people who have or work with this animals.