Survey of Major Diseases Affecting Dairy Cattle in Jimma Town, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of the survey was to assess major diseases and access to veterinary service delivery of smallholder dairy cattle under intensive production system in Jimma town, Ethiopia. A single-visit-multiplesubject formal survey technique was used to collect data from 54 small-scale dairy farming households which were selected at random and were interviewed using pre-tested, structured questionnaire. It appeared from the study that mastitis (35.2%), internal parasites (14.8%), lumpy skin disease (13%) and heart water (5.6%) were identified as the most frequently occurring diseases. Results of the survey of major dairy cattle disease in the study area ranked mastitis as number one disease of dairy animals. Average mortality of calves, heifers, lactating cows and dry cows over 12 months was 0.82±1.00, 0.27±0.60, 0.64±1.06 and 0.13±0.40, respectively. It was observed that loss of calves (16%), heifers (5.6%) and lactating cows (16.7%) were due to lumpy skin disease, followed by heart water affecting 5.6, 3.7 and 1.9% of calves, heifers and lactating cows, respectively. Most of the respondents (90.7%) did not practice traditional ethno-veterinary treatment, whereas 9.3% of the farmers used traditional treatment practices and the remaining 13% respondents used a combination of veterinary services and traditional ethno-veterinary methods to treat their animals. It was suggested that proper animal management, cleanliness and good hygiene on dairy farms and practices of mastitis control measures such as udder disinfection and dry-cow therapy and adequate veterinary services would help to alleviate cattle health constraint in the study area.