వెటర్నరీ సైన్స్ & టెక్నాలజీ

Major Health Challenges of Dairy Cattle in Hawassa Town SNNPRS, Ethiopia

Abstract

Nigussu Fasil*, Terefe Simon Juta and Dessie Sheferaw

The aim of this study was to assess major health challenges of dairy cattle in Hawassa town, Ethiopia, which occurred on November 2014 up to April 2015. A single visit-multiple subject formal survey technique was used to collect data from 20 dairy farming which were selected at random and were interviewed using pre-tested, structured questionnaire which indicated that over all prevalence in this study was 33.6% (n=269) cattle were found affected by either one or more of health challenges. It appeared from the study that LSD (30.1%), mastitis (20.4%), hypocalcaemia (17.5%), repeated breeding (13%), RFM (10%) and parturient paresis (6.7%) were identified as the most frequently occurring diseases. Results of the major dairy cattle disease in the study area ranked LSD as number one disease occurred in different dairy farms, followed by mastitis (20.4%) and hypocalcaemia (17.5%). The degree of association of risk factors was assessed and parity, age, farm scale, and management system found to be directly associated. As the result shows age with dystocia directly associated and have good significances with the x2=12.479 and p-value =0.002, and LSD associated with farm scale but not significant, with the x2=4.705 and (p>0.05) and also abortion associated with management system but have no significance (p>0.05). This particular study indicated major health challenges which included hypocalcaemia, ketosis, abortion, RFM, parturient paresis, repeated breeding, diarrhea, bloat, and anestrous, uterine prolapsed, vaginal prolapsed, dystocia and LSD were one of the major reproductive and metabolic disorders responsible for the low reproductive performance of dairy cows.