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How to see if your animal is sick
Also available in Afrikaans | Xhosa
Before an owner can decide if an animal is sick, they must know what a healthy animal looks like. Then it is easier to notice the changes in the animal which are caused by disease. If you do not see these changes (called "symptoms"), the animal could die before you have time to treat it. So study your animals, look at how they move, eat, drink and behave. Look at all their parts. If something changes, then it is probably because the animal is getting sick.
Is the animal eating? This is the first question. Sick animals usually stop eating. Make sure that the animal which is standing with its head down is not just hanging it, but is biting, chewing and swallowing food. Animals with rabies, for example, do not swallow food although they will bite many things. Some animals with abscesses in their mouth or bad teeth will try to eat but will not chew food properly. Food may fall out of the mouth.
In the case of ruminants like cattle, sheep and goats, after they have eaten, food is brought back up into mouth chewed and swallowed again. This is called "ruminating" or "chewing of cud". One of the first signs of a disease in a cow, sheep or goat is that they do not ruminate. Some diseases where this is the very first sign are redwater, heartwater, anaplasmosis, wire in the heart and plastic bags in the rumen.
Is the animal drinking? Look carefully to see how often an animal drinks. Make sure it is swallowing water. In cattle and horses sometimes food can pack in the food pipe (oesophagus) and the water will run back out the mouth. Small animals, like baby chickens and pigs, may not be able to reach the water you have put out for them. One way to check how much an animal is drinking is to measure the level of water in a drum or container in the morning and again later. If you fill it right to the top, the amount of water the animal has drunk is the amount it takes to refill it tot the same level.
Is the animal moving properly? See if all the legs are being moved in the same way. See if it is moving its neck, body and head the same way as the other animals. The animal can be lame - that is it may not be using one or more of its legs. Look carefully at these legs to see what is wrong with them. If it is walking on three legs, something is seriously wrong and one of the legs may be broken.
Is the skin and hair normal? Healthy animals have smooth, shiny hair. Look for itchy skin, red patches and hair loss. This can be a symptom of ringworm or mange in animals. Sheep with sheep scab will pull at the wool and leave it looking very untidy. Animals that do not get all the proteins, minerals and vitamins in the diet that they need or animals that have internal parasites usually have a rough, dull coat.
In chickens, the feathers should lie smoothly and look shiny. Sick chickens will "fluff" out their feathers. If they have skin diseases they may also pull out some of the feathers. Poor feeding can result in chickens with abnormal feathers. No feathers on the neck in chickens are not a sign of disease as some breeds of chickens always have bare necks.
Does the animal have any wounds? Look and feel carefully over the whole body. Sometimes wounds are not easy to see because it is covered by a scab or the hair is matted over it. Maggots can get into a small wound and cause a larger wound under the skin.
Are the faeces normal? Owners should know the normal shape, smell and color of animal feaces. For example, a sheep that has a soft faeces like a cow has probably got diarrhea, as it's normal faeces is small pellets. A cow with faeces like that of a donkey is probably constipated and may be suffering from anaplasmosis. Bright yellow faeces usually are caused by an infection and blood in faeces is always abnormal. It can be caused by poisoning or Salmonellosis.
Is the urine normal? Notice how an animal urinates and what color it is. Dark brown or red urine can be a sign of babesiosis (Redwater) in cattle, dogs and horses. Urine that is the color of milk or custard is a sign of a serious bladder infection or an infection in the uterus. Cows that have an infection after calving sometimes pass pus through the vulva as they defecate and this is seen as a pool of pus on top of the faeces.
Is the animal behaving normally? Health animals are lively and alert. They notice what is going on around them. Lazy or uninterested animals may be sick. Strange behavior like salivation (too much spit), aggressiveness, walking in circles, making a noise all the time or eating strange objects can be signs of disease. Some diseases where behavior is abnormal include rabies in all animals, distemper in dogs, phosphate deficiency in cattle and abscesses on the brain in all animals.
Are there eternal parasites present? Ticks are a real problem in many animals - they carry diseases also can cause abscesses in the ears and udder. However a few ticks help to keep animals immune. In dogs fleas can cause skin diseases and scratching. Mites and lice are very small parasites and you have to look very carefully - some on them can only be seen under a microscope.
Are there internal parasites present? Worms and other parasites can make animals very weak. You do not always see these in the faeces of animals but can find them in the intestines if an animal is slaughtered. Faeces can be taken to a veterinary laboratory to diagnose worms by looking for worm eggs.
Is the animal too thin? If an animal is much thinner that the other animals in a herd, it is probably sick. If all the animals are thin there is probably a problem with feed or management of animals. Owners who know how to "condition score" their animals can improve their management and prevent animals dying of malnutrition.
Are all the body parts normal? Look at the neck - is there a pulse beating where it should not? Your cow may have a wire in the heart. Is one leg more swollen than the others? Or perhaps much thinner? Look at the udder - are all the quarters the same or is one larger and more swollen? Is any other part of the body swollen, painful or uneven? If you see this, look more carefully and see if you can find the cause.
If your animals show any of the above mentioned "symptoms", you should see if you can find out which decease it is suffering from. You may need to contact a veterinarian or animal health technician who can give you advice on treating the animal. Remember - it is important to know your animals well and look carefully at them every day. If you know what a healthy animal looks like, it is easier to see when an animal is becoming sick.
CME McCrindle
ELSENBURG / Onderstepoort
