Disease kills 70 cattle heads in Kendrapada

Kendrapada: Around 70 cattle heads have died in several villages under Aul block of Kendrapada district in the past two weeks, with chief district veterinary officer Dr Umakanta Sahoo attributing most of the deaths to amphistomes or rumen flukes disease, locally known as ‘Kurmi’.“Key signs of this disease are severe diarrhoea, rapid weight loss and swelling under jaw, known as “bottle jaw”. It includes reduced milk yield and curdling, and significant loss in body mass despite the animal’s willingness to eat,” he said, adding that the disease can be treated with targeted anthelmintic medicines. “Management requires proper grazing and pasture control. Due to the shortage of green grass during summer, the cattle are forced to eat dry grass and tree leaves, making them vulnerable to the infection. We advise the villagers to provide green grass, husks and sufficient water to the animals in summer. Hot weather is a contributing factor,” Sahoo said.He added they formed rapid response teams, comprising livestock inspectors, village gomitras and veterinary officers in the district. “Blood and stool samples of some of the affected and dead animals were collected and sent to Animal Disease Research Institute in Cuttack,” he said.