Pneumonia is an inflammation that affects lungs and surrounding tissues and is one of the common conditions that affects sheep and goats. It is commonly caused by infectious agents, that is bacteria and virus. Common viruses that cause pneumonia include Parainfluenza virus type 3, and Adenovirus while common bacteria that cause pneumonia include Pasteurella, mycoplasma, and Chlamydia.
Pneumonia caused by bacteria and virus can be acute and highly contagious. This means that when animals of a flock are affected by this type of pneumonia, the mortality rate is high and those that survive suffer long-time effects on their growth and development.
Pneumonia can also be caused by non-infectious agents such as Parasites (Lungworms) and aspiration from incorrect drenching[CM1] . Lungworms (Muellerius sp) is acquired when animals graze in pastures infested with the larva of the worm. Snails and slugs are the common vectors of this parasite.
Young animals are at high risk of getting pneumonia especially when subjected to stress.
Common stresses that predispose sheep and goats to getting pneumonia include:
- Overcrowding
- Animals being kept in poorly ventilated houses,
- Transportation stress,
- Dust and sudden change in climatic weather (common in cold weather),
- Poor nutrition
Sheep and goats with pneumonia may be more susceptible to heat stress and heat stress may exacerbate clinical signs and disease progression for animals with pneumonia.
Clinical signs
Common signs noticed in animals affected with infectious pneumonia include:
- Depression and reduced appetite,
- Rapid shallow breathing which progressively becomes difficult breathing,
- Nasal discharge,
- Fever,
- Prolonged forced coughing in young sheep and goats can sometimes lead to prolapse of rectum,
- Weak lambs and kids can die withing 24hours,
- Sometimes animals may die without showing any clinical signs.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is done based on clinical signs, postmortem and laboratory examination of the samples. It is important to consult with a registered animal health practitioner, any time you notice the above signs.
Treatment
The earlier the diagnosing and treatment the higher the chances of avoiding lung damage and death. Those animals that are treated after they already suffer from severe breathing problems may die or take much longer to recover and may not return fully back to normal and often become stunted.
Consult your local veterinarian for advice on the best treatment protocol.
Prevention of pneumonia in sheep and goats
- Avoid exposing the animals to stress factors mentioned above.
- Goats should be routinely vaccinated against Mycoplasma (Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia).
- Do routine deworming to control worms.
[CM1]What does this mean?