Common and important diseases of cattle
Tick damage and tick-borne diseases Tick damage Ticks can cause severe damage to cattle , particularly around the udder and ears. The wounds will often get infected with bacteria and might be attacked by flies some ticks cause greater damage than others, such as the ones which infect cattle with heartwater Prevention is by tick control. You could either use a pour-on or a plunge dip or spray dip if you have the facilities for this. Pour-ons can be easier to use and you do not need additional facilities, but these are more expensive, You may need to treat for ticks as often as once a week in the wet season and then every second week in the dry season, You may be able to treat less often if you vaccinate the cattle against tick-borne diseases. Tick-borne diseases Ticks can also infect cattle with redwater, gallsickness and heartwater, European breeds tend to be at greater risk from these diseases than indigenous and Brahman type breeds Older animals are more a...