Foot and mouth disease

• The foot and mouth disease is highly communicable disease affecting cloven foot animals characterized by the fever and vesicular eruption in the mouth and on the feet.
• Caused by filterable virus of which there are seven strains eg. A, O, C, SAT, SAT2 and SAT3 and ASIA-1 incubation period is 2 to 10 days.

Symptoms

• Rise of temperature 104 to 1050F (40 to 40.50C)
• Loss of appetite and body weight
• Blister form on the tongue, the lips, the cheeks, and the skin around the claws of the feet and on the teats and udder
• The blisters cause a heavy flow of saliva that hangs from the lips in strings
• Development of the vesicles in the feet the animal becomes lame and limps badly
• Affected animals are seen shaking one or more limbs frequently in the beginning

Recovery take place in about 3 weeks complications are very common and they may continue for weeks or months

• The hoof may be cast or deformed
• Excessive granulation tissue in the hoof
• Mastitis may developed
• Abortion may be precipitated
• Loss of milk yield
• Death may occur in very young calves
• Pneumonia may supervene

Prevention and control

• Prevention is the only dependable method of dealing with foot and mouth disease
• Disinfections of the premises castic soda 1 % or washing soda 4 % formaline 1% copper sulphat 1% may be used to disinfect buildings
• Vaccination with FMD vaccine
• Infested animal should given good nurshing. They should be feed green, tender grass.
• Mouth should be washed with 2 % solution of alum
• The foot lesions should be treated with 1 % copper sulphate or phenyl lotion