Goat farming for livelihood and nutritional security with special reference to management technique of teat and udder surgical affections
Dr. Md. Moin Ansari
Professor –cum- Chief Scientist
Division of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology
Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Sciences
SKUAST-Kashmir, Srinagar-190006, J&K, India
Email: drmoin7862003@gmail.com; M: +91-9419400103
Abstract:
The present manuscript details the goat farming for livelihood and nutritional security with special reference to teat and udder surgical affections and management techniques in goats followed into practice are summarized hereunder and placed on record.
Key words: Goat, Laceration, Trauma, Tumour, Milk stones, Free milker, Hard milker, Blind teat, Fibrosis, Haematoma, Surgical affections, Management technique.
Introduction:
Goats are the world’s oldest and among the first ruminants to be domesticated by human beings in South-Western Asia (Iran and Iraq) between 10000- and 6000-years BC. Around 80 per cent of global goat population is in the developing countries. Among them, India ranks second in the world population of goat. With the present population of 135.2 million, goats account for more than 25 per cent of the total livestock in the country and contribute Rs 106335 million annually to the national economy as per 19th Livestock Census, 2012. In India goats from centuries have been an integral component of farming system and most preferred pro-poor livestock species due to less initial investment, less risk, early return, high prolificacy, wide adaptability to climate and feed and fodder, small size, round the year demand in market and no taboos for rearing/eating goat meat by any religion. Goat is a multi-functional animal (which can produce milk, meat (chevon is one of the choicest meat), fibre, skin together and manure) and plays a prominent role in the rural economy in supplementing the income and nutritional security of rural household particular in landless, small and marginal farmers in the country. Goat is considered as poor man‟s cow and it can be profitably being reared with low investment under semi-intensive as well as the extensive systems of management. Goat Farming require less space, less additional facilities & low management skills. Production costs like infrastructure, feeding and treatment are less. They provide food and nutritional security to the millions of marginal and small farmers and agricultural labourers by providing animal protein through meat and milk. There is market facility for live animals & meat in the localities. Goat contributed 5.05 million tonnes of milk (3.67% of total milk production of 137.685 million tons) and 0.97 million tonnes of meat (15.56% of total production) during the year 2013-2014 as per BAHS, 2015.
Milk and milk production are the essential food items of human beings which provide sufficient nutritional supplements. Milk is an important source of income for the farmers. The quantity and quality of milk produced by the animals are directly affected by various disease conditions of the teat and udder. Milk flow disorders due to traumatic teat injuries, faulty techniques of milking, infection, mucosal lesions, foreign bodies, milk stones and congenital disorders affect the udder health and milk production. Udder is one of the most important organs of bovine as it is directly related to productivity and the farmer’s economy. The udder and teat affections may not be life threatening to the animal but may affect its productive life. This leads to a 50% increased chance of mastitis, which consequently leads to reduced milk yield and milk quality. Thus, early diagnosis and treatment of diseases of teat and udder is very important for maintenance of their health. The conventional diagnostic module includes inspection, palpation, probing, and hand milking of the affected teat, ultrasonography and contrast radiography. The surgical affections of the udder and teats may be congenital (supernumerary teat, fused teats, hard milker, free milker etc) or acquired (teat laceration, teat fistula, warts, milk stones etc). Many affections of teat and udder can be cured by undertaking surgical interventions but they must be carried out under complete aseptic conditions to prevent. For teat surgery, anesthesia can be obtained by a ring block at the base of the teat or local infiltration anesthesia in between the teats or inside the teat canal using 2 % solution of lignocaine Hydrochloride. The entire area is prepared for aseptic surgery by washing the field of the operation with antiseptic soap and water, swap with alcohol. The teat pathologies that require surgical intervention include supernumerary, conjoined teat, agenesis of the streak canal, tight streak canal, obstruction in the area of the rosette of Furstenberg, milk stones, obstruction in the area of the teat cistern and /or the annular ring and fibrosis of the gland sinus (Fubini and Ducharme, 2004). The cases were diagnosed based on clinical sign, physical examination of affections. Surgical procedure Preparation of the animal consisted of fasting and withholding of feed and water for12 hours prior to surgery. Animal was sedated with Siquil (Triflupromazine HCL) @0.2 mg/kg, IV. Maintenance was achieved with a mixture of Diazepam and Ketamine in 1:2 ratios mixed in a single syringe infused intravenously. Congenital and acquired surgical conditions of udder and teats can be grouped into three main categories. A. Conditions of epithelial surface of udder and teats. B. Conditions of glands and tea cistern or canal. C. Conditions of teat sphincter.
- Supernumerary teats or extra teats: This may occur and can be present anywhere on the udder but are most frequently seen posterior to the last two normally placed teats. They may be functional or non-functional, functional activity can be determined only after parturition of the animal. These additional number teats may or may not have adjacent glandular tissue that will become functional. If there is a glandular tissue that has a functional potential, it will atrophy if not milked. For the management of this condition, it is better to amputate the accessory teats when that animal is young heifer, before the gland becomes active. It is essential that care must be taken to assure that only the supernumerary teats are removed and not normal. It may be desirable to remove the supernumerary teats for cosmetic reasons or because some may be so close to normally placed teats that they interfere with milking procedures. Surgery performed under local infiltration analgesia with two elliptical incisions at the junctions of teat and udder and skin wound closed with interrupted suture using nonabsorbable suture materials.
- Fused teats This may occur and can be present in between two collateral teats or the animals often has closely spaced teats on the opposite side. These Fused teats interfere with milking process which cause the milk splashes out. For treatment of fused teats, the skin is divided in between the two fused teats and cutaneous wounds are sutured separately.
- Contracted sphincter or teat orifice (Teat stenosis or hard milker): The condition may be congenital in origin or may be acquired as a result of trauma to the end of the teat. There is a small stream of milk, and prolonged milking time. There may be loss of milk due to incomplete milking or trauma to the teat due to attempts for strenuous milking methods. Local infiltration anesthesia or instillation of 5 ml of 2 % xylocain or similar local anesthetic into the teat canal will provide anesthesia. The orifice should be cleansed, antiseptic applied, and the orifice enlarged. Stenosis of streak canal without acute inflammation can be treated successfully by incising the sphincter in three directions with teat knife, Bard parker blade No.11, Udall’s teat knife McLean teat knife. The enlarging procedure may be accomplished by inserting of lichty teat knife, ringed teat slitter or stoll teat bistoury. The opening in the sphincter is maintained at the desired size by inserting a Larson teat tube and leaving it in place for 5-7 days. Milking is accomplished by removing the cap of the tube.
- Enlarged teat orifice “Free Milker” or Teat Leaker: This condition is due to a relaxed or a traumatized sphincter. Milk leaks from the teat at times other than milking and result in milk loss. The condition may be helped by injecting small amounts of sterile mineral oil or lugol’s solution around the orifice to reduce its size to the desired effect. This may have to be done more than once to obtain the optimal size for milk flow. If it is overcorrected and result in stenosis, continuous drainage of milk. Fistula will vary in size from that one which is so tiny, it is difficult to locate to large ones through which the mucous membrane may be seen. For the management of teat Fistula, apply a suitable tourniquet (rubber band) at the base of the teat and a teat siphon to the affected teat. The wound edges should be debrided and flushed properly with antibiotic. Suturing of the teat fistulas is carried out in two rows including all layers with the exception of the mucosa using non absorbable, noncapillary suturing material. A vertical mattress or similar stitch is used to effect the apposition of the edges deep in the tissue and superficially. The apposition must be complete and firmly held in place or milk seepage will cause the fistula to recur. A teat bougie is applied to prevent adhesion of both sides of the teat cistern and the tourniquet is then removed. The stitches may be removed in 10-14 days post operatively. Intramammary infusion of broad spectrum antibiotic administration for a week is indicated. Polyps can be removed using a tumour extractor or, teat bistoury or teat polyp extractor. In congenital cases teat spider with no milk pocket is allowed to atrophied as the prognosis is poor. If milk pockets are palpated, surgical treatment using Hudson’s teat spiral or a small teat bistoury can be done.
- Lactiferous Calculi (Milk Stones): Obstruction in milk flow Obstruction in milk flow may be due to milk stones, polyps, teat spider or teat cistern obstruction. The obstruction due to milk stone can be removed by manipulation during milking or crushed by means of special forceps or by enlarging the teat opening. Milk stone are formed into the teat canal when the milk is rich in minerals and salty in taste due to super saturation of salts. Milk stones which are found in the udder may result from accumulation of lime salts of milk over a point of crystallization. The latter may be desquamated epithelium. Sometimes, these calculi are freely movable in the teat canal if their sizes relatively smaller than the diameter of the canal. When being larger in size, they obstruct the lumen of the teat canal. If the calculi are of small size, they can be removed by manipulation during milking. Larger calculi obstructing the teat canal can be crushed by means of special forceps or cutting the sphincter with Litchy teat knife or teat bistouries and milked out. In other cases of milk stones, it may be necessary to enlarge the opening at the end of the teat by cutting through the sphincter of the teat canal one or more times.
- Haematoma of the Udder — Haematoma of the udder is relatively common in cattle having pendulous udder as a result of contusion and rupture of a subcutaneous blood vessels. The condition is characterized by its sudden onset and fluctuency. A septic puncturing the swelling may be necessary to confirm diagnosis, but this is not preferable. If the haematoma is subcutaneously, it can be palpated out if parenchymatous it cannot be detected by visual examination and the diagnosis in such cases depends upon the sudden onset of bloody milk. Haematoma of the Udder Haematoma should be opened week post occurrence. The blood clot is removed and the cavity is painted with tincture of iodine. The cavity is then packed tightly to guard against further bleeding.
- Abscess of the Udder and teat: Abscess formation occurs more often on the udder than the teat. Abscesses of the udder may develop beneath the skin as a result of infection of a haematoma. It may occur in the parenchyma of the udder as a result of chronic mastitis especially in goats. It may also occur as a result of supramammary lymphadenitis. Generally, abscess formations most commonly occur secondarily to the traumatic wound. Udder Abscesses should be treated on the general principles for treatment of abscesses. Such cases can easily be diagnosed by puncturing the swollen part. The abscess cavity is opened for complete drainage of pus. After drainage of the pus, the cavity is dressed with tincture iodine followed by application of soothing agents until obliteration of abscess cavity. In case of necrosis of teat or udder, amputation of teat or affected quarter is recommended followed by daily dressing till complete healing of wound occurs. If there are multiple abscesses, mastectomy (partial or total) according the involvement of one quarter or more on the entire udder, is then indicated.
- Trauma, Teat laceration and fistulae: Superficial wounds to the udder and teats may be cleaned with suitable antiseptic solutions and treated as open wounds with frequent application of antiseptic powders or sprays. If the teats are involved, adhesive tape may hasten healing. Wounds involving the teat orifice should be dressed with antiseptic creams and bandaged after milking. Lacerations of the large milk vein should be considered an emergency because of the potential for severe hemorrhage; prompt compression and ligation of these lacerations is recommended. Deeper wounds of the udder and teats should be promptly (within 6 hr) cleansed and sutured or stapled under local anesthesia with appropriate sedation and restraint. When the wound involves the teat cistern, it may be necessary to insert a self-retaining teat cannula with removable cap into the teat for the first 24 hr to prevent milk seeping through the wound (which would delay or prevent healing) and to aid in milking. The affected quarter should be infused with antibiotic preparations. Affected quarters are at very high risk of infection, and prophylactic treatment with intramammary antibiotics is recommended to prevent development of mastitis. This condition is mostly observed in those goats that have long teats and pendulous udder. When animal tries to jump over the barbed wire or pass through the thorny bushes, their teat gets teared due to laceration of skin and muscles. If this laceration is deeper, then even teat canal gets opened and milk will start flowing through the teared portion. This condition is called as teat fistula. The cases of teat fistula are considered as emergency because any delay in repair of such teat will cause development of mastitis or necrosis of the teat. For repair of such teat, all aseptic precautions should be taken into considerations. A full coverage of systematic antibiotic is required and for proper drainage Larson’s teat plug is used. Different suture techniques are used to repair the teat fistula but double layer simple continuous suturing with PGA 3/0 and in between simple vertical mattress simple interrupted suturing of skin with nylon 1/0 is found suitable for repair of teat fistula.
- Teat Obstructions: Acquired teat obstructions are usually the result of proliferation of granulation tissue after the occurrence of an observed or unobserved teat injury. Teat obstructions are usually recognized when they interfere with milk flow. They can range from diffuse, tightly adherent lesions to highly mobile discrete lesions that float throughout the gland cistern. Some “floaters” are caused by formation of small masses from butterfat, minerals, and tissue in mammary ducts during the dry period. These can be recognized by intermittent disruptions in milk flow. They may be removed by forced pressure downward on the teat cistern or by use of specialized instruments inserted through the teat canal. Membranous obstructions in the area of the annular fold at the base of the gland cistern are sometimes seen in heifers. Treatment of these obstructions is generally unsuccessful. Complete teat obstruction may result when adhesions fill the teat cistern after severe trauma. Treatment is like that for stenosis but the prognosis usually is more guarded. In instances of severe injury, milking of the quarter should be permanently discontinued.
- Fibrosis of teat canal: This condition is commonly observed in most of the lactating goats where a hard fibrous cord like structure is observed in the teat. Exact cause of this condition is not clear. However, repeated trauma due to mechanical injuries, thumb milking and kid suckling are the main contributory factors. Sometimes mastitis can also result into fibrosis of quarter followed by teat canal. This fibrotic cord will obstruct the teat canal and will create hindrance during milking. In such cases, initially hot water fomentation followed by counter irritant massage such as iodine ointment and turpentine liniment massage is very useful. In some cases, it is advisable to place polythene catheter after removal of fibroid mass by Hugs teat tumour extractor.
- Blind teats: This condition may be congenital or acquired due to any trauma near the teat sphincter. Such cases generally reported just after parturition on palpation milk thrill found in teat cistern on pressing milk passed backward toward milk udder cistern. Imperforated teat treated by 15 gauze needle, after creating opening, it is further dilated using hugs teat tumour extractor, milk canula fixed for 24 hour after that frequent milking advised at 4 to 6 hours intervals to prevent adhesion. Administration of proper antibiotics is done for a minimum period of 3-5 days.
- Bloody Milk: The occurrence of pink- or red-tinged milk is common after calving and can be attributed to rupture of tiny mammary blood vessels. Udder swelling from edema or trauma is a potential underlying cause. Bloody milk is not fit for consumption. In most cases, it resolves without treatment in 4–14 days, provided the gland is milked out regularly. The occurrence of frank blood in a single quarter is likely the result of severe, acute mastitis or trauma, and milking should be discontinued until hemorrhage is controlled. Intramammary antibiotics should be administered if mastitis is suspected
- Tumour of mammary gland: These are infrequently in lactating goats. The growth can be surgically removed under caudal block or local infiltration analgesia.
Conclusions:
If goats suspected any of these surgical affections on farm about above condition immediately treatment should be done. Delay treatment may worst the surgical condition and may cause poor prognosis. Postoperative care is very important for all these surgical affections.
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