Care and Management of Cattle in Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)

Care and Management of Cattle in Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD)

Sagar M Patel¹, Monalisa Sahoo^2, Jigarji C Thakor³, Dinesh. M³, Akash Balasaheb Mote^4, Varsha Jayakumar^4, Nihar Ranjan Sahoo² and Vaibhav Pawale⁵

¹Livestock Development Officer, Animal Husbandry Department, Maharashtra, India

²Senior Scientist, ICAR-International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease, Arugul, Khordha, Odisha, India

³Ph.D Scholar, Division of Pathology, ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar, U.P, India

⁴Ph.D Scholar, Division of Veterinary Public Health, ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar, U.P, India

⁵BVSc & AH, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur.

Abstract

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease of cattle caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). LSDV is one of the most important animal poxviruses because of the serious economic consequences in cattle. A careful surveillance and management of the disease onset and spread is to be taken up at the farm level. The affected animals exhibit a variety of clinical signs (Nodules all over body, swelling of legs and brisket) depending on the progression of the disease.  Since this disease is of viral etiology, 100% effective treatment is not available. However, fast recovery could be achieved by good managemental practices with immediate treatment after the onset of clinical signs. Approximately, 80% of the affected animals recover from the disease with good managemental practices, while 20% with medication. Prevention is better than cure in lumpy skin disease.

Key words: LSD, management, care of animals, prevention

Introduction

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an arthropod-born contagious viral diseases of cattle and buffalo characterized by appearance of multiple cutaneous nodules throughout the body. It is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), a member of the genus Capripoxvirus (CaPV) under the family Poxviridae.  After its first report from Odisha in 2019, the disease caused havoc in India due to its rapid spread in more than 10 states and union territories causing the death of nearly about 110,000 cattle, thereby affecting the socioeconomic livelihood of livestock farmers. In Maharashtra state, cattle have been suffering from LSD (Lumpy Skin Disease) since last three and a half months.

Fig.1. Nodules all over the body of Jersey cow infected with LSD

 

The affected animals exhibit a variety of clinical signs depending on the progression of the disease.  Since this disease is of viral etiology, 100% effective treatment is not available. However, fast recovery could be achieved by good managemental practices with immediate treatment after the onset of clinical signs. Approximately, 80% of the affected animals recover from the disease with good managemental practices, while 20% with medication.  Therefore, livestock keepers should take utmost care to increase the immune system of sick animals for the rapid recovery in following ways:

1. Dietary Concerns

• To keep the immune system of sick animals healthy, a balanced and healthy diet should be given regularly. Similarly, livestock owner should take care to ensure that their food and water intake remains optimal.
• Sick animals should be given green, soft and luscious fodder along with good quality protein and energy supplements (concentrate/maize etc.)
• Clean and plentiful drinking water should be provided 4 to 5 times a day. If salt and jaggery are added to the water, the animals will drink the water with pleasure and they will get mineral salts and energy. The water intake will be more with lukewarm water during winter. This will help the animals for the recovery from the disease.
• Feed and water should be made available at mouth level to affected animals, which cannot be lowered due to neck and chest swelling. Affected animals have been observed to eat fodder if they are fed by hand.

2. Inclusion of complementary diet

• If sick animals have reduced fodder intake, such animals should be given energy booster orally.
• For enhancing the immune system of affected animals, mineral mixture of good quality should be given regularly in the diet.
• Vitamins, immune boosters and liver boosters should be given to the animals regularly till their recovery.
• Severely anaemic animals should be given haematinics in the morning and evening for at least 21 days.
• Prebiotics and probiotics should be given to sick animal to increase their appetite.
• Avoid oral medication to sick animals as much as possible. Powder or liquid medicine should be given in paste/flour/jaggery in drinking water

Fig. 2. Winter protection of Holstein Friesian (HF) cow infected with LSD.

3. Warm Shelter

• During the winter season, the affected animals should be protected from cold. They should be provided with dry and warm shelter. Cover the young calves with warm clothing. Bulbs of higher wattage should be maintained in the cowshed to generate heat, thereby avoiding the stress due to chilled weather.

4. Care of Swollen areas (Chest and Legs)

• Animals with swollen lymph nodes (prescapular and prefemoral) face difficulties in sitting and standing for several days. Such animals should be given a warm shake twice a day with a cotton cloth soaked in warm salt water. Moreover, the application of magnesium sulfate (fine powder) and glycerine leap on the swelling areas twice a day (morning and evening) will help in reducing the swelling.
• To reduce the lumps and swelling on the body, hot water bath of animals in afternoon followed by drying the body with a cloth to avoid catching cold.
• Young calves are unable to drink milk due to ulcers in mouth and lumps on face. For this, give a shake on the face with hot water. Be careful not to get scalded with hot water

Fig.3. LSD infected HF cow showed A) swelling of pre-femoral lymph node, B) swelling of pre-scapular lymph node, C) oedematous swelling on forelimb, D) oedematous swelling at brisket region.

5. Care of recumbent animals

• Difficulty in standing due to leg/knee swelling or weakness, causes recumbence of animals.
• Cement concrete ground should be avoided for sitting of animals. Soft bedding material should be provided.
• Changing the side of recumbence at every 2-3 hours and make them to stand twice a day to avoid bedsores.

• Physiotherapy of both forelimb and hind limbs of the affected animals.

         Fig. 4. A) & B) Lateral recumbency of khillar bullock and HF cow in LSD.

 

 

6. Mouth ulcer treatment

• In case of young calves with ulcerated mouth, the mouth should be washed with potassium permanganet solution (0.1%) followed by applying the boro-glycerine solution 3 to 4 times a day on the mouth ulcers to minimise the pain during feeding and drinking of milk.

7. Nasal cleaning and steaming

• Ulcers/wounds are often formed in the nose of affected animals, especially young calves. The nose is filled with sticky secretions, sometimes becomes very thick and hard that leads to difficulty in breathing. For this, the nostrils should be cleaned regularly with warm water. The application of four drops of boroglycerin or warm coconut oil and boric powder mixture to both nostrils will facilitate breathing due to healing of ulcers.
• In case of cold, steaming of eucalyptus oil or vicks is very beneficial.

Fig. 5. A) Ulcerative wounds on muzzle and in nasal cavity of HF cow, B) Steaming of HF cow having nasal discharge and respiratory distress due to LSD.

8. Eye care

• Eyes should be washed regularly with boric powder solution or washed with warm water in case of ulcers or corneal opacity.

Fig. 6.  A) Prolapse of eyelid in LSD infected Jersey cow, B) Corneal opacity of khillar cow in LSD.

9. Care of Bulls

• Bullocks that have been recovered from the LSD should not be put to work until they recover.

Fig. 7. Lumps or nodules on skin of khillar bullock in LSD.

 

10. Management of Wounds

• Fresh open wound: First wash it with 0.1 % potassium permanganet solution (0.1% KMnO₄ solution) and apply povidine iodine solution/powder. Cover it with loose cotton bandage and repeat dressing daily till complete healing.
• Purulent wound: First wash it with 0.1 % potassium permanganet solution (0.1% KMnO₄ solution) followed by cleaning with hydrogen peroxide. Apply magnesium sulphate and glycerine paste or iodine powder and cover it with loose cotton bandage.
• For continuous oozing wound: Application of zinc oxide/ any other antiseptic powder daily till complete healing.
• Deep wound: Wash the wound thoroughly with 0.1 % potassium permanganet solution, apply magnesium sulphate and glycerine paste in wound cavity and cover the whole wound with cotton bandage daily till complete wound healing.
• Maggoted wound: Apply turpentine oil by cotton swab, remove the maggots and dress by using fly repellent twice a day till complete wound healing. The subcutaneous injection ivermectin @ 1 ml/50kg bw once will help to get rid of the parasites.

Fig.8. Wounds in Lumpy Skin Disease A) Fresh open wound in HF cow, B) Purulent wound at fetlock joint of khillar cow, C) Deep wound at pelvic region of Jersey cow, D) Deep wound at fetlock joint of HF cow, E) Maggoted wound on face of HF cow.

 

11. Ectoparasite control and management

• LSD affected animals become restless due to continuous irritation of wounds by ectoparasites like ticks, mites and flies. Therefore, in order to reduce the load of ectoparasites on sick animals, insecticides (cypermethrin/amitraz@ 2ml in 1 litre water) should be sprayed in the cowshed after 3-4 days. Also regular use of herbal/botanical insecticides should be done on the body of animal.  For this, 10 ml of neem oil, 10 ml of karanj oil, 10 ml of eucalyptus oil and 2 grams of organic soap are mixed in one litre of water for spraying to get rid of the ectoparasites.

 

 

Fig.9. A) Spraying of insecticides in open shed of cattle, B & C) Spraying of insecticides on body of animals in shed.

Conclusion

The proper care and management of LSD affected livestock by farmers during treatment can lead to great success in reducing mortality and morbidity. Prevention is better than cure in lumpy skin disease.

 

References

 

Directorate of Extension Education, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur.

Field veterinarians and Expert veterinarians in LSD.

Lumpy Skin Disease in Cattle- MSD Veterinary Manual.

Lumpy Skin Disease in Cattle: Diagnosis and Treatment. Agricultural Guide.

Patel S. M., Thakor J. C., Dinesh. M., Sahoo M., Kumar A., Sahoo N. R and Mahajan S., (2021). Lumpy Skin Disease: An emerging threat to Cattle and Buffalo. Epashupalan, Issue 9, Vol 2.

Wikipedia and encyclopaedia.