Webquest 1

I) About Cows:

What are the  5 most common pathologies of cows? 

1)Milk fever.

Milk fever, also known as parturient hypocalcaemia and parturient paresis, is a disease which has assumed considerable importance with the development of heavy milking cows.

The cause of the disease is basically the decrease in the levels of ionized calcium in tissue fluids.

In all adult cows there is a fall in serum-calcium level with the onset of lactation at calving.The disease usually occurs in 5 to 10 year old cows, and is chiefly caused by a sudden decrease in blood-calcium level, generally within 48 hours after calving.

2)Mastitis.

Mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary gland and udder tissue.

It usually occurs as an immune response to bacterial invasion of the teat canal by variety of bacterial sources present on the farm (commonly through bedding or contaminated teat dips), and can also occur as a result of chemical, mechanical, or thermal injury to the cow's udder.

3)Foot Rot/ Foul in the Foot.

Footrot or foul in the foot is a subacute or acute necrotic infection originating from a lesion in the interdigital skin that leads to a cellulitis in the digital region.

4)Displaced Abomasum.

The abomasum (or true stomach) normally lies on the floor of the abdomen, but can become filled with gas and rise to the top of the abdomen, when it is said to be ‘displaced’. The abomasum is more likely to be displaced to the left (LDA) than the right (RDA).

The majority of cases occur soon after calving. During pregnancy the uterus displaces the abomasum, so that after calving the abomasum has to move back to its normal position, increasing the risk of displacement.

5). Foot-and-mouth disease.

       

The foot-and-mouth disease is a highly communicable disease affecting cloven-footed animals. It is characterized by fever, formation of vesicles and blisters in the mouth, udder, teats and on the skin between the toes and above the hoofs. Animals recovered from the disease present a characteristically rough coat and deformation of the hoof.  The disease spreads by direct contact or indirectly through infected water, manure, hay and pastures.

2. cow's digestive system.

3.  cow's external anatomy  

II) Farm animals:  PIGS.

1. Choose a good website that refers to your animal. 

http://www.animanaturalis.org/cl 

I really like this web site because it is super complete and informative.

Belongs to the NGO "anima naturalis", who works with situations in which the animals are exposed to mistreatment, covering both the animals of wild life and to those who live in captivity, such as the animals of zoos, industry or farm.

Besides it is a very active web site, where they publish constantly articles on the same animals to focus their attention and work, on campaigns,etc.

2. Pig's external anatomy.