Cow No. 666. What a number!
The area around the town of Lobatera in Tachira State always makes me fell a special energy, those mountains something dry, something green, steady breeze, dry air. Or maybe its pre-Columbian history that takes my imagination to the indigenous villages of which only remain stones carvings and the pottery found in these locations.
Ramírez Engineer asks me a moment to visit his uncles´s farm. A large rock with petroglyphs welcomed us with the little road that will lead us to the farm. I still think that these big rock was in a horizontal position when the Indians labored, otherwise it would be very uncomfortable to have worked thus inclined. Or it may be one of those things that made our ancestral people that after thousands of years we asked us how or why were made.
The area around the town of Lobatera in Tachira State always makes me fell a special energy, those mountains something dry, something green, steady breeze, dry air. Or maybe its pre-Columbian history that takes my imagination to the indigenous villages of which only remain stones carvings and the pottery found in these locations.
Ramírez Engineer asks me a moment to visit his uncles´s farm. A large rock with petroglyphs welcomed us with the little road that will lead us to the farm. I still think that these big rock was in a horizontal position when the Indians labored, otherwise it would be very uncomfortable to have worked thus inclined. Or it may be one of those things that made our ancestral people that after thousands of years we asked us how or why were made.
Indian Stone. Lobatera. Venezuela
Arriving at the farm we noticed that the animals are part time stall feeding with hay in the afternoon and grazing in the morning. It is dry season and pastures are dry and low. The producer points out that cows have a "scab" that has been treated with avermectins without results.
After examining the cow 666 among others, I sow symmetrical lesions, a scaly eczema and hair loss in areas of the animal body. The fact that it is symmetrical speaks of something more systemic and not localized. Probably the animal is "reacting from within" against something that attacks from outside. We took a deep skin scraping for laboratory study and a whole blood sample for hematology. Arriving at the farm we noticed that the animals are part time stall feeding with hay in the afternoon and grazing in the morning. It is dry season and pastures are dry and low. The producer points out that cows have a "scab" that has been treated with avermectins without results.
Deep skin scraping is observed under the microscope for the scabies mite or fungal hyphen (dermatophitosis), however, it was imposible to demonstrate the existence of these pathogens.
The blood test showed marked eosinophilia. This means, there are many of these kind of white blood cells (eosinophils). The same with play role in allergic and parasitic processes. Eosinophil
Given these findings, We recommended a treatment based of vitamin A, antihistaminics and liver protection substances which proved to be successful.
With the arrival of rains, it was not necessary the hay and pastures feed supply changed significantly then the cases stopped.
This period of low rainfall makes grass yellow and dry for a few months. It is known that dry pastures and hay are poor in vitamin A. In these cases it is very common skin problems, epiphora and diarrhea. Also during the dry season, cattle are forced to eat plants not normally consumed (hepatotoxic effect). In addition, it is possible that mistakes in hay preservation or transport has allowed the development of microbes or arthropods that can produce allergens that lead reactions in the skin of farm animals, just as allergic reactions.
We have noted with concern the misuse of antibiotics and avermectins in animal production, including milking cows. I dare say that these two kinds of medications are commonly used in our country when the producer tries to "guess" what disease suffer their animals. It is unfortunate that in addition to be spending money unnecessarily, they are polluting the products: meat and milk for human consumption.
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