Browsing by Author "Eze CA"

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    Castration, other management practices and socio-economic implications for dog keepers in Nsukka area, Enugu state, Nigeria
    (2002) Eze CA; Eze MC
    Structured interviews were used to obtain information from 258 respondents from among 625 people who were selected by stratified random sampling from villages in five of seven local government areas of Nsukka area. Information included gender and literacy status of the respondents, whether the respondents had (between 1990 and 1995) presented any of their dogs for castration, the comparative market value of the dogs, and dog use and owner preference for castrates in performance of such duties. Information on bathing, vaccinations, confinements, use of veterinarians and cultural and religious uses of dogs also were sought. Also, 208 (80%) of the respondents had their dogs castrated. Of the respondents, 23% were literate, 37% semiliterate and 40% illiterate. Of the 367 non-respondents, 63% were not available during the time of contact and 37% resented dog keeping and therefore refused to talk. About 958 dogs were owned by respondents, of these dogs, 56%, 27% and 17% were females, intact males and castrates, respectively. There was no association between the respondent’s literacy status and dog-sex preference in performance of such uses as security, hunting, and “economic reasons”. The three most-important reasons for dog keeping were security, pet and hunting. However, the use of castrates for security was favoured by most keepers irrespective of literacy status. Most of the respondents agreed that dogs are used as gifts and 72% of the respondents agree that dog meat is a protein source. Castration should be encouraged because of its market value. Usage was low of veterinary services, confinement, and bathing of dogs.
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    Lameness and reproductive performance in small ruminants in Nsukka Area of the Enugu State, Nigeria
    (2002) Eze CA
    Four communities in Nsukka Area of Enugu State, known for sheep and goat keeping were purposefully selected for this work. Seventy-one sheep and goat farms were visited between January 1995 and December 1999. During the course of visit no one animal was registered twice in one farm during the study except where the cause of lameness was entirely different from the one already reported. Information sought include species of ruminants, number kept, management practices, sex, age, lambing/kidding interval, number of lambs/kids per parity and health status of all the animals in each flock. In some cases, the hooves were cleaned and washed to reveal the cause and the extent of the lesions. Animals were classified as kids/lambs (18 months). The results of the observation were statistically analysed using chi-square and Students t-test. Of the 338 sheep, 57, 68 and 213 were lambs, young and adults, respectively, whereas out of 484 goats, 100, 76 and 308 were kids, young and adults, respectively. About 15% of the animals kept suffered various kinds of lameness. There was no significant association between age and lameness in sheep (χ2=4.45,P<0.05) and goats (χ2=3.47,P<0.05). Of the 338 sheep examined, 13 (3.83%) and 43 (12.72%) were found to be lame during dry and wet season, respectively. A significant association (χ2=8.35,P<0.05) between season and lameness in sheep was observed. The mean kidding/lambing interval (15.2±0.78 months) in lame goats was significantly different both (t=18.042,P<0.01,d.f.=138) than (10.87±1.48 months) in non-lame goats, while for sheep a mean lambing interval of (14.59±1.53 months) recorded for lame animals was also significantly different (t=9.667,P<0.01, d.f. 197) than the (11.69±1.92 months) for the non-lame sheep. Lameness adversely affects lambing/kidding interval in small ruminants. Overgrowth of the hoof, scalds and ectoparasite wounds are the main causes of lameness in small ruminants in the study area. Since the majority of lameness cases were observed during the wet season (especially in sheep), it is suggested that these small ruminants be closely monitored during this season and foot lesions promptly attended to. Dampness should be avoided in the animal pens as this will severely reduce the incidence of lameness.