Smallpox disease in cows. Cowpox and its symptoms

Kira Stoletova

Cow pox ( cowpox) is a viral disease. The virus most often affects the skin of the udder, lips, mucous membranes of the mouth and nose. Healthy individuals can contract the infection through contact with infected individuals. To protect the animal, you need to follow sanitary standards and rules for keeping large animals. cattle. The disease in cows can be cured with antibiotics and folk remedies.

What is chickenpox in a cow, what is its treatment, how are cows and humanpox related? To get rid of this disease, you need to know the signs of the development of the disease and what consequences the lack of treatment can lead to.

Etiology of cowpox

Smallpox most often affects adult dairy cows. The etiology of the viral cowpox disease is as follows: the disease is caused by DNA viruses of the Chordopoxvirinae subfamily. The cowpox virus is made up of many chemical components. When the pathogen enters the body, it is localized in the cells of the integumentary tissue (skin, mucous membranes).

The cowpox virus can infect not only cattle, but also goats, pigs, horses, rabbits, Guinea pigs. People are also susceptible to the disease.

The infection is transmitted in the following ways:

Airborne and by contact. The virus penetrates into external environment with mucous secretions, with crusts of dead epidermis.
For insect bites. They can be carriers of the disease; foreign DNA persists in the body of arthropods for up to 100 days.
From rats and mice. Rodents release the virus into food, hay, and water.
Through veterinary equipment, automatic milking machines.

The virus gets inside the damaged skin of the udder, then smallpox develops on the cow's udder. If an animal has a deficiency of vitamin A, the pathogen is able to penetrate the epidermis without compromising its integrity. In calves, the virus will enter the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.

Symptoms of cowpox

How cowpox develops and its symptoms appear depends on the method of entry of the virus into the body, the virulence of the strain, and the health status of the animal. It usually takes 4-9 days from the day of infection for the first symptoms to appear. The disease is acute and very rarely progresses to chronic form. In bulls, the course of the disease is hidden, signs appear rarely. Cowpox has symptoms similar to human form illness.

Symptoms of the cow form of the disease:

Decreased interest in food.
Lethargy, anxiety, sometimes aggression.
Persistent hyperthermia up to 40°C.
Reduced milk yield. Inflammation of the breast tissue develops, and lactation becomes difficult.
The skin of the udder and nipples swell.
Inflammation on the udder, mucous membranes in the mouth, nasal passages, and in bulls - on the scrotum. The inflammatory process manifests itself as a red rash or spots.
When walking, the animal spreads its hind legs wide apart.

Inflammation begins with small reddish spots. After two days, papules grow from the spots. A papule is a nodular growth. After 24 hours, the inflammation enters the vesicular stage. The disease is concentrated inside the vesicles, and immune cells and lymphocytes are released there. Gradually, pus accumulates in the vesicles. This is the result of the activity of lymphocytes. Pus is made up of proteins dead virus, blood albumin, waste immune cells. The pustular stage begins. Pustules have a round or elongated shape. They are surrounded by a red rim and deepened in the middle.

Pox on a cow's udder may appear as a small number of pustules. The pus inside the bladder dries out on the 12th day, and a scab of dead skin cells appears. At severe course disease, the number of nodules is large, they merge into one whole. The skin under the ulcers is inflamed and hard to the touch.

You can see what the udder of cows looks like with smallpox in the photo.

Disease prognosis

The prognosis for cow disease is favorable in most cases, but if treatment is not started in a timely manner, serious complications can arise.

If cow pox occurs in mild form, inflammatory process ends in 20 days or a month. In severe cases of the disease, recovery takes up to 2 months.

In calves, the virus multiplies in the mucous membranes respiratory tract. At untimely treatment the pathogen enters gastrointestinal tract. Complications of the disease in calves:

bronchopneumonia;
gastroenteritis.

If red spots appear on any part of the cattle’s body, you need to isolate the animal and call a veterinarian to diagnose accurate diagnosis cowpox. Treatment must be started immediately.

Diagnosis of cowpox

Diagnosis of cow viral disease conducts veterinarian based on clinical signs and test results. For analysis use:

Blood (tested for the presence of antibodies).
Liquid from vesicles.
Smears from the surface of opened papules.

The contents of the bubbles are examined for the presence of cowpox virus. IN veterinary laboratory the biomaterial is cultivated. The strain of the virus and the degree of its danger are determined.

During initial examination It is important to distinguish this disease from foot and mouth disease. In case of foot and mouth disease in cattle (cattle), aphthae are formed in the space between the hooves of the nasal passages - blisters with clear liquid. The contents of the aft darken within 2 days and come out. Ulcers remain on the mucous membranes.

Treatment of cowpox

After a diagnosis of cowpox has been established, the sick animal is removed from the herd. This is important to protect livestock from contracting the virus. It is necessary to provide proper care for the cow, regularly ventilate the premises, carry out disinfection, and increase the number of feedings.

How to treat cowpox? If smallpox in cows is localized only on the udder, treatment methods are used:

Drug therapy. Treatment of cows with smallpox involves the administration of antibiotics. Antibiotics for chickenpox in cows have both a therapeutic and prophylactic function.
Local disinfection, cauterization of ulcers. Tincture of potassium iodide, borax, chloramine (3% solution) is used.
Wound healing. Use Vaseline and ichthyol ointment. Cowpox shows signs of irritation and inflammation on the delicate skin of the udder. The first stage is blisters, a rash, the second stage is the appearance of wounds, the third stage is purulent wounds.
Softening the skin. Use ointments with vegetable oils and glycerin.

If the inflammatory process occurs in the nasal passages, use a 3% solution boric acid for washing. Treatment of cowpox with folk remedies is popular.

A sick animal is given elderberry leaves, garlic cloves, blackberry and linden leaves along with food.

The udder is treated with a decoction of a mixture of elderberry and sorrel leaves. They are combined in equal proportions and cut into small pieces. Then the raw material is poured with a liter of water and boiled in a water bath. The wounds are washed daily. After past infection The animal develops lifelong immunity.

What to do with the milk of a sick cow

If a cow is infected with a virus, her milk yield is greatly reduced, but milk must be milked every day. The pathogen settles in the epithelial cells of the udder and can enter the milk. A person is sensitive to the pathogen, so you cannot drink raw milk, only boiled milk for 5-7 minutes. Also, the product should not be consumed while cattle are being treated with antibiotics. This can lead to dysbiosis and allergies.

On large farms, milk from sick cows and animals that have been in contact with them must be pasteurized. It is used to feed young animals.

Prevention

To avoid infection of cattle with this virus on large farms and small households, you must follow the rules of prevention. Exactly preventive measures will help protect against an accidental outbreak of the disease. Chicken pox in cows it is special shape disease, its treatment requires special medicine and prevention standards.

Prevention of infection in cattle:

Do not purchase or import animals from farms where epidemics have been recorded viral infection. Buy food and equipment only from trusted people.
Purchased cattle must be kept in quarantine for a month. During this period it is important to full examination animals.
Maintain the condition of barns and pastures according to requirements sanitary standards.
Make sure that only disinfected veterinary instruments and household equipment are used.
If outbreaks of livestock disease are recorded in the area where the farm is located, the entire livestock must be vaccinated. A live virus vaccine is used.

One of the important preventive measures is correct content sick animals. It is very important to limit as much as possible the contact of infected livestock with healthy animals in the farmyard. If you do not do this, there is a risk of rapid spread of the disease to the entire livestock yard.

Infected cows, bulls or calves are placed in a room separate from the general herd. It shouldn't be damp, cold or hot. It is necessary to ensure a temperature of 20-25°C and good ventilation. In such conditions, livestock feels comfortable, and treatment of cows with smallpox is accelerated.
Workers who have been vaccinated against the virus must care for sick individuals.
The premises are cleaned and sanitized 5 days after each opening of the abscesses. Disinfect the barn with hot alkali (4%), 2% formaldehyde or 20% slaked lime solution. It is also necessary to disinfect manure to avoid infection of animals through the fecal-oral route. The manure is treated with bleach or simply burned.
Milk tankers treat milk storage containers with chloramine or sodium hypochlorite.

If cases of cowpox are recorded on the farm, the owner and the veterinary service are required to report this to the relevant supervisory authorities. Sanitary restrictions are imposed on the farm, which are lifted 21 days after the cattle recover, if there are no new cases of infection. Final disinfection is carried out for prevention in all premises where livestock are kept.

Safe work with livestock

To prevent smallpox from cows on the udder from being transmitted to humans, simple preventive measures must be followed. On large farms, all workers are mandatory are vaccinated against cowpox. After vaccination, a person is exempt from working with animals for 14 days, if the reaction is normal. If the reaction to the vaccine is complicated, then you can begin your duties only after a complete recovery.

In small households, milkmaids must work in clean special clothing, which remains within the barn and is not taken home. Before milking, be sure to wash your hands and handle the cow's udder warm water and lubricate with disinfectants.

Cow diseases. Udder diaper rash.Diseases of the cows. Intertrigo udder.

udder dermatitis in a cow 2017

If after working with a cow a red rash or blisters appear on your hands, you need to see a doctor and call a veterinarian to examine the livestock. Also, the owner should immediately be examined by a dermatologist, because such a rash is a direct threat to humans.

Conclusion

Cowpox has a viral etiology. Signs of the disease are a red rash, purulent blisters on the skin and mucous membranes of cattle. Before treating cowpox, animals are isolated from the general herd.

Treatment of a cow with smallpox requires injections of antibiotics and regular treatment of inflamed tissues with antiseptics. The cowpox virus can infect humans, so compulsory vaccination is carried out on large farms.

Cowpox is a persistent viral disease that occurs in both adults and calves. At favorable course it is not dangerous for livestock and is easily tolerated by them. With absence timely diagnosis and taking action, the disease strikes vitally important organs cows and is fatal.

The virus has a complex structure and contains many chemical elements. It is persistent, which makes it contagious to others. It settles on the integumentary tissue and enters the body through the skin. Susceptible to the disease cattle, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs. Humans are also not resistant to infection.

The symptoms of cowpox depend on the age of the animal, its condition and the method of transmission of the disease.

Possible transfer methods:

By airborne droplets or through interaction with a sick animal.
Through insects. They retain the virus within themselves for 100 days and act as carriers.
Through penetration into food and water. Rodents are carriers of smallpox.
Infected inventory or veterinary equipment. Lack of sanitary treatment leads to the transfer of disease.

In the body of young animals, smallpox settles on the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, and its manifestations are localized on their surface.

In adults, the disease occurs in the udder, where it penetrates through the damaged cover.

Important! In cows lacking vitamin A, smallpox can enter the body through intact skin.

The course of the disease is usually acute. Hidden form with erased symptoms found only in bulls. The incubation period is 3-9 days, after which the entire symptom complex appears.

Symptoms of cowpox:

Slight increase in body temperature (up to 40 degrees).
Redness and swelling of the udder, which significantly complicates lactation.
Irritation on the mucous membranes, manifested as redness.
Enlargement and inflammation of the lymph nodes.
Trembling.
Decrease or complete absence appetite, decreased interest in food.
Lethargy or excessive excitability, manifested by aggression.
Difficulty walking (back legs spread apart). The symptom is associated with painful sensations from touching the udder while walking.

Cycle skin manifestations:

Within 24 hours after the incubation period, the mucous membranes and udder become covered with reddish spots.
After 2 days they turn into papules that rise above the skin.
After 24 hours, liquid forms inside, which turns them into vesicles. Then they open and the pus comes out.
Pustules form (in their middle there is a hole resembling a volcanic crater).
On the 12th day, the sores become crusty.
After 20-30 days the cow is cured.

Important! In an individual with a weakened immune system, the disease can be severe and last up to 2 months. In this case, the rashes will be profuse and the hyperthermia will be prolonged. Smallpox affects not only the mucous membranes, but also internal organs, which sometimes leads to death. It is necessary to contact a veterinarian at the first manifestation of symptoms. Complications in calves include gastroenteritis and pneumonia.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic measures are performed by a veterinarian. These include:

Examination of the animal, study of symptoms.
Blood test to detect antibodies.
Scraping of the purulent contents of the vesicle.
Chick embryo test method. IN laboratory conditions pus is placed in the egg, the behavior of the virus is observed and its strain is identified.

The diagnosis is considered confirmed after receiving the test results.

Treatment

Before treatment begins, the cow must create comfortable conditions in a clean room (sick animals should be separated from healthy ones). The room should be ventilated regularly.

A sick cow needs to be milked regularly, even though this causes her a lot of pain. discomfort. Milk should not stagnate. Otherwise, her condition may worsen.

Drug treatment:

Antibacterial therapy does not affect viruses. It is used to prevent bacterial complications.
Treating stains antiseptic solutions(chloramine, borax). These remedies cauterize purulent sores.
Ointments with a healing effect (ichthyol, zinc).
Emollients (vaseline, glycerin ointment).

In addition to the above remedies, calves are prescribed nasal rinsing with boric acid (3%).

Folk remedies:

Addition of elderberry and blackberry leaves to food.
Introduction to the diet of garlic, which acts as a natural immunomodulator.
A decoction of elderberry and sorrel leaves: the herb in equal proportions is crumbled into small pieces, placed in a saucepan and boiled for 30 minutes. The broth is cooled, filtered and treated with it on the affected skin of the cow once a day (until relief occurs).

Folk remedies have only an auxiliary effect to the main therapy.

Preventive measures

To prevent infection, the following measures must be taken:

You should not purchase an animal in an area where there have been outbreaks of cowpox.
Do not neglect sanitary and hygienic standards. Keep the barn clean and exercise on proven pastures.
Ensure the sterility of veterinary instruments and equipment for caring for the cow.
Get vaccinated against smallpox with a live virus vaccine on time.
If one animal becomes ill, immediately limit its contact with healthy ones.
After a case of illness, it is necessary to disinfect the barn with special solutions. Ultraviolet irradiation can also cope with this function.
Manure from sick individuals should be burned. Milk - disinfected and discarded.

Cowpox virus can live on surfaces for a long time. If all rules for keeping animals and timely vaccination are followed, the possibility of disease is minimized.

Cowpox is quite rare, but this disease should not be neglected. It is a well-known fact that it was the causative agent of cowpox that became the basis for the creation of the first vaccine. In our article we will talk about how to treat cowpox.

Obvious signs of the disease are the appearance on skin ulcers At the same time, the cow's temperature rises. Usually the place where the ulcers accumulate is the udder. The nipples greatly increase in size, and bubbles with a rim appear on them. The animal does not allow you to touch the udder. All signs indicate that the cow is infected with smallpox.

Every day the cow has more blisters on her udder. Over the course of several days, the animal’s well-being is aggravated by the fact that all the blisters and sores join together. The udder is already a bluish-black spot. The crust cracks, the sore brings pain and suffering to the animal.

When affected by cowpox, the animal tries to spread its hind legs, as it tries to somehow alleviate the suffering and get rid of the pain that every step brings. The size of the rash reaches up to one centimeter. Itching causes discomfort to the cow.

The causes of the disease may be constant cold and drafts in the barn, which reduces the immunity of animals. If the barn is dirty and damp, and farmers neglect dry and clean bedding, then all this can cause infections.

Symptoms and distribution

The first symptoms that smallpox has overtaken a cow are lethargy, poor appetite, low milk yield. After which fever and rashes appear on the udder. This disease is also dangerous for humans. Milkmaids can contract the virus through contact with animals and even milking machines. The virus spreads rapidly and can affect other domestic animals (goats, pigs, birds). The rash appears after five days.

Smallpox nodules are a purulent blister. If the skin on the udder is light, then the papules have a bluish-white tint; if the skin is dark, they have a yellowish tint. In some cases, there is no reddish zone around the infection, but there is always hardening. After the pockmark disappears, scars remain on the skin. There is an opinion among farmers that smallpox most often affects young animals.

Features of treatment

Treatment of the disease is carried out using antibiotics and antiseptics. The ulcers are cauterized with tincture of iodine and Boer's fluid. To treat smallpox in cows, pockmarks on the udder are softened with fat or streptocide ointment, and glycerin can be used. Cows are given nasal irrigation with a solution of boric acid. If nodules big size and rapidly swell, it is worth calling a veterinarian and conducting histology to exclude the possibility of oncology.

There are several stages of the disease:

acute;
subacute;
chronic.

It happens that the disease goes through all stages ( typical shape) or stops at the stage when blisters form (atypical). Complications with secondary infections may occur.

If a virus infection is detected, the animal is isolated before treatment. The room must be equipped with heaters.

The animal is given drinking plenty of fluids with addition potassium iodide. The cow needs to be fed easily digestible feed.

The viral infection can be transmitted, so milkmaids should use rubber gloves and maintain personal hygiene. Care should be taken when milking to avoid causing bovine mastitis. In this case, the infection gets into the milk, and it is subject to pasteurization and boiling for half an hour.

Treatment can be carried out folk ways. To do this, the cow is fed green feed, adding garlic and elderberry. A tincture is prepared from elderberry and sorrel leaves, and warm lotions are made and rubs are applied to the sores.

It often happens that smallpox goes away on its own, but this disease should not be taken lightly, since if the whole body is affected, it can cause death. When treating, you should not use moisturizers, as this can lead to the multiplication of the virus.

Prevention

Most often, the smallpox virus affects animals if they are not properly kept. Timely and balanced diet, keeping in a spacious room and observing sanitary standards are some of the measures to prevent the disease. Regular ventilation of premises will prevent air stagnation and the spread of viruses and infections. The animal must spend enough time fresh air- this procedure strengthens the immune system. IN winter time Vitamin complexes should be used.

The barn should be regularly prevented from infesting rodents. Rats and mice are active carriers of viral infections.

Farmers must remember that smallpox spreads rapidly and in a matter of days can lead to infection of the entire livestock and an epidemic of the disease. Therefore, if symptoms of smallpox are detected in a cow, the animal should be quickly isolated, contact a veterinarian, and the barn should be disinfected.

Disease outbreaks most often occur in autumn and winter. For preventive purposes, the udder should be treated with antiseptics in the summer. If you have purchased a batch of cows, then the “new ones” should be kept in quarantine. The possibility cannot be ruled out that they were in the source of infection. Therefore, it would not hurt to collect information to see if there were any cases of the disease in the area where you purchased the cow. While the animals are in quarantine, it would be good to do an examination.

Regular disinfection of areas where animals are kept with a solution of potassium and sodium hydroxide will reduce the likelihood of a smallpox epidemic. Animals must also be clean. One of the necessary and effective measures is vaccination of personnel, which should be carried out according to schedule.

How cowpox manifests itself, what methods of treating it exist, and how to protect the herd - not knowing the answers to these questions can harm both livestock and people. If the disease is not recognized in time, the farm will have to be quarantined, as the virus spreads quickly. In the event of an epidemic in large farms, many animals cannot be saved because there simply is not enough staff. To prevent a tragedy, it is important to be vigilant and follow the rules to prevent the occurrence of viral infections.

Etiology of the virus

The scientific name of the virus that causes animal pox is Cow Orthopoxvirus. Its structure is very complex, and it contains components such as phosphorus, copper, sulfur, carbon, carbohydrates, lipids and other substances. It is localized in epithelial tissues and affects areas with particularly delicate skin.

Pockmarks occur on the lips, nose and mouth, but most often the disease affects the udder of cows. The smallpox virus can enter the body either from secretions from the nose or mouth of an infected individual or through contact with affected areas. The infection is dangerous for the entire livestock, and even for farm staff.

There are cases where the source of infection was smallpox vaccines administered to animals with weak immunity. Main danger The virus is that it integrates into the DNA of the animal and decomposes epithelial cells, penetrating further and deeper into the body of the infected person.

Virus survivability

Cowpox is one of the most persistent viruses. IN favorable conditions, it can remain outside the animal’s body for up to 1.5 years. Farms located in cold regions of the country, where air temperatures rarely rise above 4 degrees, are particularly at risk. But even in hot weather, the virus can live up to 4 months.

The higher the temperature, the faster the smallpox virus is destroyed. At a temperature of 55 degrees, it dies in 20 minutes. If the temperature reaches 60 degrees, the virus lives for only 10 minutes. At 70 degrees it will last about 5 minutes, and when boiling it will last only 2-3 minutes.

An effective way to combat smallpox is to irradiate the affected area with ultraviolet light. Just 4 hours are enough to completely destroy the virus. Ultrasound will cope with this task even faster. Also, to combat smallpox, disinfection with solutions of chloramine and carbolic acid is used.

Virus development

Once in the body of cows, the virus begins to multiply intensively. The first signs can be seen within a day. Redness forms on the affected areas. This is due to internal inflammation these places. The affected cells, accumulating in large numbers, begin to die.

Inside the body, the virus infects skin cells, lymph nodes and penetrates the animal’s blood. This period does not last long, as the body begins to produce antibodies. Because of this, the lymph nodes of cows become very swollen, as proliferation of immunocompetent cells occurs in them.

Most often, smallpox is easily cured and leaves no consequences in the cow’s body. Animals that have recovered from the disease remain immune to the virus for the rest of their lives. The disease is dangerous only for young calves and weak animals. If they become infected, death is extremely likely.

Manifestation on the skin

Typically, the incubation period for the smallpox virus lasts from 3 to 9 days. The first signs can be seen on the animal’s skin. In cows, rashes appear on the udder, less often in other areas. During the first 12 hours after infection, redness may be observed on the skin.

Within 2-3 days, the reddish spots turn into dense nodules or papules. After a few more days, the nodule is filled with liquid - a vesicle is formed. By the 10-12th day of infection, pus begins to accumulate in the nodules. Recovery begins on the 14th day after the immune system recognizes the virus and begins to fight.

After the body begins to fight the infection, dark brown scabs appear in place of the red nodules round shape, less often - oblong. During the period of illness, the affected areas of the animal swell, and touching them causes pain in the animal. At this time, the cows move with difficulty and do not allow the milkmaids to approach them.

Symptoms of smallpox virus

Externally, the manifestation of smallpox may differ in different animals, since much depends on the strength of the immune system. But the virus can also be recognized by other signs observed in all infected people:

loss of appetite;
lethargy is observed in combination with anxiety, less often - aggression;
heat;
problems with lactation leading to decreased milk yield;
swelling of the skin;
inflammatory processes, expressed by redness;
difficulties in movement - cows walk with their legs spread wide apart.

In especially severe cases, the temperature may not subside for a long time. Tissue necrosis is observed in the affected areas, The lymph nodes swell. At weak immunity smallpox may be accompanied bacterial infection. In these cases, the prognosis for recovery may be disappointing.

Changes in the body leading to death

We have already talked about how the normal course of smallpox manifests itself. But, as mentioned earlier, cowpox can also occur in a serious form, leading to the death of the animal. In this case, in addition to nodules, purulent formations, ulcers and erosions appear on the skin.

IN acute form, rashes appear on all mucous membranes: in the nose, mouth and even throat. Internal organs also suffer. The lungs are affected, the liver rots, and the spleen enlarges. The heart muscles become flabby. Most of all, during the autopsy of a cow that died of smallpox, the lesions are most noticeable in the lymph nodes.

The smallpox virus causes great harm epithelial tissues. Penetrating into cells, it disrupts their structure, changes and destroys their structure. If the body cannot cope with the infection and the animal dies, then cellular tissues can be found a large number of putrefactive particles.

Diagnosis of the disease

The symptoms of smallpox are very typical, but it can also be confused with other diseases. So, similar symptoms have foot and mouth disease, pyoderma and pseudopox. The first thing you need to do to correct setting diagnosis, separate the virus from the cattle. Diagnosis of smallpox takes place in several stages:

the contents of the pustules are collected in an airtight container;
conduct research under a microscope, observing the shape and behavior of the virus;
in laboratory conditions, the virus is grown on chicken embryos or cultivated on plant cells;
conduct research with the participation of rabbits.

Such studies can only be carried out in specialized laboratories. But experienced specialist can identify smallpox by clinical signs. If the doctor's suspicions are confirmed, the infection control service must be notified.

Laboratory research

Cattlepox can be confused with other diseases that have similar symptoms. Farmers are especially often confused by false smallpox. It is practically no different from the real one, but occurs in a mild form, does not leave scars on the skin and does not lead to serious consequences.

When examining a false virus under a microscope, you can see elongated cells, while ordinary smallpox has a circle shape. Most the right way diagnosing a real virus - Paul's experiment on rabbits.

The experimental animal is given anesthesia and the cornea is cut, which is lubricated with a solution prepared using materials taken from an infected cow. If after a few days the rabbit develops characteristic features, then the diagnosis will be confirmed.

No self-medication

Only a veterinarian can treat cowpox. At the first signs, you should urgently call a specialist. Any attempts to cure smallpox on your own can only harm the animal. Worse yet, inaction can lead to an epidemic on the farm, and the disease can spread to the staff.

To prevent an epidemic on the farm, a sick cow must be isolated from the main herd. When maintaining it, it is important to comply with all sanitary and hygienic instructions of the doctor. Special attention Pay attention to the udder and milk expression.

A sick female should be milked every day. Due to pain, she may not allow the milkmaid to approach the udder. In this case, a catheter is placed to drain milk in order to prevent mastitis. Drinking such milk is prohibited. After milking, it is disinfected and disposed of as waste.

Treatment Basics

If you do not have the opportunity to call a veterinarian, then try to cope with the virus on your own. Isolate the sick animal and provide appropriate conditions for it. Treat skin rashes using solutions of iodine, borax or chloramine.

After the nodules disappear, use ointments to heal the wounds. Vaseline or ichthyol ointment. As soon as the wounds heal, begin treating the skin of the udder with softening ointments. Suitable creams based on glycerin and vegetable oils. You can use boric, propolis, zinc or salicylic ointments.

Pockmarks on the skin look ugly and scary, but they are much worse if they appear in the nose or oral cavity animal. In this case, it is necessary to wash the affected area with a 3% boric acid solution.

Remember that cowpox can be severe. In order for the animal to tolerate inflammation more easily and recover faster, it is necessary to organize appropriate conditions for it. The isolator is maintained at a comfortable temperature and good ventilation.

Cows feel most comfortable at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Care for sick cows can only be carried out by personnel vaccinated against smallpox. If one of the farm employees has not been vaccinated, they are prohibited from being allowed near the animal.

Compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards requires treating the stall every 5 days, after opening the purulent growths. Manure from such a cow must also be treated so that the infection does not spread throughout the farm. The dishes from which the animal drinks or eats are also treated, as are containers for storing milk.

Preventative measures to prevent a smallpox epidemic on a farm

Preventative measures will help prevent smallpox from occurring on farms. Such regulations have comprehensive measures, they are aimed at caring for the welfare of the herd and reducing the risk of infectious diseases. To prevent smallpox from entering your household, you should:

buy animals only in places where there have been no outbreaks of the epidemic;
purchase household utensils only from reliable suppliers;
new livestock must undergo a thirty-day quarantine.
strictly comply with all sanitary standards;
use only tools treated with an antiseptic;
in the event of a smallpox outbreak in the area, all livestock are immediately vaccinated.

Of course it always remains Golden Rule: cows that are given quality food, receiving normal dose vitamins and consuming clean water, less susceptible viral diseases because they have strong immunity.

Precautions concerning people

There is always a chance of contracting smallpox while working on a farm. Therefore, all farm workers must be vaccinated. After a person has been administered the vaccine, he is released from work for 2 weeks, sometimes longer.

Often, cowpox affects small farms where sanitary hygiene is poorly maintained. Many people forget that staff must approach animals in clean protective clothing, which is prohibited from being taken home. Before milking begins, the cow’s hands and udder are washed with warm water and treated with a disinfectant.

If, after contact with an animal, a milkmaid develops a rash, she is immediately sent to a doctor, and the cow is isolated until the veterinarian arrives. If the diagnosis is confirmed, both animals and farm staff are examined.

We hope that in this article we were able to answer all your questions related to cowpox. Please like if this is the case and you liked the article.

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