Nutria diseases - symptoms and treatment. Nutria diseases: their signs and treatment at home with the use of special means

Nutria are very pleasant and clean animals.

They are quite resistant to various diseases, but, nevertheless, there are cases, especially in the industrial breeding of swamp beavers.

Consider the main diseases and their treatment.

Infectious diseases of nutria are still not fully understood. Many diseases are practically untreatable, so the key to caring for nutria should be prevention and early detection violations. Some infections affect animals only in conditions of their mass breeding.

Infectious diseases of nutria:

Bacterial infections of swamp beavers

Salmonellosis and paratyphoid

The causative agents of paratyphoid and salmonellosis are bacteria of the genus Salmonella. The bacterium enters the marsh beaver through food and water. Carriers of salmonella can be birds, rodents, insects (especially flies) and people.

Symptoms of the disease:

The severity of the manifestations of infection depends on the number of the pathogen and general condition animal. Young individuals carry the disease more severely. In sick animals, mobility decreases, they move slowly or even hide in a corner. Loss of appetite leads to weight loss. The hair on the body of the nutria becomes disheveled, they stop combing themselves. Affected individuals develop diarrhea. The discharge has a very unpleasant odor and is green in color. The abdomen is swollen and painful on palpation. The eyes of sick individuals are watery and sour. In severe cases, the sick animal dies the next day.

It is possible to accurately recognize the pathogen only by laboratory testing of blood and feces.

Treatment of salmonellosis and paratyphoid:

Animals with pronounced symptoms must be destroyed. This measure will prevent infection of other individuals. The rest of the animals are treated with antibiotics. Furazolidone, Levomycetin and Biomycin are used as medicines. Antibiotics can be given to animals with food.

To prevent paratyphoid infection, there is a complex vaccine (colibacillosis and paratyphoid). Vaccination provides immunity for 8 months. After this line, the immunization is done again.

Streptococcosis in swamp beavers

Streptococcosis develops after infection with different types of bacteria of the genus Streptococcus. The spread of streptococcosis is usually associated with non-compliance with the purity of the content of nutria.

The source of infection are sick animals and carriers. Infection occurs through the ingestion of food contaminated with feces.

Streptococcosis symptoms and treatment:

Streptococcal infection does not cause specific symptoms. Sick nutria become lethargic and lose their appetite. In some cases, diarrhea begins. Some strains of streptococcus can cause joint damage. The joints of the paws become inflamed, hot to the touch, and swollen. Sometimes appear purulent discharge from the nose. In pregnant females, streptococcosis can cause abortion or fetal pathology.

Antibacterial drugs are used to treat streptococcus. Quite effective are bicillin-5, cefatoxime, lincomycin and norfloxacin.

pasteurellosis

Pasteurellosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Pasteurella. Nutria become infected by eating infected food and water. Bacteria are excreted with faeces and other secretions of sick animals and birds.

Symptoms and treatment of pasteurellosis:

Pasteurellosis usually proceeds as hemorrhagic septicemia or sepsis. Animals become drowsy, lose their appetite, move little. In patients with nutria, salivation begins, mucous discharge from the nose appears with an admixture of blood. Sometimes there are convulsions and paralysis of the limbs. In the acute form of the course of the disease, animals usually die within a few days from internal bleeding. In the chronic course, the symptoms are less pronounced, and the disease lasts longer, but also leads to death.

An effective treatment for pasteurellosis has not yet been developed. There is also no vaccine against this infection. Efforts should be made to prevent infection in animals.

When the first symptoms appear, sick individuals must be eliminated. After that, mandatory disinfection of cages and inventory is carried out. The rest of the animals are prescribed antibiotics - monomycin, penicillin or bicillin-3.

colibacillosis

The causative agent of colibacillosis is Escherichia coli. In the body of nutria, the bacterium can enter along with food and water. E. coli lives in the intestines of rodents and humans and is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Mortality in colibacillosis reaches 90%.

Symptoms and treatment of colibacillosis:

Sick animals lose their appetite and activity. Diarrhea is characteristic of colibacillosis. The stool is loose and smells very bad. Animals become exhausted and die.

For treatment, a complex antitoxic serum against salmonellosis, paratyphoid and colibacillosis is used. Together with the serum, antibiotics must be prescribed. Against coli antibiotics such as streptomycin, neomycin, oxytetracycline and mycerin act.

Be sure to carry out in-line disinfection of cages and inventory.

Listeriosis in swamp beavers

Listeriosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Listeria. Nutria practically do not suffer from listeriosis, but there are isolated cases in pregnant females and young animals. Listeria can be carried by birds and rodents.

Symptoms of listeriosis:

The acute form of listeriosis is quite difficult. Animals refuse food, become lethargic and weak. In nutria, the body temperature rises and they die. In the subacute course of listeriosis, damage to the nervous system develops, which causes disturbances in the activity and balance of animals. Listeria strike reproductive system females, cause inflammation of the uterus and abortion.

Treatment for listeriosis in nutria:

There is no cure for listeriosis in swamp beavers. Sick animals are disposed of, and the rest of the animals are subject to quarantine for 20 days. Listeriosis is dangerous to humans, so it is mandatory to use protective clothing, gloves and masks when working with sick animals. During quarantine and after it is necessary to carry out regular disinfection of cages and rooms.

Tuberculosis in swamp beavers

The causative agents of tuberculosis in nutria are mycobacteria of the bovine or human type. Nutria become infected with tuberculosis through an infected cow's milk, or from other sick individuals.

Signs of tuberculosis:

In addition to weakness and loss of appetite, nutria patients develop cough and shortness of breath. With the intestinal form of tuberculosis, diarrhea develops. Animals lose weight and die after 3 months. Tuberculosis infection is diagnosed with a tuberculin test.

Tuberculosis treatment:

Treatment of tuberculosis in nutria has not been developed. Sick nutria go to slaughter. To prevent tuberculosis infection, it is necessary to boil milk before feeding. You also need to monitor the conditions of the content of nutria and the purity of their cells.

Pseudotuberculosis

Pseudotuberculosis (yersiniosis) is caused by pathogenic bacteria of the genus Yersinia. Infection occurs by alimentary or airborne droplets. The main source of infection are the corpses of sick rodents and their droppings.

Symptoms of pseudotuberculosis:

Sick individuals lose their appetite, move little and lose weight. Their coat is ruffled, the mucous membrane of the eyes is affected. Almost all lymph nodes are enlarged, especially the mesenteric ones. Animals gradually become exhausted and die. Diagnosis is based on autopsy results.

Treatment of pseudotuberculosis in nutria:

Treatment has not been developed. Sick animals must be disposed of. Individuals with suspected pseudotuberculosis are isolated and isolated in quarantine. After that, they must carry out a complete disinfection of their housing. It is imperative to monitor the presence of rats and mice on the farm and regularly carry out deratting, as they are the main culprits in infecting marsh beavers.

Fungal infections of nutria

Ringworm

Signs of dermatophytosis in nutria:

Ringworm attacks the skin and coat of marsh beavers. Infected areas on the body of a nutria first lose hairline and then covered with scabs. The skin is flaky and itchy. For diagnosis, scraping and microscopic examination of wool samples are performed.

Treatment for ringworm:

Dermatophytoses are highly contagious. Sick animals must be isolated, and then thoroughly disinfected and bedding changed.

The areas of the body affected by the fungus are softened with soapy water and scales and hair are removed with a disposable brush. After that, 10% tincture of iodine or Yuglon ointment is applied to the skin. Such procedures are carried out every day until complete recovery. Sometimes nutrias, in addition to local treatment, are prescribed systemically antifungal drugs, for example, griseofulvin.

Tularemia

Tularemia nutria can be infected from rodents and insects. Sick animals cough, mucus is discharged from the nose. Sometimes nutria with tularemia develop diarrhea. The air in their cells acquires an unpleasant musty smell. The illness usually lasts 7-10 days. Maybe chronic course more than 2 months. Animals go into convulsions before they die.

Treatment of tularemia in nutria has not been developed.

Sick individuals are exhausted. The abdomen is swollen, diarrhea is replaced by constipation. Coccidia infect liver cells, and nutria develop jaundice. In the final stages of the disease, convulsions and paralysis of the limbs appear.

For treatment, norsulfazol or ftalazol are used, which are given with food. Be sure to disinfect cages, feeders and inventory.

Helminthiases

Infection with worms occurs after eating food and water infected with feces. Infection with worms is directly related to the conditions of keeping nutria. Most often, nutria suffer from strongyloidiasis and fascioliasis.

Often, the symptoms of helminthic invasion are nonspecific. Animals eat a lot, but their bodies are emaciated and they are constantly losing weight. Sometimes the body temperature rises, diarrhea with an admixture of blood may periodically appear.

Diagnosis is based on examination of stool and blood samples. Strongyloidiasis is treated with tibenzene. For the treatment of fascioliasis, the use of hexachloroethane is recommended.

Very important aspect in the prevention of the development of infectious diseases in the livestock of nutria is prevention. For this purpose, cages, feeders and other elements of nutria care are regularly cleaned and disinfected. It is necessary to monitor and destroy insects, especially flies, which are carriers of many diseases. Deratization should be carried out regularly on the territory of the farm.

In the event of outbreaks of infection, sick individuals must be isolated and, at the discretion of the veterinarian, burned. It is mandatory to carry out current and final disinfection of premises where animals are kept. For disinfection, formaldehyde, nirtan, chloramine, desmol or caustic soda are used. Closed rooms must be disinfected by aerosol method. Previously, all animals are removed from the premises. For aerosol disinfection, formalin vapor, chloroturpentine or hypochlor are used.

As you know, any disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Nutria have low susceptibility and relatively high resistance to diseases. But with a poor veterinary and sanitary condition of the farm and inadequate feeding of animals, diseases can occur that sometimes lead to the death of animals.

The main preventive measures for breeding nutria are as follows.

Regular cleaning of houses, paddocks and pools, removal of manure and dirty bedding. Flies and their larvae are destroyed with a 1% solution of chlorophos, karbofos; it is better to isolate the animals during the processing of the premises. and close in the house. The corpses of animals must be burned. At the entrance to the farm, a mat moistened with a 5% solution of creolin is required. The utensils in which food is prepared must be clean.

The quality of the fed products is checked by appearance, smell, taste, and the presence of mold. Water during the preparation of feed, watering and bathing animals should be clean, not contaminated with harmful microbes.

Animals should be bought in farms that are free of contagious diseases, which must be confirmed by a veterinary certificate. It is better to cull sick and poorly adapting animals to given conditions. This will help to breed animals that are resistant to diseases and adapt well to specific conditions of keeping and feeding.

Nutria who have recovered from tuberculosis, ringworm, with severe injuries, mastitis, paralyzed, with chronic diseases are subject to slaughter. gastrointestinal disorders and other deviations.

Must be disinfected- an event to destroy various pathogens in the environment. It is held twice a year, in spring and autumn. But in case of diseases similar to infectious ones, extraordinary disinfection is carried out.

Cells and equipment in the warm season are disinfected with a 3-5% solution of creolin, 1-5% formalin solution, 1-2% sodium hydroxide solution (caustic soda) or 2-3% sodium carbonate solution ( soda ash). For degreasing feed and utensils, 3-5% sodium permanganate is used.

In the absence of disinfectants, ash lye can be used: for 10 liters of water 2 kg of wood ash. The solution is boiled for 2 hours, filtered and water is added 3-4 times. Before use, the lye is heated to 70-80 °.

The earthen floor in the paddocks and the soil under the cell walks are disinfected with bleach. For degreasing 1 m² of area, 10-15 liters of a 15% bleach solution are needed. If several animals with suspected infection, the corpses of dead animals are checked for the type of disease in veterinary laboratories, the remaining sick animals are isolated in separate places with the diagnosis checked. Then the premises, utensils and other things that have been in contact with animals are disinfected.

After cleaning and disinfection, the cages are dried, ventilated, and only then animals are placed in them. In the cold season, the cells are disinfected with the fire of a blowtorch.

Amateur nutritionists must constantly fight mice and rats - carriers of many diseases. As already mentioned, nutria is exposed to diseases very rarely, especially infectious, but cases of non-infectious diseases (more often) and infectious nature meet, so summary Let's give a description of these diseases.

Paratyphoid (bacterial disease)

The source of the battle is dirty ponds, where there is a waterfowl, and other animals, among which there may be sick ones. The causative agent of paratyphoid can be brought to the farm by water rats, domestic animals, birds, possibly flies, horseflies, gadflies. The source of infection can also be nutria-carriers. Paratyphoid disease is promoted by the large crowding of animals in group keeping.

Paratyphoid occurs in different seasons of the year. The disease proceeds in an acute form and more often in young animals up to 3 months. Adult nutria rarely get sick. When pregnant females become ill due to intrauterine infection, abortion and birth are possible. dead puppies.

Infection more often occurs through the digestive fact. The incubation period lasts up to 6 days. The first signs of paratyphoid are refusal to feed and an excited state, which is soon replaced by depression. Animals lie or slowly move around the cage, while they are hunched over, their fur is ruffled. The eyes are watery, mucous membranes flow from the nostrils, and sometimes bloody issues. Breathing is rapid. Animals often hide in a corner under the bedding. Sometimes there is paralysis hind limbs and abortions. With such signs, the disease lasts 2-5 days and usually ends in the death of animals. The chronic form of paratyphoid is often detected only at slaughter.

Sick nutria are isolated and treated on the advice of a veterinarian. Carry out a thorough disinfection the following funds: 1-3% formaldehyde solution; clarified bleach solution containing 3-5% active chlorine; a solution of 2-6% carbolic acid; 10-20% solution of creolin.

Under the influence of disinfectant solutions, the causative agent of paratyphoid dies faster on care items, then on stone and cement surfaces. Due to the fact that this microbe dies later on a clay surface, pens with such a floor are disinfected with hot solutions. These solutions are used once at the rate of 1 liter per 1 m of corral and 1 liter of solution per 10 liters of pool water.

Young nutrias are most susceptible to the disease. Sick young animals are isolated and treated on the advice of a veterinarian.

streptococcosis nutria

The disease in nutria was discovered relatively recently. It is rare, mainly in the unsanitary condition of the cages in which the animals are placed. Nutria of all ages are susceptible to streptococcus, starting from the first days of life. The most frequently affected animals are 2-3 months of age and after they reach sexual maturity (5-6 months), which is associated with a large contact of these animals when jigging from different females during the formation of same-age groups. The main source of infection is sick individuals that excrete streptococci during external environment with feces, discharge from the nose and genital tract (in adult females), as well as recovered animals. The disease is recorded during periods of mass whelping (February-March), offspring from females (May-June) and during the formation of groups of animals for mowing mating (September-November). After all technological transfers, the withdrawal of nutria began on the 12th-15th day. The incubation period for young animals lasts 24-36 hours. The disease proceeds in a subacute form, sometimes in an acute form. Newborns have characteristic clinical signs diseases are not observed; older puppies in the acute course of the disease lose their appetite, become lethargic, hide in the corner of the cage, hunch over, and the coat is ruffled. With the further course of the disease, diarrhea, inflammation of the joints, paws (usually hind ones), serous-purulent, less often bloody foamy discharge from the nose may appear. Pregnant females abort or bring underdeveloped puppies (the number of aborted individuals in unfavorable farms sometimes reaches 30%). At autopsy, petechial hemorrhages are found under the endo- and pericardium, under the capsule of the spleen and nights, on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines; the heart muscle is flabby, the adrenal glands are enlarged 4-5 times, the spleen - 2-4 times (its consistency is dense, the color is black-cherry, the ends are rounded). The liver is slightly enlarged, with a yellowish tint. For the treatment of nutria, antibiotics are used, to which the sensitivity of isolated pathogenic streptococci has been identified. Good medicinal properties are possessed by drugs of the penicillin group, especially the antibiotic bicillin-5, which is administered intramuscularly at 60 thousand units per day.

an individual twice with an interval of 5 days, norsulfazol - 40 mg / kg of live weight. The description of the disease is given in the journal Rabbit Breeding and Fur Breeding, 1987, No. 2.

penis prolapse

In males, there are cases when a hair ring that infringes on it is formed around the penis. In this case, the penis remains outside, the beast cannot remove it, and inflammation can begin from pollution and damage. Such a male must be caught and the hair ring removed. When inflammatory process apply the usual surgical treatment(removal of dirt, hair, crusts, etc.), followed by washing with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and setting it in place.

Violation of pregnancy and abortion

In pregnant females, under the influence of various factors, the death of embryos can occur. Sometimes it happens in initial stage pregnancy. The embryos then dissolve and external signs there is no death. An abortion may occur in the second and third months of pregnancy. Sometimes females abort already in the very last period of pregnancy, when the fetuses are fully formed. In such cases, puppies are born dead; females often eat them. Reasons for abortion may include:

1. improper feeding (lack of vitamins A, E, D, lack of protein, general underfeeding, etc.);
2. lack of exercise due to the crowded keeping of animals in cramped cages;
3. fright;
4. rough treatment of animals (pulling the tail of pregnant females, bruises on the cell walls during transplantation, inept implementation of therapeutic and preventive measures, etc.);
5. various infectious and non-infectious diseases. After an abortion, an infection can enter the genital tract, resulting in inflammation and suppuration not only in the vagina, but also in the uterus.

In such cases, when a female presses a finger on her stomach in the direction of the tail, a purulent fluid is released from the vagina. Such nutria, as a rule, no longer give offspring, and therefore are usually culled and then slaughtered. The main measures to prevent abortions are comprehensively balanced feeding, proper handling of pregnant nutrias. When the uterus prolapses, it and the vagina are washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and set in place. If the uterus does not retract, it will be amputated. It is better if this operation is done by a veterinarian. Females with uterine or vaginal prolapse are culled.

Prolapse of the vagina and uterus is relatively rare and is caused by violation of the regime and injuries. During treatment, the prolapsed genitals are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and set. If this fails, the animals must be slaughtered.

pasteurellosis

Acute infectious disease of nutria. IN a short time(3-5 days), it can cover a large population and be accompanied by high mortality (80-90%).

Nutria become infected with pasteurellosis through contact with sick people and through the use of infected feed and water. The spread of the disease in farms is facilitated by overcrowding of animals, inadequate feeding, unsanitary conditions of detention and sharp temperature fluctuations.

Pasteurellosis occurs in the autumn-winter period. First of all, 2-month-old puppies get sick, then animals of other age groups. Patients have a fever, general depression and complete absence appetite. Sometimes there is vomiting and salivation. Animals huddle in the corner of the cage. The fur is tousled, the hair becomes dry and brittle. Breathing is labored, rapid and often hoarse. Mucus with an admixture of blood is discharged from the nose. Animals react little to external stimuli, move slowly, stagger. Subsequently, convulsions occur, which lead to paralysis of the hind limbs. After 1-3 days, nutria die with signs of severe exhaustion. A few hours before death, they experience bleeding from the nose.

A farm that is unfavorable for pasteurellosis is quarantined.

In the fight against pasteurellosis of nutria, it is necessary to strictly implement veterinary and zootechnical measures. After slaughtering sick and suspected animals and vaccinating livestock, it is necessary to carry out mechanical cleaning and disinfection of cages, utensils and equipment. It is prohibited to import and export animals, as well as their movement on the territory of the farm.

coccidiosis

Most dangerous for young animals aged 30-60 days.

Helminthiasis (helminthic diseases). In nutria, five types of tape, round and flat worms were found. Flat localized in the liver, intestines and caecum; tape - in subcutaneous tissue, liver, lungs and intestines; round - in the large intestine, stomach, esophagus and abdominal cavity.

To protect nutria from helminths, it is necessary to keep animals newly entering the farm in quarantine for at least a month and carefully remove the manure.

traumatism

Most often, animals injure each other during fights. Small wounds heal quickly and do not require special treatment. In case of significant wounds, the hair around the wound is cut off, cleaned with a damp swab dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate, or smeared with tincture of iodine, after which it is sprinkled with streptocide.

There are cases when in nutria, when one upper incisor is broken, the lower incisor grows strongly. In such cases, this incisor must be cut down, and nutria and for 2-3 months. give soft food.

Sometimes the animals are badly hurt when they are caught, they get hurt on the wire, on the sharp ends of the net, etc. All this must be remembered and try to prevent injuries to the animals.

It is not advisable to treat nutria with large wounds, they must be killed as soon as possible in order to use the meat and skin. Valuable breeding animals can be tried to cure, we apply the advice of a veterinarian.

Respiratory diseases

Young nutria suffer from bronchitis and pneumonia. They are caused by a cold, dampness and drafts contribute to the development. These diseases occur when kept in uninsulated houses in the winter; as colds are difficult to detect in the initial stage, they are difficult to treat.

Clinically, the disease manifests itself in the refusal of animals to feed, depression, hoarse breathing, crusts appear on the nostrils, dry and wet rales are noted when listening to the lungs.

Diagnosis is based on examination. To exclude infectious diseases, which are often accompanied by pneumonia, take into account the epizootic state of the economy.

During treatment, the nose is lubricated with petroleum jelly, after removing the crusts. Inside designate sulfadimezin 0.2-03 g per dose 2-3 times a day, intramuscularly - penicillin 50-70 thousand IU per injection 2-3 times a day. Animals are treated in a warm room, kept there until recovery.

To prevent catarrhal respiratory diseases in animals, drafts and leaking roofs should not be allowed; sawdust or other insulating material should be placed on the cement floor in cold weather. While whelping, you need to watch the puppies. There should be enough straw in the nesting room so that the female and puppies can burrow into it. IN very coldy and in cold winds, the walls of the cages should be covered with straw mats, plywood or boards.

Diseases of the digestive system

Refusal of animals from food, eating feces, breakage of incisors in young nutria indicate poor feeding, mainly about an imbalance in the diet for minerals and vitamins. With improved feeding, the incisors grow back. Transferring animals from winter food to summer (green) should be gradual, otherwise they may experience intestinal swelling. Torsion of the intestines and stomach ulcers are possible when feeding nutria in winter with dry grain, lack of succulent and roughage.

Avitaminosis A and D

With monotonous feeding, especially in spring, when the farm lacks succulent and green fodder (lack of hay, root crops, etc.), nutria can develop beriberi A. Most often, puppies 4-5 months of age, pregnant and old animals get sick. Avitaminosis D manifests itself in the form of rickets.

With avitaminosis, puppies are lethargic, grow poorly and eat. They are often diagnosed with eye diseases. At the beginning eyeballs protrude, conjunctivitis occurs, the cornea becomes cloudy, then complete blindness occurs. The fur is ruffled. Females abort or bring non-viable or dead puppies. Sometimes pregnant nutrias experience bleeding from the genitals.

In order to prevent mass deaths from beriberi, the nutrition of nutria is improved. Carrots, hay (preferably from legumes), fish oil are introduced into their diet. Seriously ill animals are recommended to give 5-6 times (every other day) 1-1.5 g of fortified fish oil.

Flatulence and tympania

The cause of flatulence is improper feeding of certain feeds. Warmed during storage in bulk, fresh grass, especially legumes (clover, alfalfa, sainfoin, etc.), can cause bloating in nutria.

Young animals and rickety animals fall ill faster than healthy adult animals. In nutria, which were already sick, relapses are possible.

Sick animals refuse food. The condition is depressed, eyes are half-closed, breathing is superficial, rapid. When tapped on the abdomen, a drum sound is heard. Peristalsis is weakened. The walls of the abdomen are tense. Flatulence sometimes leads to the death of the animal. At autopsy, gas-filled large intestines are usually observed.

With monotonous long-term feeding of nutria with rough, low-nutrient feeds, sometimes as a result of the complete replacement of roughage with concentrates, bran, etc., coprostasis occurs in animals, i.e., the content in the large intestines is stagnant and its subsequent drying and compaction. This is observed in the absence of exercise, lack of succulent feed and water. The disease affects pregnant and single females, males and even suckling young.

When this disease is detected, dense fecal masses are removed with warm enemas (warm water mixed with castor oil or fish oil), orally give a laxative.

To eliminate inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, seriously ill nutrias are recommended subcutaneous injections 500-800 thousand units streptomycin, diluted with a 0.25% solution of novocaine. In addition, terramycin is added to the feed at the rate of 1 mg per 1 kg of live weight. This course of treatment is carried out for 3-5 days. As a rule, animals recover.

To prevent coprostasis in the diet of nutria, there should always be concentrates, root crops and roughage.

Tympania (stomach bloating)

Clinically similar to flatulence. The cause of the disease may be fermentation in the stomach of feed rich in starch (boiled potatoes, as well as warmed freshly cut grass). The resulting gases overwhelm the stomach and intestines, put pressure on the chest and abdominal organs which makes breathing and circulation difficult. The abdomen is bloated.

When flatulence and tympania appear, it is necessary to check the quality of the feed, the correct feeding and eliminate the identified shortcomings. Sick nutrias are not fed during the day, then they are given half the feed norm and gradually brought to normal. good effect achieved by introducing through the mouth 5-8 ml of a 1% solution of ichthyol or a 3-5% solution of lactic acid. Sometimes it is necessary to introduce 2-3 ml of a 5% sodium chloride solution into the ear vein. The animal is then given an enema with warm, slightly soapy water, the belly rubbed gently, and allowed to move around the cage.

Hemorrhagic cystitis (bladder inflammation)

It often happens in the cold season (with a cold), especially when animals are kept on a cement floor.

An ill animal, when urinating, sometimes spins in a circle, arches its back and screams. Urine reddish. Nutria eats reluctantly and little. She dies a few weeks later. At autopsy, hyperemia is usually noted. Bladder and urinary ducts and hemorrhages on the mucous membranes.

In case of a mild illness, the animal is transplanted into a separate cage, after carefully insulating it with bedding. Water and succulent feed are limited, they are fed mainly with concentrates and boiled potatoes. A warm dry compress is applied to the pelvic region.

From medications apply a mixture consisting of 0.3 g of hexamine and 0.01 g of bela-donna extract. The animal is placed on the table, the tail is removed with the left hand, and the medicine is slowly injected deeper into the rectum with the finger of the right hand. The animal tries to push out the injected medicine, so the anus is closed for a while thumb. Under the influence of body temperature, the capsule dissolves and the drug is rapidly absorbed. Treatment is carried out once a day for a week. Seriously ill animals are usually killed.

To prevent the disease, it is necessary to carefully insulate houses and cages with straw, and cover the cement floor with sawdust or straw.

Inflammation of the testes

Males that are kept on a cold floor or in a cold cage, as well as those who bathed in ice water, sometimes find a tumor of the testes the size of egg. Usually such a disease does not cause death, but after covering females with such males, they remain unfertilized. To prevent the disease, males must be kept on an insulated floor. Sick animals are usually killed for their skins.

Vaginal catarrh

Sometimes in female nutria, redness of the vagina and the outflow of a sticky liquid from it are observed. A whitish coating or nodules are visible in the vagina. The etiology of the disease has not been elucidated. Affected females are isolated. The vagina is washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid. IN autumn period the disease often recurs. Such animals are usually culled and killed.

Cannibalism (biting live puppies)

The reasons for this phenomenon may be different. In difficult births, puppies sometimes die from the fact that females capture them with their teeth during childbirth. Wounds can be found in such puppies. Often, females will bite or eat puppies that were born dead (only the tail remains). The latter can be explained by the afterbirth eating reflex. If the nutria gnaw healthy puppies, then the reason for this is the inadequate feeding of females during pregnancy, a lack of protein, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins, especially vitamin A in the diet. The same phenomenon can occur in the absence of succulent feed.

If fallen or bitten chips are found in the nest, the female should be immediately examined for milkiness. In cases where she has very little milk, puppies can be kept. They are taken away from the female and fed with whole (can be sweetened) milk with the help of a pipette. The mammary gland of this female should be massaged twice a day and alcohol rubbed into it.

It is necessary to improve nutrition and give enough concentrates, succulent fodder (in winter - root crops, in summer - green grass). These measures within 2-3 days increase milk production so much that the cubs can be planted with the female. Ill females, as well as biting their healthy puppies, are culled and killed for the skin.

Solar and heat stroke

At high temperature(30-40) and crowded content in a cramped cage, mesh unshaded enclosures in summer, there may be cases of death of nutria from overheating. Signs of overheating: lethargy, refusal to feed, rapid breathing. Animals lie on their stomach or side, sometimes their limbs twitch. Sometimes paralysis of the hind limbs occurs and the animal dies. When clinical signs of heat stroke appear, the cause that caused it is eliminated. Animals are immediately transferred to a cool room, the head is moistened with water. In rare cases, it is recommended to artificial respiration. In a severe form of overheating, the animal must be injected intramuscularly with a solution of caffeine at a dose of 1-2 ml. To prevent overheating in summer, animals should be provided with water, sheds are arranged in pens. To reduce heating, the cells are whitewashed with lime, a little straw or branches are placed on the roof to scatter the sun's rays.

Paralysis of the hind limbs

In nutria, it is most often observed in summer. The causes may be diseases of the central nervous system (especially the sacro-lumbar), urinary organs(complications after whelping), diseases of the digestive system, mechanical damage, bone fractures, the development of tumors, malnutrition (lack of calcium and vitamin B 1, as well as some infectious diseases (salmonellosis, rabies).

The method of treatment depends on the cause that caused this disease. The affected limb is massaged or rubbed with ointments. At protracted illness(up to 3 weeks) animals are culled.

To prevent paralysis of the hind limbs, animals are given complete diets balanced in minerals and vitamins, preventive cleaning and disinfection of pools and premises, deratization, etc.

Listeriosis

Acute infectious disease parenchymal organs and nervous system. The causative agent is Listeria bacillus. Nutria are not very sensitive to listeriosis. Most often, listeriosis occurs chronically in pregnant females and puppies up to 2 months of age. Under experimental infection with Listeria, cases of nutria mortality were observed after 7 months. Methods have not been developed. To prevent this disease, it is necessary to systematically deal with mouse-like rodents and wild birds.

Ringworm

The collective name of dermatomycosis, trichophytosis and microsporia. This is a contagious disease caused by dermatophyte fungi of two genera - Trichophyton and Microsporum.

The disease is usually observed in the winter-spring period. Young animals up to 3-4 months of age are more susceptible to it. Sources of infection are sick rodents, cats, dogs and people. The disease spreads rapidly during the molting of animals, when their down is blown around the farm by the wind.

The incubation period for ringworm in nutria lasts from 8 to 30 days. Most often, the fungus affects areas of the skin and hair located on the head, neck and back. At the same time, characteristic rounded whitish-grayish spots appear on the skin. The skin in these areas is inflamed, naked or hairy, and covered with small blisters, crusts, scabs, or scales.

At the beginning of the disease, the hair in the affected areas loses its luster and elasticity. Then, within 7-15 days, they break off at the surface of the skin and become, as it were, trimmed. Often the spots reach a diameter of 3-4 cm. In the future, the spread of spots sometimes stops, the formation of scales slows down and the affected areas gradually overgrow with new hair of a darker color. If treatment is not carried out, then new spots appear on healthy areas of the skin.

As the fungus spreads throughout the body and the skin is affected, nutria lose weight and lag behind in growth. The disease usually proceeds without itching, but sometimes with severe itching and death.

The diagnosis of ringworm is made on the basis of a clinical examination of animals and microscopic (trichoftia) or luminescent (microsporia) examination of pathological material - scrapings from affected areas with hairs, crusts and scales. With trichophytosis, under a microscope, filaments of fungi, mycelium and chains of spores of a rounded or spherical shape are visible.

Identified sick nutrias are isolated, severely affected are killed, and the rest are treated until complete recovery. Cages in which animals were kept before isolation are disinfected with a blowtorch fire. Any movement of animals is prohibited on the farm. People serving sick nutria, in order to avoid infection, must strictly observe the rules of personal hygiene. Skins of nutrias affected by ringworm should be burned, and more valuable ones should be disinfected in a special solution.

For the treatment of ringworm, a 10% iodine tincture or a 0.25% emulsion of the antibiotic trichothecin is used. fish oil, vaseline or sunflower oil. The ointment is heated to 30-40 ° and applied to the affected areas without removing crusts and hair. Rubbing is repeated several times depending on the course of the disease at intervals of 5-7 days. Rub the preparations should be in rubber gloves. If large areas of the skin are affected, it is impossible to immediately treat them all, since the animal may die from severe burns or poisoning. It is recommended to treat the head first, then after 5-7 days the back, neck, etc. Along with local external treatment, it is advisable for sick nutrias to give antibiotics, griseofulin 15-20 mg per 1 kg of body weight and potassium iodide 0.2 g each. on the head until complete recovery or for prophylactic purposes within 30-45 days. In addition, animals are fed with sulfur mixed with feed at the rate of 0.5 g per day per head.

Mastitis (inflammation of the breast)

Occur when hypothermia lactating nutria, injuries of the nipples on the mesh, nails, etc. In this case, the mammary gland is compacted, especially in the nipples. For resorption of seals, ichthyol or ichthyol-salicylic ointment is rubbed into them. Inside through the mouth give 0.5-0.6 g of urotropin or 0.3-0.5 g of streptocide once a day. From a sick female, puppies are seated under other mothers or fed by hand.

Frostbite

Nutria are in severe frosts (−25-30 ° and below) when they are kept in outdoor cages with poorly insulated houses (little bedding). First of all, the end of the tail is frostbitten and less often the paws. The frostbitten tip of the tail sometimes dries up and falls off on its own or is bitten off by an animal. More often, the defeat of the tail is accompanied by tissue necrosis, the formation of deep wounds and suppuration. Treatment of frostbite is complicated by the fact that nutria are usually caught and held by the tail.

Frostbitten tails of nutrias are amputated. The operation is done without anesthesia. Hair is cut around the amputation site and the surgical field is smeared with iodine. The tail is cut off with a sharp scalpel or knife between two vertebrae in a healthy tissue area. The wound is not sewn up, but cauterized with hot iron or iodine. A tight bandage is applied to the stump for several days. Healing lasts 1-2 months.

colibacillosis

Acute infectious disease, mainly suckling young animals, but sometimes 3-5 months. The causative agent of colibacillosis is pathogenic variants of Escherichia coli. Sources of the spread of infection are sick animals, food and fashion infected with rodents. The incubation period of colibacillosis lasts 3-5 days. Sick animals refuse food, lose weight, their digestion is upset, the respiratory organs are affected, and coordination of movements is disturbed. After 10-15 days, nutria die, the waste is up to 90% of the diseased.

An autopsy reveals swelling of the joints, bloody exudate in chest cavity, mucous foam in the trachea and bronchi, as well as an enlarged spleen. The final diagnosis is established by bacteriological examination.

The disease is predominantly seasonal. Infection occurs most often through the digestive tract. The disease can occur without the introduction of infection from the outside; when there are bacteria in the intestines, under the influence of factors that weaken the body and a violation of the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, they penetrate into the bloodstream and increase their virulence. The disease occurs in the spring and summer months (April - July). The disease is acute and most dangerous for puppies during the lactation period (up to 30 days). Older puppies and adults are rarely affected. Predisposing factors are errors in feeding, abrupt transitions from one feed to another, contributing to the disorder of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract.

Puppies who become ill in the first three days after birth die suddenly, without noticeable clinical signs. In older puppies, signs of the disease develop gradually.

Acute indigestion

Associated with violation of the feeding regimen, feeding poor-quality feed and accompanied by diarrhea; differ from colibacillosis in a favorable course. Changing the diet or eliminating foods that can cause indigestion can quickly restore normal stomach and intestinal function.

For the prevention of colibacillosis, nutria is treated with a double polyvalent vaccine against paratyphoid and colibacillosis of fur-bearing animals, birds, calves and piglets at a dose of 1-2 ml per head.

Treatment - dietary feeding, the creation of improved conditions for patients. Patients are administered serum against calf colibacillosis or bivalent serum against paratyphoid (5-10 ml subcutaneously). Positive result gives treatment with streptomycin, biomycin, furatsilin and synthomycin. The drug is mixed with water and given by mouth.

Tuberculosis

Infection with tuberculosis usually occurs when eating the milk of cows with tuberculosis, and from a person with an open form of tuberculosis. This is a chronic disease. Animals, despite good feeding and eating a large amount of food, lose weight, cough, shortness of breath, wheezing are observed. At autopsy, foci are found in the lungs. varying degrees decay. Sick animals are slaughtered, cages are disinfected.

Pseudotuberculosis

It is assumed that infection occurs from mice and rats when the feed is contaminated with feces. There are no characteristic clinical signs. Nutria at the age of 1-2 months. usually die. Sick and suspected individuals are isolated and then slaughtered for fur. Cells are disinfected. The disease is rare.

Tularemia

It is assumed that nutria become infected with tularemia from rodents, blood-sucking insects. Sick animals are inactive, serous-mucous discharge appears from the nose. When the lungs are affected, there is a dull cough, the air in the cell has an unpleasant odor; sometimes animals suffer from diarrhea. Lymph nodes are enlarged and purulent. Before death, there is anxiety, then numbness, convulsions. IN acute cases the disease lasts 4-15 days, chronic - 60-80 days. At autopsy, the liver is enlarged, flabby, brownish-gray in color, numerous pale gray or whitish foci up to 2 mm in size are visible on the cut, in some places they merge with each other. The spleen is enlarged, dense consistency. The diagnosis is made on the basis bacteriological research; no treatment has been developed.

food poisoning

They come from poisonous herbs - hemlock, poisonous ranunculus, hellebore and some others, as well as mineral poisons.

There is an infection of animals with worms when kept in cages and pens with an earthen floor. In addition, nutria can become infected by eating grass, fresh hay, mowed from meadows that are unfavorable for fascioliasis. To prevent disease, it is better to keep animals in cages with a raised mesh floor, which allows you to interrupt the development cycle of many helminths and get rid of them.

The experience of amateur nutritionists has shown that some diseases of nutria can be treated by the owner himself, if certain drugs are available. Suggested to have in every household veterinary first aid kit, which includes the following drugs.

Iodine - for the treatment of wounds, scratches, ulcers, fungal skin lesions. 0.1% water solution Iodine is a good prophylactic against coccidiosis.

Permanganate-acid potassium - is used externally for stomatitis and rhinitis (cold). For washing use its 0.1-0.2% aqueous solution. For the treatment of the gastrointestinal tract, instead of water, a solution of the same concentration is administered for 5 days, and for prophylactic purposes, a 0.01% solution for 7 days.

Brilliant greens - for the treatment of weeping wounds, ulcers, dermatitis. For this, 0.5-2% aqueous or alcoholic solutions are used.

Ichthyol is a strong anti-inflammatory and disinfecting agent, promotes the resorption of inflammatory foci. It is used in the form of a 10-30% ointment or an alcohol solution of the same concentration for lubricating wounds, eczema, boils, scabies, scab and ringworm, arthritis and mastitis.

Kubatol, septonex, chronicin, polkartolon - they treat various kinds of wounds, skin necrosis, ulcers (in aerosol packaging).

Lactic acid - an antiseptic, relaxes spasms of the stomach and intestines, is used orally in the form of a 1% solution of 3-5 ml daily (for 5-7 days).

Trivitamin - it contains vitamins A, D, E.

Vitamin A contributes to normal metabolism, growth and development of the body, increases its resistance to infections. Vitamin D regulates the exchange of phosphorus and calcium, helps to strengthen bones. Vitamin E ensures the normal structure and function of the epithelium of the gonads, has a positive effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and water. Trivitamin is administered orally, 2-3 drops per animal (for 2-3 weeks).

Ointment Vishnevsky - treat wounds, ulcers, purulent skin lesions; acts antimicrobially, drying.

Synthomycin liniment - used to treat conjunctivitis, 1% liniment with 0.5% novocaine is placed under the eyelids. Also used for burns and other skin lesions.

Sulfadimezin, ftalazol, sulfadimetoksin, etazol, white streptocide - sulfanilamide preparations with a wide antimicrobial spectrum of action. For the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, sulfadimethoxine, etazol, ftalazol are given with food (200 mg per 1 kg of live weight for 5-7 days). Wounds and scratches are treated by sprinkling them with white streptocide powder. In case of coccidiosis, sulfadimethoxin and fthalazole are added to the feed (200 mg per 1 kg of live weight on the 1st day, 100 mg per 1 kg of live weight from the 2nd to the 5th day). For bronchitis and pneumonia, sulfadimezin and sulfadimetoksin are used, which are given with feed at 200 mg of one drug per 1 kg of live weight for 5-7 days.

Levomycetin, oxytetracycline, penicillin, streptomycin - used in the treatment of the common cold, bronchitis, pneumonia (penicillin, streptomycin and oxytetracycline) and against gastrointestinal diseases (levomycetin and oxytetracycline). The estimated dose is 25-30 mg per 1 kg of live weight for 5-7 days. For conjunctivitis, oxytetracycline ointment and penicillin drops are used. For the treatment of stomatitis, the surface of the gums is lubricated with penicillin ointment.

Furazolidone - has a strong antimicrobial effect. It is used for various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and coccidiosis (30 mg per 1 kg of live weight or 0.05 g per 1 kg of feed).

Cyodrin, dicresil, acrodex, psoroptol, dermatosol (in aerosol packaging) - used for various types scabies. For the treatment of ear scabies, the inner surface auricles treated with aerosol foam at a distance of 10-15 cm for 1-2 seconds.

In the initial stage of the disease, the drugs are used once, with a strong lesion - twice with an interval of 6-7 days.

Of the listed drugs, it is possible to replace one drug with a similar agent, so the presence of all these drugs in the first-aid kit is not necessary.

Nutria, or as it is also called swamp beaver, refers to mammals from the order of rodents. Nowadays, a lot of people keep this pleasant and clean animal at home, as it has very tasty meat and valuable fur.

Nutria, compared to rabbits and many other fur-bearing animals, is much more resistant to various diseases, which is a big plus in their favor.

But, if the breeder does not provide them with all the necessary conditions for keeping: a complete and high-quality diet, as well as properly equipped cells, their immunity may weaken and, as a result, they may develop serious illness which often lead to death.

Farms that are engaged in the cultivation of nutria must carry out all necessary preventive actions Because the disease is easier to prevent than to fight it later.

The most common diseases

All diseases that can occur in this animal are classified into several groups:

infectious

Salmonellosis (paratyphoid)

An infectious disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract of an animal. Salmonellosis is caused by the bacterium Salmonella. In many cases, coypu become infected through shared feeders and drinkers. The carriers of the infection are birds, mice, rats, insects and even people.

Symptoms: the severity of the course of this disease fully depends on the number of pathogens that affected the nutria and the state of its immune system. The most severe course and consequences occur in young animals.

Typical signs of salmonellosis are:

• Infected individuals become lethargic, they move with difficulty around the cage, or hide in a corner and sit motionless;
• Due to damage to the gastrointestinal tract, the animal stops eating, which is why it loses body weight;
• The coat becomes sloppy appearance, since the nutria ceases to be combed out and all the wool is ruffled;
• Diarrhea is a typical symptom of salmonellosis. green feces, with a pungent odor;
• As the disease progresses, abdominal distension and pain on palpation occur;
• The eyes begin to actively water, which causes souring of the eyelids;

Treatment: all animals in which salmonellosis occurs with a clear clinical picture are subject to slaughter. This helps to reduce the risk of an outbreak across the entire herd.

If the disease is milder, antibiotic treatment is prescribed. Most often, veterinarians prescribe Levomycetin and Biomycin, as well as Furazolidone.

Prevention: to prevent the development of salmonellosis, you can use a complex vaccine that provides immunity for 8 months.

pasteurellosis

In most cases, infection occurs through the alimentary route, that is, after eating contaminated feed or water. Birds, rodents and many domestic animals carry the infection. The peak incidence falls on the spring-summer period.

The disease has a high mortality rate of 80-90%.

Symptoms: acute pasteurellosis occurs with the following symptoms:

• Nutria looks lethargic, sleepy, moves with a shaky gait;
• The appetite disappears, the secretion of saliva increases, which constantly flows from the oral cavity, vomiting may occur;
• Muco-bloody exudate is secreted from the nostrils;
• Difficulty breathing, tachypnea with clearly audible wheezing;
• Advanced cases occur with paralysis of the limbs and convulsions in the muscles of the pelvic girdle;
• The disease, which has become chronic, causes a gradual depletion of the body, the addition of secondary conjunctivitis and arthritis;

If the nutria begins to have a plentiful nose bleed which means she will die in a few hours.

Treatment There are no effective treatments for this infection yet. But some livestock breeders speak of the positive effect of passive immunization with a specific serum against pasteurellosis. In some cases, treatment is carried out with antibiotics: Streptomycin, Penicillin, Bitsilin-3 and others.

Prevention: to prevent the appearance of pasteurellosis among the livestock of nutria, the livestock breeder must adhere to all standards of maintenance. If sick individuals are found, they are sent for slaughter, and the nutrias that have come into contact with them are placed in quarantine.

Tuberculosis

One of the most dangerous infectious diseases that is caused by a specific pathogen is Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Koch's wand). In nutria, this pathology occurs in chronic form, and appears after infection with two types of sticks - human and bovine. In most cases, it strikes respiratory system, less often intestinal and all the rest.

The main route of infection of nutria is drinking contaminated cow's milk, or close cohabitation with already sick individuals.

Symptoms: tuberculosis can be hidden for a long time, but as it progresses, the following symptoms begin to appear:

• Nutria looks apathetic, inactive;
• Appetite disappears and in a short period of time the rodent can become very thin;
• If the lungs are affected, the animal develops shortness of breath and bouts of coughing;
• Death can occur 2-3 months after infection;

Treatment: tuberculosis in nutria is incurable;

Prevention: milk for feeding nutria should be boiled. In addition, the livestock breeder must provide adequate nutrition and appropriate sanitary standards conditions of detention.

colibacillosis

infectious disease with a high degree mortality (about 90%), which is typical for young nutria. Causes colibacillosis Escherichia coli, which is normally found in the intestines of a rodent, but under certain circumstances acquires pathogenic properties.

Symptoms: The incubation period for colibacillosis is 2-5 days, after which the following symptoms begin to appear:

• Decreased activity;
• Lack of appetite;
• Diarrhea of ​​liquid feces with a fetid odor;
• Gradual depletion of the body, against the background of abundant secretions;

Treatment: colibacillosis therapy consists of the use of antitoxic serum against salmonellosis and colibacillosis, paired with antibacterial drugs and vitamins (it is better to check the course and dosage with a veterinarian).

Nutria can become a victim of the invasion of several types of worms. Flat, tape, round.

Sources of worms are infection of an individual, dirty water in the drinker and feed of poor varieties.

Symptoms: the effect of the worm on the body of nutria is manifested by the following signs:

• Depressed appearance;
• Lack of appetite;
• weight loss;
• Detection of helminths in feces rodent;

Based on the results of the study, appropriate treatment with anthelmintic drugs is prescribed.

Prevention consists in the planned intake of anthelmintic drugs, and a two-week quarantine of newly acquired individuals.

Trichophytosis (ringworm)

A pathological process of the skin with a wide degree of distribution, which develops due to infection with fungi of the genus Trichophyton or Microsporum. The pathogens and their spores are very resistant and can live on the fur and skin of animals for more than one year.

Symptoms: typical signs of lichen are:

• The appearance on the skin of foci of baldness, from 1 to 4 centimeters in diameter, which are covered with gray crusts;
• At the very beginning of the disease, the hairs become dull and hard, and after a few days they begin to break off closer to the base and take on the appearance of short hair (hence the name of the disease);
• Nutria loses body weight and appears lethargic;
• Young growth lags behind in growth and development;

Treatment: to fight the fungus, a 0.25% emulsion of trichothecin is used, which is applied to the affected areas of the nutria skin. The procedure is carried out twice, with an interval of 5-7 days.

Prevention: to prevent the appearance of lichen, animals can be given the drug griseofulvin.

Non-communicable diseases

Rhinitis

The inflammatory process of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, very often occurs after hypothermia.

Symptoms: active mucous discharge from the nostrils, as well as the formation of dried crusts on the nose, which make normal breathing difficult.

Treatment: therapy is carried out using a solution of penicillin (1:100), which is instilled with no nutria 1-2 times a day. Dry crusts need to be greased with glycerin, moistened warm water and remove with tweezers.

Food poisoning

Nutria are very often poisoned after eating poisonous plants and their seeds, which can accidentally get into the feed, or rotten or moldy products. Poisoning occurs in two forms: acute and chronic. If a strong poison got into the feed, death can occur after a few hours.

Symptoms: in acute poisoning are noted:

• Lack of appetite;
• Vomiting and salivation;
• Thirst;
• Diarrhea;
• Convulsions and paralysis;

Treatment: in case of the presence of the above symptoms, the animal needs to rinse the stomach and make an enema. Water should be boiled, as it contributes to the faster removal of toxic substances from the body. You can give some absorbent, even ordinary activated charcoal.

Source: http://fermbiz.ru/nutrii/bolezni-nutrij/

Probably everyone knows that diseases are much easier to prevent than to treat them later.

Nutria are famous for their excellent immunity and are quite little susceptible to most diseases common in our latitudes.

That is why nutria diseases with insufficient care and poor diet appear suddenly and if proper measures are not taken in time, they can affect the entire livestock.

Systematic cleaning of their habitat, open areas and places for swimming, removal of droppings.

Flies are carriers of various infections, and in order to successfully fight them, they and their larvae must be destroyed with a one percent solution of chlorophos or karbofos. When the nutria dwelling is processed, the animals are isolated. For example, close in the house. If you find a dead animal, then its corpse must be burned.

Before entering the farm, you need to put a special rug and moisten it with five percentage solution Creolina.

Do not forget to constantly wash the dishes from which nutria are eaten or food is prepared for them.

Products must be fresh and of high quality. This is determined by their appearance. They should not smell bad and in no case should there be even the slightest trace of mold on them. Water for cooking is best taken from a well. If this is not possible, then do not follow one rule - it must be fresh and clean. It is better not to take water from reservoirs.

It is necessary to acquire individuals for breeding only in those farms in which there were no epidemics and animals are kept properly. Well, if it is confirmed by a special vet. evidence.

Constantly monitor your own livestock. In case of detection of weak and insufficiently adapted individuals, they are immediately discarded. Such measures will help to eventually get a good herd, with individuals that are resistant to diseases and perfectly adapted to the conditions that you can prepare for them.

It is mandatory to slaughter animals that have been ill with tuberculosis or are deprived. Also, severely injured individuals, with mastitis, and signs of any kind, should not be left in the general herd. chronic diseases or deviations.

Systematically carry out disinfection, destroying pathogens of various diseases in the early stages. This is especially important in autumn and spring. However, if an infection is detected, then do not delay, but immediately carry out a complete disinfection of inventory and premises.

In the warm season, disinfection is carried out:

• 3-5% solution of creolin;
• 1-5% solution of formalin;
• 1-2 percent p-m caustic soda;
• 2-3 percent p-m calcined soda.

Feed and utensils are degreased with 3-5% p-m permanganate sodium.

If these disinfectants are not at hand, then ash lye can be used. The solution is prepared as follows. For ten liters of water, you need to take about two kilograms of wood ash. Then they fall asleep in water and boil for a couple of hours. Next, the resulting liquid must be filtered. Before use, the solution is heated to about 80, but does not boil.

The earthen floors of paddocks, just like the soil of the paddocks, should also be periodically disinfected with a bleach solution. In order to process 1 sq.m. the area will need about 15 liters of 15 percent solution.

If you find a dead nutria and there is a suspicion of an infection, then the corpse must be checked at the local veterinary clinic without fail. Animals that have been in contact with dead nutria should be isolated until a diagnosis is made. Subsequently, disinfection of the dwelling, inventory and utensils must be carried out without fail.

After cleaning and disinfection, the cages must be dried and ventilated, and only after that do animals enter them. In winter, disinfection can be provided with a blowtorch.

Make sure that there are no mice or rats in the room in which nutria are kept. They are the main carriers of various diseases.

"Diseases of nutria"

This video talks about the most common nutria diseases and how to treat them.

First aid kit nutrievoda

As practice has shown, many nutria diseases are treated independently, for this you need to have the necessary medicines. It is necessary that a special first-aid kit be at hand, with the following medicines, which can be used at the first sign of animal disease.

• Iodine- with the help of which wounds are treated. It can also be used in the treatment of coccidiosis.

• Potassium permanganate. It is necessary for external use, as well as if your wards have stomatitis or rhinitis. When washing, use it 0.1-0.2% aqueous solution. In the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases in nutria, such a solution is given for five days. As prophylactic seven days.
• brilliant green. Used in the treatment of weeping wounds, ulcers, dermatitis. For this, 0.5-2 percentage solutions, both water and alcohol.
• Ichthyol- a powerful anti-inflammatory and disinfecting drug. Applied to accelerate the resorption of inflammatory areas. Used like 10-30 percentage ointment or alcohol solution. It is used to lubricate wounds, eczema, boils. And also in case of detection of such skin diseases as scabies, scab, ringworm, arthritis and mastitis.
• With help cubatol, septonex, chronicin, polkartolon treat not only wounds of varying complexity and severity, but also skin necrosis. Now commercially available as an aerosol.
• Lactic acid. Is excellent - antiseptic. Used for gastrointestinal spasms one percent solution 3-5 milliliters once a day (for 5-7 days).
• Trivitamin. Rich in vitamins such as: A, D, E.

• Vitamin A provides normal exchange substances, growth and formation of the organism. Strengthens immunity. Vitamin D needed to strengthen the skeletal system. Vitamin E necessary for the normal functioning of the gonads. Trivitamins should be administered orally, two to three drops per individual (for two to three weeks).
• Vishnevsky ointment necessary for the treatment of wounds, ulcers, suppuration.
• Synthomycin liniment- necessary in the treatment of conjunctivitis. 1% liniment with 0.5 percentage novocaine must be placed under the eyelids. In turn, it is used for burns and other skin injuries.
• In case of detection of gastrointestinal diseases in your wards, drugs such as sulfadimethoxine, etazol, fthalazol to be given with feed (200 mg per 1 kg of live weight for 5-7 days).
• streptocide in the treatment of wounds and scratches.
• Sulfadimethoxine and ftalazol for coccidiosis.
• Sulfadimezin and sulfadimethoxine with bronchitis and pneumonia.
• Runny nose, bronchitis and pneumonia are successfully treated penicillin and streptomycin and oxytetracycline.
• Gastrointestinal diseases are treated with chloramphenicol and oxytetracycline.
• Oxytetracycline ointment and penicillin drops for the treatment of conjunctivitis.
• Penicillin ointment has a positive effect in the treatment of stomatitis and gum disease.
• Furazolidone- a potent antimicrobial drug.

• If scabies is found in your wards, then aerosol preparations such as cyodrin, dicresil, acrodex, psoroptol, dermatosol.

As you can see, the funds are the simplest and most affordable, which can be purchased at any pharmacy at a veterinary clinic. They are not expensive and in case of signs of ailments, do not delay, but start treatment as early as possible.

Sometimes this can be the deciding factor. In the following sections, we will consider in detail the main diseases encountered in the cultivation of nutria in our country. Study the signs of diseases and if you find similar ones, you will know.

What to do, what action to take.

When examining nutria, do not forget about such an important and simple sign - the identification of ailments in these animals. Along with being sluggish, poor appetite it is the color of their incisors. In healthy individuals, they are bright orange.

Patients are pale. And if the animal is in a severe stage of the disease, then they are completely pale with spots.
The disease of nutria is eloquently evidenced by their appearance, namely their coat.

In sick animals, it is disheveled, with lumps.

Such individuals can be detected during daily visual, cursory inspection of the livestock.
In case of detection of animals whose appearance is suspicious, be sure to put them in a quarantine room, and so that the infection does not go further, disinfect and, if necessary, preventive vaccination.

"Vitamins in the winter"

This video tells how and where you can get vitamins for nutria in the winter.

Find out more

Source: http://fermabusines.ru/nutriya/bolezni/bolezny-nutrij.html.

The main diseases of nutria, their prevention and treatment

If we compare the viability of nutria and rabbits, then the former are less susceptible to infectious diseases. But if they are kept in unsanitary conditions and fed with low-quality food, then the immunity of nutria is weakened, and the body may become susceptible to some pathogens of infectious diseases.

Poor quality food often provokes diseases in nutria

Nutria diseases, which are most common, can be easily counted. These include:

• salmonellosis (paratyphoid);
• pasteurellosis;
• colibacillosis;
• streptococcosis.

salmonellosis

Salmonellosis most often affects young animals up to six months in the warm season. This disease occurs in three forms: acute, subacute, chronic and is contagious.

The source of infection is contaminated water, food or contact with sick individuals. Salmonellosis pathogens are also carried along with rodents, birds or insects.

The latent period of the disease lasts about 2 weeks (up to a maximum of 25 days).

Signs of an acute form:

• increased body temperature;
• tearing eyes, conjunctivitis;
• snot or bloody discharge from the nostrils;
• diarrhea;
• depressed immobile state.

After a couple of days, the bulk of the affected nutria dies.

In subacute and chronic forms, salmonellosis manifests itself in much the same way, but the symptoms are not so pronounced. And if they are not treated, then even with a subacute form of the course of the disease, the animal dies of exhaustion in a week, a maximum of two.

Nutria become infected with salmonellosis through water or contact with sick individuals.

According to the above signs, it is impossible to accurately diagnose salmonellosis, since its symptoms are very similar to those of a number of infectious diseases. Therefore, the diagnosis should be carried out by an experienced veterinarian, but after bacteriological studies.

The treatment of salmonellosis is a very complicated procedure, therefore it is recommended to take all permissible preventive measures, control the supply of clean water, balanced feed and quarantine only acquired animals.

But if it was not possible to avoid infection, at least one of the individuals on the farm, it is necessary to carry out a general vaccination of all nutria to prevent their mass mortality. Sick individuals are isolated, and the place of their maintenance is completely cleaned and disinfected.

In addition to vaccination, levomycetin or biomycin is added to the feed at 30 mg per kilogram of weight. Antibiotic treatment continues for a week or 10 days, depending on the severity of the disease.

Levomycetin - effective medicine from salmonellosis

pasteurellosis

An infectious disease that often affects livestock and fur-bearing animals is caused by Pasteurella microbes. Most often, young nutria 2 or 3 months of age are exposed to the disease. Their infection with pesterellosis is carried out through contaminated food and water, sometimes through the respiratory tract. The peak of infection occurs in the warm season less frequently in autumn.

Signs of an acute form of pasteurellosis:

• drowsiness due to elevated body temperature;
• loss of appetite;
• the animal's coat is dull and disheveled;
• mucous discharge from the nostrils;
• hind limb paralysis occurs.

With such symptoms, the animal dies within a week.

In the chronic form of the disease, the following symptoms are added:

• inflammation of the joints;
• tearing and suppuration of the conjunctiva;
• complete depletion of the body, leading to death.

Treatment involves the complete isolation of sick nutria and their vaccination. Sick animals receive three times a day intramuscular injections penicillin, oxytetracycline or streptomycin. The cages where the infected animals were located are well cleaned and disinfected.

To prevent infection, healthy individuals are injected intramuscularly with a special pasteurellosis serum.

Nutria infected with pasteurellosis should be isolated

streptococcosis

This is an infectious disease caused by streptococci. Streptococcosis can get sick with nutria at any age, but young and pregnant animals are more susceptible to the pathogen. Animals get sick less often if they are kept individually in cages than when they are group kept.

Signs of streptococcosis in the acute course of the disease:

• immobilization of the animal;
• purulent discharge from the nostrils;
• complete loss of appetite;
• elevated temperature up to 40 ºС.
• dull and shaggy coat;
• exhaustion.

Already after two days, the course of the acute form of the disease leads to death in 90% of cases. In the chronic form, the signs are not so obvious and the possibility of their recovery and death is regarded half and half.

Treatment of streptococcosis is also based on the use of long-acting antibiotics, such as bicillin-5, the antibiotic should be repeated after five days.

The corpses of dead animals are necessarily burned, but if you feel sorry for the skins, then they are removed in an isolated room, well cleaned of fat and soaked in a formalin solution, after which they are dried for 3-5 days at a temperature of 30 ºС.

A sloppy and disheveled coat may be the first symptom of pasteurellosis.

colibacillosis

This infectious disease is caused by Escherichia coli, which most often affects pregnant nutrias and young nutrias. Infection occurs in the womb or from contaminated water and feed and affects weakened animals with poor immunity more quickly. Newborn puppies infected with colibacillosis in utero generally do not survive even two weeks.

Signs of colibacillosis:

• liquid feces sometimes frothy;
• the coat is dull and sticks out in different directions;
• wool around anus smeared with feces;
• convulsions leading to coma;
• depletion of the body.

If the young survive, then he is far behind in growth from his peers.

Treatment of nutria from colibacillosis by veterinarians has not yet been developed. Therefore, nutria breeders are advised to pay a lot of attention preventive measures. Infection prevents the use of complete feed, regular cleaning of the cage.

Sometimes nutria, as prescribed by a veterinarian, are vaccinated with serum, which is used in the treatment of bovine colibacillosis, along with antibiotics (neomycin or monomycin).

To protect your nutria from pathogens of infectious diseases, you should devote enough time to preventive measures. Feed them only balanced food and keep them in clean cages that need to be disinfected from time to time.

It is worth adhering to sanitary and hygienic standards in order to ensure good immunity for your pets. Pay attention to the availability of clean water and food. In this case, even when in contact with sick nutria, there is a chance that the animal will not get sick.

Source: http://SeloMoe.ru/nutrii/bolezni-nutriy.html

The main diseases of nutria

Nutria or swamp beavers are mammals from the order of rodents.

Nutria are very pleasant and clean animals.

They are quite resistant to various diseases, but, nevertheless, there are cases, especially in the industrial breeding of marsh beavers.

Consider the main diseases and their treatment.

Infectious diseases of nutria are still not fully understood. Many diseases are practically untreatable, so prevention and early detection of disorders should be a key point in the care of nutria. Some infections affect animals only in conditions of their mass breeding.

The causative agents of paratyphoid and salmonellosis are bacteria of the genus Salmonella. The bacterium enters the marsh beaver through food and water. Carriers of salmonella can be birds, rodents, insects (especially flies) and people.

Symptoms of the disease:

The severity of the manifestations of infection depends on the number of the pathogen and the general condition of the animal. Young individuals carry the disease more severely. In sick animals, mobility decreases, they move slowly or even hide in a corner. Loss of appetite leads to weight loss.

The hair on the body of the nutria becomes disheveled, they stop combing themselves. Affected individuals develop diarrhea. The discharge has a very unpleasant odor and is green in color. The abdomen is swollen and painful on palpation. The eyes of sick individuals are watery and sour.

In severe cases, the sick animal dies the next day.

It is possible to accurately recognize the pathogen only by laboratory testing of blood and feces.

Treatment of salmonellosis and paratyphoid:

Animals with pronounced symptoms must be destroyed. This measure will prevent infection of other individuals. The rest of the animals are treated with antibiotics. Furazolidone, Levomycetin and Biomycin are used as medicines. Antibiotics can be given to animals with food.

To prevent paratyphoid infection, there is a complex vaccine (colibacillosis and paratyphoid). Vaccination provides immunity for 8 months. After this line, the immunization is done again.

Streptococcosis in swamp beavers

Streptococcosis develops after infection with different types of bacteria of the genus Streptococcus. The spread of streptococcosis is usually associated with non-compliance with the purity of the content of nutria.

The source of infection are sick animals and carriers. Infection occurs through the ingestion of food contaminated with feces.

Streptococcosis symptoms and treatment:

Streptococcal infection does not cause specific symptoms. Sick nutria become lethargic and lose their appetite. In some cases, diarrhea begins.

Some strains of streptococcus can cause joint damage. The joints of the paws become inflamed, hot to the touch, and swollen. Sometimes there is purulent discharge from the nose.

In pregnant females, streptococcosis can cause abortion or fetal pathology.

Antibacterial drugs are used to treat streptococcus. Quite effective are bicillin-5, cefatoxime, lincomycin and norfloxacin.

pasteurellosis

Pasteurellosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Pasteurella. Nutria become infected by eating infected food and water. Bacteria are excreted with faeces and other secretions of sick animals and birds.

Symptoms and treatment of pasteurellosis:

Pasteurellosis usually proceeds as hemorrhagic septicemia or sepsis. Animals become drowsy, lose their appetite, move little. In patients with nutria, salivation begins, mucous discharge from the nose appears with an admixture of blood.

Sometimes there are convulsions and paralysis of the limbs. In the acute form of the course of the disease, animals usually die within a few days from internal bleeding.

In the chronic course, the symptoms are less pronounced, and the disease lasts longer, but also leads to death.

An effective treatment for pasteurellosis has not yet been developed. There is also no vaccine against this infection. Efforts should be made to prevent infection in animals.

When the first symptoms appear, sick individuals must be eliminated. After that, mandatory disinfection of cages and inventory is carried out. The rest of the animals are prescribed antibiotics - monomycin, penicillin or bicillin-3.

colibacillosis

The causative agent of colibacillosis is Escherichia coli. In the body of nutria, the bacterium can enter along with food and water. E. coli lives in the intestines of rodents and humans and is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Mortality in colibacillosis reaches 90%.

Symptoms and treatment of colibacillosis:

Sick animals lose their appetite and activity. Diarrhea is characteristic of colibacillosis. The stool is loose and smells very bad. Animals become exhausted and die.

For treatment, a complex antitoxic serum against salmonellosis, paratyphoid and colibacillosis is used. Together with the serum, antibiotics must be prescribed. Antibiotics such as streptomycin, neomycin, oxytetracycline, and mycerin act against E. coli.

Be sure to carry out in-line disinfection of cages and inventory.

Listeriosis in swamp beavers

Listeriosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Listeria. Nutria practically do not suffer from listeriosis, but there are isolated cases in pregnant females and young animals. Listeria can be carried by birds and rodents.

Symptoms of listeriosis:

The acute form of listeriosis is quite difficult. Animals refuse food, become lethargic and weak. In nutria, the body temperature rises and they die. In the subacute course of listeriosis, damage to the nervous system develops, which causes disturbances in the activity and balance of animals. Listeria affects the reproductive system of females, causing inflammation of the uterus and abortion.

Treatment for listeriosis in nutria:

There is no cure for listeriosis in swamp beavers. Sick animals are disposed of, and the rest of the animals are subject to quarantine for 20 days. Listeriosis is dangerous to humans, so it is mandatory to use protective clothing, gloves and masks when working with sick animals. During quarantine and after it is necessary to carry out regular disinfection of cages and rooms.

Tuberculosis in swamp beavers

The causative agents of tuberculosis in nutria are mycobacteria of the bovine or human type. Nutria are infected with tuberculosis through infected cow's milk, or from other sick individuals.

Signs of tuberculosis:

In addition to weakness and loss of appetite, nutria patients develop cough and shortness of breath. With the intestinal form of tuberculosis, diarrhea develops. Animals lose weight and die after 3 months. Tuberculosis infection is diagnosed with a tuberculin test.

Tuberculosis treatment:

Treatment of tuberculosis in nutria has not been developed. Sick nutria go to slaughter. To prevent tuberculosis infection, it is necessary to boil milk before feeding. You also need to monitor the conditions of the content of nutria and the purity of their cells.

Pseudotuberculosis

Pseudotuberculosis (yersiniosis) is caused by pathogenic bacteria of the genus Yersinia. Infection occurs by alimentary or airborne droplets. The main source of infection are the corpses of sick rodents and their droppings.

Symptoms of pseudotuberculosis:

Sick individuals lose their appetite, move little and lose weight. Their coat is ruffled, the mucous membrane of the eyes is affected. Almost all lymph nodes are enlarged, especially the mesenteric ones. Animals gradually become exhausted and die. Diagnosis is based on autopsy results.

Treatment of pseudotuberculosis in nutria:

Treatment has not been developed. Sick animals must be disposed of. Individuals with suspected pseudotuberculosis are isolated and isolated in quarantine. After that, they must carry out a complete disinfection of their housing. It is imperative to monitor the presence of rats and mice on the farm and regularly carry out deratting, as they are the main culprits in infecting marsh beavers.

Fungal infections of nutria

Ringworm

Signs of dermatophytosis in nutria:

Ringworm attacks the skin and coat of marsh beavers. Infected areas on the body of the nutria first lose their hairline, and then become covered with scabs. The skin is flaky and itchy. For diagnosis, scraping and microscopic examination of wool samples are performed.

Treatment for ringworm:

Dermatophytoses are highly contagious. Sick animals must be isolated, and then thoroughly disinfected and bedding changed.

The areas of the body affected by the fungus are softened with soapy water and scales and hair are removed with a disposable brush. After that, 10% tincture of iodine or Yuglon ointment is applied to the skin. Such procedures are carried out every day until complete recovery. Sometimes nutrias, in addition to local treatment, are prescribed systemically antifungal drugs, for example, griseofulvin.

Tularemia

Tularemia nutria can be infected from rodents and insects. Sick animals cough, mucus is discharged from the nose. Sometimes nutria with tularemia develop diarrhea. The air in their cells acquires an unpleasant musty smell. The illness usually lasts 7-10 days. Perhaps a chronic course of more than 2 months. Animals go into convulsions before they die.

Sick individuals are exhausted. The abdomen is swollen, diarrhea is replaced by constipation. Coccidia infect liver cells, and nutria develop jaundice. In the final stages of the disease, convulsions and paralysis of the limbs appear.

For treatment, norsulfazol or ftalazol are used, which are given with food. Be sure to disinfect cages, feeders and inventory.

Helminthiases

Infection with worms occurs after eating food and water infected with feces. Infection with worms is directly related to the conditions of keeping nutria. Most often, nutria suffer from strongyloidiasis and fascioliasis.

Often, the symptoms of helminthic invasion are nonspecific. Animals eat a lot, but their bodies are emaciated and they are constantly losing weight. Sometimes the body temperature rises, diarrhea with an admixture of blood may periodically appear.

Diagnosis is based on examination of stool and blood samples. Strongyloidiasis is treated with tibenzene. For the treatment of fascioliasis, the use of hexachloroethane is recommended.

Prevention is a very important aspect in preventing the development of infectious diseases in the nutria population. For this purpose, cages, feeders and other elements of nutria care are regularly cleaned and disinfected. It is necessary to monitor and destroy insects, especially flies, which are carriers of many diseases. Deratization should be carried out regularly on the territory of the farm.

In the event of outbreaks of infection, sick individuals must be isolated and, at the discretion of the veterinarian, burned. It is mandatory to carry out current and final disinfection of premises where animals are kept.

For disinfection, formaldehyde, nirtan, chloramine, desmol or caustic soda are used. Closed rooms must be disinfected by aerosol method. Previously, all animals are removed from the premises.

For aerosol disinfection, formalin vapor, chloroturpentine or hypochlor are used.

(2 votes, average:

For a long time grown for dietary tasty meat, also valuable fur.

The advantage of skins is that they do not spoil the appearance.

It has high strength. As for meat, it is no different from rabbit.

But, in order to obtain high-quality products, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to raising animals. This is especially true in the fight against diseases.

Nutria diseases, their signs and treatment should be known to everyone who decides to start breeding these animals.

Swamp beavers have a fairly high immunity to many infectious diseases. But, if you keep them in unsanitary conditions, feed them low-quality food and do not follow the basic rules of care, then the immune system weaken significantly. As a result, the animal will become susceptible to many infectious and bacterial diseases.

In such cases, it is necessary to start treatment in a timely manner. Otherwise, you can forget about the quality of meat and fur. Some diseases even lead to death.

Ringworm

Ringworm in animals strikes skin and wool.

In the affected areas, over time, the hairline begins to disappear.

After that, the surface is covered with scabs.

The skin begins to peel off, which is accompanied by severe itching. To diagnose the disease, take a scraping and examine the coat.

After diagnosing the disease, they are isolated from other individuals. The bedding is changed, and high-quality disinfection of the house is carried out. The affected areas are treated with soapy water, which eliminates hair and scales. Then tincture of iodine is applied to the skin. A course of antifungal drugs is also prescribed.

Salmonellosis (paratyphoid)

The causative agent of the disease is the Salmonella bacterium, which enters the body with food and water. Swamp beavers also become infected after contact with birds, various rodents and insects. When infected in animals, the following symptoms are observed:

• decreased appetite and mobility
• weight loss
• hairline becomes frizzy
• diarrhea that has a green color and a specific unpleasant odor
• eyes sour and watery

Infectious disease develops rapidly with elevated temperature. Therefore, the epidemic often occurs in the summer.

The severe form of the disease leads to death. Therefore, treatment must be approached immediately. If the symptoms are pronounced, then it is better to destroy it, which will prevent infection of other individuals. In other cases, therapy with the use of antibiotics is carried out.

coccidiosis

Coccidiosis is a fairly common nutria disease.

Often this occurs as a result of eating contaminated food and water.

The intestines, spleen and liver are affected.

A sick individual has diarrhea, constipation and weight loss. At an advanced stage, convulsions and paralysis of the limbs are possible.

To save the nutria from death, it is necessary to timely approach the treatment. To do this, Ftalazol and Norsulfazol are added to the feed. Feeders and cages are also disinfected.

pasteurellosis

Pasteurellosis in animals occurs when Pasteurella bacteria enters the body. Infection occurs through contaminated water and food. Bacteria come out along with the feces and other secretions of the infected.

The main symptoms of the disease include:

• loss of appetite
• immobility and drowsiness
• profuse salivation and mucus from the nose
• convulsions and paralysis of the limbs
• internal bleeding leading to death

There is no effective treatment for this pathology. Therefore, all work is aimed at prevention. Infected animals must be destroyed immediately. After that, the cage is disinfected, and the bedding is changed.

Tularemia

Animal tularemia is transmitted through contact with rodents and insects that carry the fungal infection. In sick animals, coughing and discharge of mucus from the nose are observed. Diarrhea is possible, which has a specific unpleasant odor. The illness lasted for two weeks. After that, the nutria dies. There is no cure for the disease.

colibacillosis

Pathology occurs as a result of ingestion of Escherichia coli, the source of which is contaminated food and water. The bacterium is also transmitted from infected person or rodents. The danger of colibacillosis lies in high mortality, which occurs in 90% of cases.

The main symptoms include:

• poor appetite
• low activity
• liquid stool
• exhaustion

Treatment is carried out using antitoxic serum and antibiotic agents. Disinfection of inventory, cages and feeders is mandatory.

Streptococcosis occurs when the body is damaged by a bacterial infection.

The main cause of the pathology is improper care.

Infection occurs through food and contact with bacteria carriers.

Often the source of an infectious disease is a sick or recovered nutria.

Signs of streptococcosis can be:

• lethargy and loss of appetite
• diarrhea
• inflammation and swelling of the joints of the paws
• purulent discharge from the nose

Treatment of pathology is carried out with the help of antibacterial agents.

Disease prevention in nutria

It is better to prevent the onset of a disease than to treat it. Especially when you consider that some lead to lethal outcomes. Compliance simple recommendations will protect the livestock from infection. So, in order to reduce the risk of pathology in nutria, it is necessary to perform the following work:

• at the entrance, lay a rug that is regularly wetted with a solution of creolin
• the container used for cooking must be clean
• before feeding, check the feed for the presence of infections
• water must be clean and free of pathogens
• livestock is better to buy in proven farms
• infected individuals are isolated
• if necessary, sick individuals are slaughtered

In addition, it is necessary to timely disinfect and clean the cages in which animals are kept.

Cleaning houses, paddocks and pools

Preventive measures include regular disinfection of nutria houses. Before carrying out the procedure, it is necessary to isolate animals. Cages and paddocks are cleared of manure, food debris and dirt. Used for washing hot water, with the addition of a disinfectant composition:

• soda ash (2% solution)
• creolin solution
• chloramine
• nirtan
• bleaching powder

The product is applied to a well-cleaned surface, and left for an hour. After this time, it is removed with a stream of hot water. Houses and equipment are dried and additionally treated with aerosol disinfectants.

Disinfection using aerosols is carried out with closed windows and doors. The enclosed space must have a stable temperature.

Removal of excrement, food residues

When breeding nutria, it is worth considering the fact that they are quite clean.

To prevent their infection, it is necessary to maintain cleanliness in the cells.

They are periodically cleaned of excrement, food debris and waste bedding.

Particular attention is paid to food safety.

Before issuing food is steamed or steamed.

In addition, before feeding, the feeders are cleaned of food debris and disinfected.

The water supplied to the livestock must be clean. In winter, it is heated.

Inventory disinfection

Drinking bowls, as well as all other equipment, are regularly disinfected. Here they use a blowtorch, hot water and disinfectants. Feeders are processed several times during the month. Unscheduled disinfection is carried out in cases where a new purchased livestock is settled in the cage, as well as after the detection of infected swamp beavers.

Feed quality control

Many infectious diseases are transmitted through water and food consumed by animals. And this means that it is necessary to carefully monitor the quality of feeding. It is strictly forbidden to give nutria rotten and moldy foods. This also applies to low-quality feed. Water is regularly analyzed and replaced daily.

Paratyphoid (salmonellosis)

Paratyphoid, or salmonellosis, is an acute disease. The source of infection is contaminated water, feed, especially of animal origin, sick animals. The infection can be brought to the farm by mice, rats, pigeons, crows, insects, domestic animals and birds, and humans.

Young animals are most sensitive to paratyphoid. The incubation period lasts from 3 to 20 days. The clinical signs of paratyphoid fever in nutria are varied and do not make it possible to make an accurate diagnosis without laboratory research. Two or three fresh corpses of animals or their insides are sent to the laboratory for analysis.

Paratyphoid in nutria occurs in acute, subacute or chronic form. In the acute course of the disease (3-15 days), the animals refuse to feed, they are feverish, mucous or bloody discharge from the nose is observed, the feces are liquefied, sometimes with blood. Mortality in the acute form of paratyphoid reaches 90% of the number of diseased animals.

On farms that are unfavorable for paratyphoid, the veterinarian vaccinates the entire population of nutria. Vaccination should be repeated after 7-8 months.

In the event that there are already cases of case of nutria from paratyphoid on the farm, they are first given antibiotics or furazolidone with food. Further treatment conducted by a veterinarian.

pasteurellosis

Pasteurellosis or hemorrhagic septicemia is an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria of the Pasteurella species. Nutria are infected with pasteurellosis, as well as with paratyphoid, mainly through the use of infected feed, water and contact with sick animals. Carriers of the infection are rodents, pigeons, pets and birds.

Pasteurellosis most often affects young nutria up to 6 months of age. The incubation period is very short - 1-3 days; the disease lasts from 12 hours to 2-6 days. In acute or hyperacute course, nutria lose their appetite, become lethargic. Fall into drowsiness; they have vomiting, salivation, discharge of mucus mixed with blood from the nose, liquefaction of feces. Some animals die suddenly, without visible clinical signs, as in case of poisoning. Mortality with pasteurellosis is up to 95% of the number of sick young animals, among adult nutria it is lower.

For the treatment of nutria, antibiotics are used: oxytetracycline, streptomycin, ionomycin, penicillin - intramuscularly, 25-50 thousand units. per 1 kg of live weight 2-3 times a day until recovery. For prevention, you can use a special emulsified vaccine, which is administered to nutria intramuscularly.

colibacillosis

Colibacillosis is an acute infectious disease of young nutria. The causative agent is pathogenic variants of Escherichia coli. The sources of this infection are sick animals, rodents, contaminated food and water.

The incubation period lasts from 3 to 5 days; the duration of the disease is 10-15 days with a departure of up to 90% of the number of cases. The final diagnosis is established by bacteriological examination.

For the prevention of colibacillosis, nutria is treated twice with a polyvalent vaccine against paratyphoid and colibacillosis of fur-bearing animals, birds, calves and piglets - at a dose of 1-2 ml per head. Sick nutrias are injected with serum against bacteriosis of calves at a dose of 5-10 ml per head. In addition, antibiotics are used (the same as for paratyphoid).

Ringworm

Ringworm is the collective name for ringworm (trichophytosis and microsporia). Nutria are more likely to suffer from trichophytosis caused by the fungus trichophyton. Sources of infection are sick rodents, including rabbits, rats, as well as foxes, cats, dogs, and humans. Often, an infection occurs when sawdust and straw eaten by mouse-like rodents and affected by a pathogenic fungus are used for bedding.

Trichophytosis usually affects young nutria from 2 to 10 months of age, especially in the winter-spring period: adult animals (older than a year old) and suckling young are less susceptible to this disease. In summer, with the content of nutria in outdoor cages with pools and solar radiation, the disease takes unexpressed forms and subsides.

The incubation period lasts from 8 to 30 days. Most often, the fungus affects areas of skin and hair on the head, neck, less often on the back, sides. There is almost no trichophytosis on the stomach, where very thick hair and fungus are difficult to penetrate into the skin. With trichophytosis, characteristic rounded whitish-grayish spots appear on the skin of the animal with a diameter of 1 to 3-4 cm or more. In these places, the skin is inflamed, covered with small bubbles, scabs or scales. The hair in the affected areas falls out of the hair follicles, breaks and, as it were, “cuts”.

The final diagnosis is made on the basis of microscopic examination of scrapings from the affected areas. Sick nutrias are immediately isolated and treated under the supervision of a veterinarian, severely affected are killed.

The disease lasts about 4-5 months, then even without treatment, the animals gradually recover: the crusts fall off, the skin in these places becomes bare and over time becomes overgrown with hair (at first, a darker color).

Invasive diseases of nutria (coccidiosis, fascioliasis and other helminthiases) are little studied. The main attention should be paid to their warning. The content of nutria in cells with a mesh floor allows you to disrupt the development cycle of coccidia, many helminths (worms) and get rid of them.

The disease of coccidiosis and helminthiases is observed when animals are kept in cages with an earthen floor, especially with irregular cleaning of paddocks, houses and pools.

For the prevention of fascioliasis, you should not give nutria water from open stagnant water bodies (ponds, swampy lakes) and feed them grass cut in areas where there are mollusks, small pond snails.

Non-communicable diseases

Respiratory diseases

The main reason for their occurrence is hypothermia of nutria and drafts with poor insulation of houses in the cold season or with excessive ventilation indoors.

Rhinitis

Rhinitis (runny nose) - inflammation of the nasal mucosa with the release of grayish mucus and the formation of dry crusts that make breathing difficult. The crusts around the nose of nutria should be lubricated with boric vaseline or glycerin, moistened with warm water and removed with tweezers, and the nasal mucosa should be irrigated with a solution of penicillin (1:100) until recovery.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis - inflammation of the bronchi, often combined with rhinitis. Animals often sneeze, their breath is hoarse, mucus is released from the nose. Treatment as directed by a doctor - antibiotics and sulfa drugs. It is necessary to eliminate the main cause of the disease - hypothermia of nutria, drafts in the room, etc.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia - acute or chronic inflammation of the lungs often occurs as a complication after rhinitis or bronchitis. Dry or moist rales are heard in the lungs. Treatment is carried out by a veterinarian.

Gastrointestinal diseases

The reasons for their occurrence are feeding poor-quality, defective or contaminated with pathogenic microbes feed and violation of the feeding regimen of animals.

Poisoning

Poisoning, often fatal, occurs when feed and water are contaminated with pesticides, great content nitrates and nitrites, contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms, fungi and their toxins, contain poisonous herbs (buttercup, hemlock, aconite, celandine, hemlock, etc.) or a large number of table salt. Usually, in case of poisoning, vomiting, salivation, thirst, loss of appetite, liquefaction of feces, depression and paralysis are observed. In order to avoid poisoning, it is necessary to constantly monitor the quality of feed and water; new feed must first be checked for safety on several nutria within 7-10 days.

In case of any poisoning, you need to give nutria clean water and put milk (4-5 dessert spoons) into your mouth or a weak solution of potassium permanganate, put warm enemas. Within 12-16 hours it is recommended not to feed the animal, to replace the food with a new, benign one.

Catarrhal gastroenteritis

Catarrhal gastroenteritis - inflammation of the stomach and intestines with liquid feces with a sour smell. The main cause of this disease is the giving of poor-quality food or water, a sharp transition from one type of feeding to another.

In acute gastrointestinal catarrh, animals must be put on a starvation diet on the first day; inside through the mouth, introduce a laxative - 3-5 ml of a 5-10% solution of Glauber's salt, and then a disinfectant - salol (0.1-0.2 g twice a day) or a teaspoon of a solution of potassium permanganate (0.2 g per 200 ml of water).

Tympany

Tympania - bloating of the stomach under the influence of gases and flatulence - bloating of the intestines in nutria are rare. The reasons for them are feeding stale or warm, easily fermenting feed.

Frostbite

Frostbite is possible in cold weather (-10°C and below) when nutria are kept in outdoor cages with poorly insulated houses (without bedding). First of all, a slightly pubescent tail is frostbitten, less often - paws, ears. The frostbitten tip of the tail sometimes dries up and falls off by itself, more often the defeat of the tail is accompanied by the formation of deep wounds with suppuration.

A frostbitten tail or its tip is best amputated. The tail is cut off with a sharp knife in the area of ​​​​healthy tissue, between two vertebrae. The wound is not sewn up, but cauterized with iodine.

Injuries

Adult nutrias are pugnacious. With crowded content, especially in heterogeneous groups, as well as during mating between animals, fights with injuries often occur.

In case of injury with damage to large vessels, it is necessary first of all to stop the bleeding by applying a pressure bandage, then treat the edges of the wound with 5% tincture of iodine, and wipe the wound with a swab dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkle with white streptocide or iodoform powder.

Small superficial wounds in nutria heal quickly and do not require special treatment. They are lubricated with iodine or 3% hydrogen peroxide.

Disease prevention

General preventive measures include:

• acquisition of animals only free from contagious diseases;
• at least once a month, thorough examinations of animals in order to identify and isolate patients;
• regular cleaning of houses, paddocks and pools, destruction of flies;
• maintenance, breeding and feeding of animals in accordance with zootechnical recommendations.

For feeding animals, you need to use only benign products. Water for preparing feed, watering and bathing animals must be clean, fresh and not contaminated with harmful microbes.

Periodic disinfection of the farm area, cages, inventory, utensils and overalls is necessary.

Stray cats, dogs and rodents, which can be carriers of contagious diseases, should not be allowed on the farm. Cages released from dead or culled animals cannot be used without preliminary treatment (disinfection), which begins with their mechanical cleaning.

Disinfection can be carried out using chemical or physical means (fire, dry heat, boiling, water vapor, etc.). For disinfection of cages, feeders, drinkers, equipment and clothing should be widely used sunlight. In the absence of soda, creolin, formalin, etc., ash liquor can be used. To prepare it, take 2 kg of wood ash per 10 liters of water, boil for 2 hours, filter and dilute 3-4 times with water. Before use, the lye is heated to 70-80°C.

Disinfection should be carried out at least twice a year - in spring and autumn, forced disinfection should be taken during the illness of animals and final - after the elimination of sick animals. Disinfection can be carried out in the presence of animals, but it is better to isolate them (depending on the type of disinfectant) in consultation with wind workers.