- - AGRICULTURE CORE CURRICULUM - - (CLF200) Core area: ANIMAL SCIENCE (CLF270) Unit title: ANIMAL HEALTH ______ ______________________________________________________________________ (CLF271) Topic: ANIMAL HEALTH -- time taught in years WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT? 1 hour 1 and 2 ____________________________________________________________________________ Topic objectives: Upon completion of this lesson the student will be able to: Learning outcome (**) - Identify the three parties responsible for an animal's health. (**) - Describe the role of each. ** This topic serves as an introduction to the unit on animal health and does not correspond to and single outcome. Special Materials and Equipment: None References: Anchor Veterinary Handbook. Philips Roxane, Inc. 1983 Equis Magazine Hayes, J. (1984). Animal Health: 1984 Yearbook of Agriculture. Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1984 The Merck Veterinary Manual, Merck & Co., Inc., Rathway, New Jersey Winkler, J. (1982). Farm Animal Health and Disease Control. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. Evaluation: Quiz TOPIC PRESENTATION: ANIMAL HEALTH - WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT? A. Animal health concerns three levels of responsibility: the animal owner and veterinarian and government officials and services. 1. All are effective when working together. 2. Animal health is no accident. It is a planned program concerning health maintenance and the prevention of disease. B. The animal owner 1. The owner has the immediate responsibility for the animals' health in his/her possession. 2. The owner is the one who can best provide feed, water, shelter, sanitation and health care for the animal. 3. The owner is in the best position to know when something goes wrong, as he/she is observing the animal on a regular basis. 4. The owner is responsible for obtaining knowledge about his/her animals from various sources to maintain the level of health desired. Resources include: a. veterinarians, b. cooperative extension services, c. state universities, d. state experiment stations, e. feed suppliers, f. other local livestock owners, g. livestock associations, and h. libraries-- books, journals and magazines. C. The Veterinarian is a professional person whose education is in the area of animal health and is trained in preventative medicine and treatment of health problems. 1. It is important to establish an early and continuing relationship between you and your vet. 2. A veterinarian can not only provide services and instruction when health problems arise, but may provide these services and instruction to maintain and prevent health-related problems (preventative medicine/practices). 3. Veterinarians have the responsibility of reporting certain diseases to the government, due to public health significance or due to government animal health program regulations. a. Examples include rabies, anthrax or cholera. D. Government 1. There are governmental mandates (regulations/laws) to prevent, control and eradicate several specific types of diseases. a. There are animal diseases that can be transmitted to man including: 1) rabies - a virus transmitted through bites; 2) brucellosis (undulent fever) - bacteria that causes abortion in affected females; 3) psitticosis (parrot fever) - acute or chronic disease characterized by respiratory and systemic infection; and 4) tuberculosis - which is caused by bacteria and usually settles in the lungs. b. Diseases of economic importance to livestock industries but not transmitted to man are also subject to regulation. c. Protection against foreign diseases that could destroy domestic livestock and poultry industries, if were allowed to become established in this country, is provided through laws and regulations. 1. The USDA and the US Customs Service are responsible for the controlling of animal importation (and the potential diseases they could bring with them to our country). ___________________________________________________ ACTIVITY: Invite a government official or veterinarian to speak to the class on regulations related to animal health. ___________________________________________________ 10/17/88 gfv