Animal health and husbandry

• What does crt stand for?

  Capillary refill time
• Methods of disease transmission


  • Transmission of pathogens
  • Direct contact
  • Airborne
  • Ingestion
  • Entry through cuts/grazes/biting parasites
• Direct contact


  When animal comes into physical contact with each other either by touching directly or via bodily fluids
• Pathogens requiring direct contact


  • Do not survive for long in the environment away from a host
  • Easy to control
• Airborne


  Pathogens can remain suspended in the air e.g. after coughing or sneezing
• Ingestion


  Diseases transmitted through eating or drinking
• Entry through cuts/grazes/biting parasites


  Pathogens can enter directly into the bloodstream
• Fomite


  Any non-living object that can contain and transmit diseases
• Vector


  An organism that spreads a disease
• Vectors


  • Mechanical - pathogen is simply carried
  • Biological - pathogen requires vector as part of its life cycle
• Immunity


  An animal's system of antibodies that helps protect against diseases
• Natural immunity


  An animal will already have immunity to a range of diseases
• Passive immunity


  An animal is given another animal's antibodies which can fight off disease, commonly from mother to offspring through colostrum
• Active immunity


  An animal becomes infected by a pathogen and develops a disease, but their immune system still tries to fight it off