World Rabies Day.

The world rabies day comes up on the 28th September every year. This is an opportunity for pet owners to visit their veterinarian to vaccinate their pets. The scourge of rabies is so alarming that the all hands are on deck to kick rabies out. 

 This year's celebration will be marked with a free vaccination exercise alongside a public lecture on the rabies virus ,steps to take when bitten by a dog and how to prevent been bitten by dogs. The one world one health approach will be used at the seminar as medical doctors will be on hand at the seminar to discuss the human angle of the rabies scourge.

 The seminar will be power packed as we will be doing an expose on the rabies scourge and also unveil some new initiatives to help eliminate the rabies virus.The free vaccination exercise in the Lagos island zone will be done at 2 points ; for pet lover and owners in Ajah area, the vaccination points are @ Abraham Adesanya estate starting at 10am and @ Ogombo community starting from 12 pm. All pet owners are encouraged to visit these points or visit our hospital; Ajah Animal hospital, opposite Bethel ministries @Ilaje bus stop. 

 Pet owners can also visit Surulere veterinary hospital @46,Benson street,off Akerele. Dogs,cats and monkeys will be vaccinated and the lecture will also take place at the venue. Come and lets kick rabies out.

Kenya revamping the dairy sector.

Dairy farmers in Kenya are positioning themselves to benefit from the commercialization of embryo transfer, a breeding technology being introduced by two firms in central and Rift Valley areas. The technology involves harvesting and implanting a developed embryo into a surrogate cow. Gakindu Dairy Co-operative Society in Mukurwe-ini sub-county of Nyeri and Makongi farm in Uasin Gishu County are piloting the technology which they say would considerably reduce costs of high quality dairy heifers. The project is expected to increase milk collection from current five to 30 litres per cow every day. Makongi firm has entered into a partnership with Invitro Brasil, one of the largest embryo companies in the world, to set up the first laboratory to offer farmers cheaper breeding options. The firm has built a laboratory which has a capacity to produce more than 20,000 embryos annually with a projected success rate of 45 per cent. This new technology will assist farmers to get quality heifers and embryos at reasonable prices. The technology entails removal of female eggs (oocytes) from a cow and transferring to a laboratory where it is fertilized with semen imported from Europe (Scandinavian countries or France) before it is placed into an incubator. The oocytes are extracted from the animal through the use of an improvised plastic tube and stored in a cool box before it is transferred to the lab more

why you should not drink raw milk.

Consumption of raw milk is still common among many farming communities. However, you can also either drink raw or semi-boiled milk.Consumption of raw or semi-cooked milk is on the rise thanks to of literature and old folk tales that its medicinal and so natural without preservatives. Raw milk consumers usually choose this for their family because they believe that it is a healthy food with good bacteria and enzymes, they often say it contains “good bacteria” better known as “probiotics” . Consumers are of the opinion that milk from grass-fed beef is safe and very nutritious,in fact there is a rising demand for milk from grassfed cow. A study in the late 90's which showed a possible relationship between grain feeding and E. coli infection in cattle, which led to a widespread belief that a grain diet causes a cow’s stomach to become acidic and promotes the growth of E. coli O157:H7 but further research showed that , E. coli O157:H7 is actually found in cattle kept in feedlots and cattle kept on pasture. Manure and milk from cows and goats that never ate grain have also tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 and other foodborne pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella). Deer, rodents and feral pigs eating a natural diet sometimes also carry E. coli O157:H7 in their gut. There has been Several outbreaks recently in the US where E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter were linked to grass-fed cows or goats. Raw milk can carry harmful bacteria and other germs that can make you very sick or even kill you. While it is possible to get foodborne illnesses from many different foods, raw milk is one of the riskiest of all. Getting sick from raw milk can mean many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting. Less commonly, it can mean kidney failure, paralysis, chronic disorders, and even death. Fatal cases arising from milk poisoning result in severe or even life-threatening diseases, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can result in kidney failure and stroke. watch The risk of getting sick from drinking raw milk is greater for 1) young children. 2) elderly. 3)people with compromised immune systems, such as people with cancer, or HIV/AIDS. Although it is important to remember that healthy people of any age can get very sick or even die if they drink raw milk that is contaminated with harmful germs. Read

Agriculture and Nollywood.

Agriculture is now the bride many suitors are after, basically because of dwindling resources and because of the go back to the farm campaign.  People never thought of agriculture as a profitable business but now various people from all walks of life are venturing into one or more aspects of agriculture. 

 There is the  necessity to go back to the farms to ensure food security and revamp the economy, there is even a national call to spur us all to the "Green Land".

 The government at both the federal and state level are wooing more people into the line of agriculture not only for sustenance, but also as a major growth tool for the economic growth. Agriculture is an all-comers affair now, so come on board. 

If our former president,Olusegun Obasanjo can go and learn the nitty-gritty to be able to set up his farms then 

The value of agriculture has also enchanted some celebrities ,especially from the silver screen(NollyWood) who are diversifying to invest in agriculture and agribusiness ventures. 

The latest entrant is Funke Adesiyan who recently dumped acting for politics and now is back in the spotlight an investor in agriculture. 

 The Ibadan-based actress has shared that her investment in Agriculture has started paying off and that she has been able to save enough money that will sustain her for the rest of her life through farming. The gorgeous actress who lives in a simple comfortable house, explained that her decision to venture into agriculture was a choice she had to make, either to buy a house or buy hectares of land for farming. She chose the latter, and invested in agriculture. 

This is how to start investing in Agriculture. This could be small, medium or large scale depending on your capacity but whatever your level, you can always start small and grow from there. 

Thinking of #agriculture #urban agriculture #agribusiness? See

Cat cuddling and cat-scratch disease.

A new study reveals that , cuddling a cat could give you an infection that could even kill you.The infection linked to cat scratches is aptly termed Cat-scratch disease, which can be fatal in some cases. Cat-scratch disease is an illness that results in intense fever, headaches, pustules and inflamed lymph nodes. The infection can progress drastically in rare instances leading to complications of the brain or heart and even result in death. "Cat-scratch disease, causes a significant number of annual infections, some of which can lead to encephalitis as well as endocarditis. Humans can risk contracting the disease just by kissing or cuddling cats, or by being scratched or bitten by them. The illness is caused by a bacteria called Bartonella henselae, which is transmitted to cats by fleas. According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noted kittens and stray cats were especially susceptible to carrying the harmful bacteria. The report showed that each year, about 12,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with cat-scratch disease and 500 require hospitalization. Cat-scratch is preventable if hygiene plays a part in animal handling,interactions and proper pet care. Cat owners should take the following precautions; 1) wash their hands after petting their cats. 2 ) clean bites and scratches with soap and water . 3)prevent contact of your cats with strays. 4) regular flea control. When bitten or scratched by your cat, wash area with soap and water and visit your doctor immediately.

Five-star pig pens: In China, a novel strategy in the war against superbugs.

Shen Jian-Ping's antibiotic-free pig farm outside of Shanghai, biosecurity is something of an obsession. Vehicles entering the property are disinfected with a chlorine tire bath and alcohol spray, animals drink sterilized water and the closest visitors will get to seeing a live hog is via a TV in the visitors' center. The wiry 46-year-old has spent $700,000 (4.7 million yuan) giving roomier, better-ventilated digs to his swine, with three full-time veterinarians to help keep the 465-sow herd healthy. "It's like the piglets are now living in a villa that's clean and comfortable," Shen said as he sipped green tea on the patio outside his office. "And it smells much better." Antibiotics have been routinely fed to livestock to prevent disease and spur growth in dozens of industrialized countries for decades. But in China, pig feed typically contains multiple types of bacteria-killing drugs that are used in far greater volumes, said Ying Guang-Guo, professor of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the southern city of Guangzhou. Chinese pigs consume about 19,600 metric tons of antibiotics annually through their feed, scientists estimated in a 2013 study. The average growing pig in China excretes 175 milligrams of antibiotics per day in its urine and feces, according to Ying's research. He extrapolated that across the nation's entire pig population to estimate that 2,460 tons of drugs are released annually. Those chemicals may then leach into water wells and streams, or contaminate manure used to fertilize vegetable fields. Traces have even been found in Shanghai drinking water and school kids. Pig farmers are largely unaware of the drug's importance or the need to restrict it, Shen said. "Most of them only wish to grow pigs faster," he said. That rankled with Shen, who traveled to Belgium and the Netherlands in 2011 to study how farmers there were raising hogs without antibiotics so he could try to replicate their methods back home. His initial attempt failed. Sixty percent, or more than 1,000, of his swine died in the first winter. "We didn't know how complicated it would be," said Shen, who said he obtained a distance-learning degree in poultry production from China Agricultural University. Marc Huon, a pig-management specialist in Belgium, was hired to redesign Shen's pigsty. The first priority, Huon said, was to give more space and better ventilation and to remove stress on the animals caused by temperature fluctuations. He also recommended a higher-protein diet based on a broader range of nutrients and the addition of supplements, including prebiotics to promote helpful intestinal bacteria. Water piped into the temperature-controlled barn has been filtered and purified with charcoal, and heated and irradiated to remove pathogens. "The water our pigs drink is better than the tap water in Shanghai-much better," Shen said. These days, mortality is 5-to-6 percent-much less than the 15 percent to 16 percent average on neighboring piggeries, he said. It takes Shen's pigs about eight months to reach the 250-300 pound (115-to-135 kilogram) target weight for slaughter. That's four to five weeks longer than pigs fed antibiotics and other growth promoters, according to Huon. The Belgian's nutrition plan emphasizes meat quality over weight gain. "It's just a copy and paste of what we are doing here,'' Huon said over the telephone from Belgium.more

South Africa Unveils Test-tube Buffalo, Plans IVF Rhino.

Almost 40 years after the first human test-tube baby was born, South African scientists have produced something bulkier: the first Cape buffalo brought into the world by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Pumelelo the buffalo bull calf was born on June 28 and was unveiled to the world this week at a game farm north of Johannesburg in South Africa's Limpopo province.The technique holds hope for far bigger and more endangered species such as the northern white rhino - only three of them are left on the planet. "This success is of major importance for the prospective breeding of endangered species, and that is the reason why we are undertaking this work," said Morne de la Rey, a veterinarian and the managing director of Embryo Plus, which specializes in bovine embryo transfers and semen collection, mostly for the cattle industry. Proud parents are biological mother and egg donor "Vasti" and sperm donor "Goliat", which is Afrikaans for Goliath - in his bulky case, no misnomer. The baby bull has a surrogate mother which has taken to him. He could grow to 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds) or more. Cape buffalos are notoriously bad-tempered and dangerous animals and Vasti was sedated when her oocytes, or egg cells, were extracted using a technique similar to that used on human donors. Game farming is big business in South Africa but those involved in the project said the main concern was conservation. "The object is certainly not to reproduce buffalo of superior genetics ... the goal is the conservation of species," said Frans Stapelberg, the owner of the farm where Pumelelo was born. The project will now focus on the northern white rhino and the trio who remain on the planet on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. The San Diego Zoo is partnering with that effort.More