Delivering social services through veterinary care.

The idea of social service alongside veterinary care is a new concept that is fast gaining ground and its a great "One Health" initiative concept. A group called called WisCARES is pioneering this concept,they realized there were all these people that had pets, but that had trouble accessing the veterinary care they needed. 

There were reasons why they were having difficulty getting that care, from homelessness to poverty. The organization has taken off and is now part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. 

The focus is now a “one health” initiative, trying to support people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, and trying to keep their pets with them. In keeping in touch with these people through their pets, the school is also partnering with the school of social work and the pharmacy school as it’s looking at not only the health of animals, but also people who need help in the community. 

 People think of veterinary medicine as different from human medicine but people who might be on the fringes of society,may not trust a social worker but they’ll trust their veterinarian. This relationship will give the opportunity for them to get the care they need. Its all about the human-animal bond,after a hard day, it’s your animal at home that can make everything better.source

I-N-S-P-I-R-E 2016.

This is an out-of the-box post,but its just one of those things that grabs your attention and you cant shake off. This last day of 2016,thinking back on all that happened,hurdles scaled and opposition destroyed,the picture just sealed it for me. Today i just hooked up to the Inspire channel 109 and watched the Bishop TD JAKES talk show ,he had Tyler Perry and believe me it was so on-point.The struggles, the dark moments and the can-do it-all spirit,i sat up on my sit and said to myself, its all part of the journey. The Bishop's closing remark just nailed it,the madness,the chaos you are in right now is part of the process,actually the fertilizer that nurtures the seed in you to blossom and show fruit on the outside. Its about digging down in you and bringing forth,knowing you have what it takes. This is a toast to 2016,i rocked everyday with grace and moved up and now to 2017 WELCOME ON BOARD,as i have what it takes.This is a shout- out to all the hardworking, never-say-never people,2017 is the bomb.

The impact of land use and landscaping on disease spread.

Disease spread has been linked to land use,landscaping and agricultural practices as the aggressive use of land for various purposes is extending the reach of infectious agents,allowing colonization in new areas thus increasing spread of infection. Deforestation is not only contributing to climate change but creating an avenue for movement of more wild animals into contact with man and domestic animals and livestock,thus creating a cycle of infection which is shorter and also of economic importance. A recent research shows buttress this fact , In China the progress fighting schistosomiasisis recorded for over a century is being jeopardized by land-use patterns and landscape connectivity, which are expanding the range of the snails that host Schistosoma japonicum parasites as villages with more irrigation channels were more likely to both attract new and retain native Oncomelania snails. Justin V. Remais, PhD, MS, associate professor of environmental health services in the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases that distances traveled by snails over a few generations in this study are comparable to the dispersal of other vectors, such as the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, and the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. According to Remais and colleagues, control measures have led to a decline in the number of cases of schistosomiasis in China from 11 million in the 1950s to approximately 115,000 today.However, they noted that the range of Oncomelania snails has expanded and the disease has re-emerged in some areas of the country. Oncomelania snails release larval forms of S. japonicum parasites into fresh water, where humans can be infected. Remais and colleagues sampled 833 Oncomelania hupensis robertsoni snails from 29 villages in Sichuan Province and used gene sequencing to determine their migration patterns.Between 14.4% and 32.8% of the snails sampled from the sites were new to their location within one or two generations — snails infected with S. japonicum have an average estimated lifespan of 171 days — and there was evidence of migration between sites up to 44 km apart, Remais and colleagues said. Snail populations in 20 of the 29 sites contained more than 20% migrants. Analyzing the results with different models findings showed a significant correlation between land use patterns and snail populations. The researchers found that irrigation channels made villages more likely to both attract migrant snails and retain native snails, and villages that used more land for agriculture were more conducive to migrant snails.

Energy 4 impact empowering women with solar energy.

In a remote village in Tanzania's northern Shinyanga region, Elizabeth Julius switches on her solar lantern to finish sewing clothes for her customers. Not long ago, nightfall would have forced her to close her tailoring shop, or use a smoky kerosene lamp but with the solar-powered lamp, Julius can now sew for as long as she wants. "Solar energy has entirely changed my life. I use it at work and at home, yet it doesn't cost me anything," said the 29-year-old entrepreneur and mother of two. With help from nonprofit organization Energy 4 Impact, Julius is using solar power to grow her business and launch new ventures — and it’s benefiting her whole community. But three years ago, Julius secured a $500 bank loan to buy solar lanterns, which she sold to customers. With the additional income earned, she then sought another larger loan to expand her tailoring business to include a barber shop, mobile phone charging facility and a consumer goods shop, all powered with solar energy. Julius success story started after training from Energy 4 Impact, a London-based non-profit group that works in East and West Africa to improve access to energy. One focus of the group's work is lifting rural women from poverty through clean-energy entrepreneurship. The group's new WIRE (Women Integration into Renewable Energy) value chain project aims to assist 400 women solar entrepreneurs by 2020 with training and finance, and help some of them provide 360,000 people in Kenya and Tanzania with access to clean cooking and solar lighting products. The programme is part of the Partnership on Women's Entrepreneurship in Renewables (wPOWER) launched by the U.S. State Department in 2013. Julius said business management and technology training through the project was key to helping her scale up her business and her income,with nothing to complain about. She said virtually everybody in the village is happy with what they are doing and their services are exclusively solar. Source

A strain of bird flu detected in Ireland.

A strain of bird flu has been found in Ireland. Tests on a wild duck from Co Wexford confirmed the presence of avian influenza subtype H5N8, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.The bird, a widgeon, was found alive but unable to fly on December 28, in Wexford town.No infection of a human has ever been recorded by H5N8, however it presents a serious concern for farmers. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre said it can cause serious disease in poultry and other birds.The department said the detection was not unexpected, as there had been infections of a "highly pathogenic" variant detected in Great Britain in the last two weeks. Last week, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed introduced regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 requiring the compulsory housing of poultry as a result of the increased threat. Further tests are being carried out to determine whether the virus found in Ireland is the same highly pathogenic strain that is currently present in Great Britain and mainland Europe. continue

How to make money hatching eggs.

The very first factor to consider when you are planning to venture into poultry business is quality of your stock,hence your day old chicks must be procured from reputable hatcheries. The introduction of new viable stock into the market will expand stock population but also increase revenue for the farmer Starting off,identify the breed you desire to invest in and then look for viable breeders with proven records. Select eggs from breeders that are (1) well developed, mature and healthy; (2) compatible with their mates and produce a high percentage of fertile eggs; (3) are not disturbed much during the mating season; (4) fed a complete breeder diet; and (5) not directly related [brother, sister, mother, father, etc.]. Hatchery is the major operation of hatching fertile eggs to produce day-old-chicks commonly referred to as D.O.C. which is the foundation stock. If the D.O.C are not viable then the whole process of poultry farming is in jeopardy.The source of the breeder stock must be sure and proven to ensure success.The hatchery operation may be large scale or small scale depending on the size of the incubator. This incubator is a box-like apparatus used to hatch fertile eggs and the success is dependent on temperature,humidity and ventilation and turning. The incubator types see Producing D.O.C with good breeder stock is important and stocking density is usually 1:10 that is a cock to a hen,so with 1000 hens you need 100 cocks,these are mixed in the deep litter house to produce the fertile eggs. The fertile eggs are collected,disinfected and stored in the fumigation room,before taking them to the setter incubator.The purpose of fumigation is to ensure the eggs are free from pathogens and the fumigation is usually carried out using carbolic acid or potassium permanganate. The eggs that are to beset are selected based on size,shell thickness, cleanness and lack of any deformity such as misshaped eggs e.t.c. The eggs are transferred to the cold room with a temperature of 100 F and relative humidity of about 60% for 7 days. On the 8th day the eggs are put in the setter incubator for 18 days with 60% humidity and eggs are turned manually or automatically every 3 hours. The eggs are removed from the setter after 18 days for candling,this process is to remove the fertile eggs from infertile ones. The fertile eggs are then set into the hatcher incubator where they will be for 3 days. Eggs must hatch and lively chicks come from the shell,these are then vaccinated and ready for sale.

Breeding goats for profit.

Planning is fundamental for the success of any endeavor,thus breeding goats for profit is not an exception. The breeding season is important in the calendar of the farmer as this is the platform that will make or mar his investment. Goat breeding can be for meat or for milk ,the foundation stock is very important here. Goats chosen as foundation stock must be from proven stock with good genetic traits that the farmer wants to potentiate on the farm and defiantly disease free. Goats to be bred must be in good health condition, no lameness,anemia,weakness, ectoparasites and definitely no orchitis. An important factor that affects profitability in a goat operation is the kidding process and this involves anything from birth weights to growth to efficiency. The breeding season is a critical time so that we insure not only that does get pregnant, but ensure they also produce twins by ensuring high conception rates. The buck must have been checked for breeding soundness,the physical parameters are important. The buck must be steady with good stamina,and good body conformation. The size is another factor, fat or lean bucks can service does effectively. The size,shape and texture of scrotum and testicles are important, testicles should be firm but without lumps or abscesses which is a sign of trauma or ongoing infection. The size of scrotum is very key in breeding as the scrotal circumference is related to the semen volume and hence sperm viability.The greater the scrotal circumference ,the higher the semen volume and hence viability of sperm. The quality of semen is important,this is collected and checked prior to selection for breeding.The semen must have large numbers of healthy sperms with great motility. The does must also be checked for size,structure,physical conformations and weight as overtly fat does usually have low conception rates. The profit margin in production can be spiked by twining,this can be achieved by maintaining a nutritional plan for the does. Does are given balanced,nutritious diets prior to breeding and several weeks after to ensure the sustainability of pregnancy and birth of healthy kids.The nutritional status of does if inadequate could result in weak kids,kids with low weight or even death of kids. There is also a spill over effect on the quality and quantity of colostrum,prolonging the weaning age of the kids and spending more money to prop them up,hence cutting into projected profits. A farm with perfect bucks and does with excellent body condition,health status and nutritionally advantaged can actually spike profits by ensuring twining on farm,thus getting more kids for the price of one. A proven buck with good genetic traits can have the semen used on various farms if semen evaluation is positive,this means a buck may not be on site in the farm but the semen can be available via artificial insemination.