Veterinary officers in Kiambu county have cautioned dairy farmers against pneumonia which has been ignored by many despite being a deadly disease to the animals.
According to the Kiambu sub county veterinary officer Mr. Samuel Njuguna, pneumonia in animals is caused by cold weather and change of environment especially during transportation and dust.
The veterinary officer who was speaking on Tuesday in Kiambu also reckoned that some of the symptoms that a farmer should observe are if the animal is sneezing, has difficulty breathing, nasal discharge and lack of appetite.
Mr. Njuguna advised the farmers that in order to prevent and control the disease, they should feed their animals well with minerals and nutrients which will nourish the animals and also improve on their immunity.
He also added that farmers should also keep their livestock in enclosed sheds which are clean, dry and warm in order to protect them against the cold saying that some farmers just enclose the animals in open sheds without roofing which would protect them from the rain.
Mr. Njuguna also urged dairy farmers to get a medical cover for their livestock when transporting them as this will cater for the animals' health.
On the same note, a veterinary officer in Kiambaa sub county, Mr. George Mbugua also advised farmers to be responsible and not to be ignorant of the various symptoms they observe in their livestock before it’s too late.
He also cautioned against buying over the counter drugs as one might worsen the health condition of the animal saying that they should always use drugs prescribed by the veterinary.