Animal Health, Hygiene and Disease Control
This domain tests disease recognition, vaccination, biosecurity, mastitis control and zoonosis awareness. The exam expects practical preventive measures, not just treatment names.
Core rules
- Vaccinate against FMD twice yearly; HS and BQ annually before the monsoon; brucellosis in female calves at 4–8 months where recommended. Deworm quarterly and control ticks and flies.
- Quarantine new animals for about 30 days. Provide clean water, dry bedding, foot bath, disinfection and separate sick animals.
- Common conditions: FMD (salivation, vesicles, lameness), HS (fever, swelling), BQ (crepitant swelling), anthrax (sudden death; do not open carcass), brucellosis (abortion), mastitis, bloat, milk fever and acidosis.
- Zoonoses include brucellosis, anthrax, tuberculosis and rabies. Use gloves and boil milk where needed.
Worked example
A cow has a hot, hard quarter and clotted milk. Do a California Mastitis Test on each quarter: strip milk, add reagent, and read gel formation. A positive quarter indicates mastitis. Segregate the cow, collect a milk sample for culture, treat under veterinary advice, and discard milk during the withdrawal period.
Traps
Do not vaccinate sick animals, use antibiotics without a veterinarian, sell milk during withdrawal, open an anthrax carcass, or ignore a chronic mastitis quarter.