Abortion in livestock

So breeding season is here and some of our stockmen have flashbacks of the times when all their females gave birth to dead offspring, or that they died a few hours after birth. What a horrible thing to go through!
The foundation of livestock farming is for the production of offspring, for their sale, reproduction and profitability. Anything that threatens this process will cripple the mandate of livestock farming. Losing one calf/kid/lamb in a population of ten is regarded as normal. The red flag rises when you lose about half, which is when a farmer should realize that they are at war with an invisible enemy that is Abortion.
This condition is caused by various factors, part of which renders it difficult to manage and prevent. Knowing about it will help the farmer prepare, promptly arrange and seek preventative measures against the problem.
Abortion can come about as a result of stress, either transport or environmental. A pregnant animal has heightened needs; and special care must be afforded at all times. Heavily pregnant animals should not travel for long distances without timely rest, doing this will predispose the animal to abort. With regards to environmental stressors, pens and kraals should provide protection against extreme weather conditions that will put the animal at risk of aborting.
Abortion can occur at any time of gestation, the usual range being at the second half of pregnancy. It is heartbreaking to see a fullyf leshed offspring, ready to be birthed yet dead. But what is this really? How does one prevent it?
Usually, abortion comes due to a disease called Brucellosis or Contagious Abortion. The microorganism causing this disease is specific to the species affected, for example, in cattle; it will be Brucella bovis while in sheep it will be Brucella ovis. If there had been previous cases of abortions in the kraal, there would be a high chance that the microorganism is still lingering in the environment; it is a contagious disease therefore susceptive animals can get the disease from the carriers. Unfortunately, the only definite symptom is abortion. Therefore vaccination is key. If an animal has aborted, it is advisable that the abortus be disposed off by burning or burial, and the farmer must ALWAYS be wary due to that, this disease is contagious to humans and causes infertility.
More causes include nutrition deficiency, as mentioned above, a pregnant female has nutritional demands that rise at this stage, therefore starvation will force the animal to utilize the little nutrition availed by getting rid of the extra load that is the fetus. This is why it is crucial to avail high quality feed and supplement duly at this point of the animal’s life.
All is not lost, dear farmers. If we follow a strict vaccination calendar, we can effectively prevent this monster that is threatening our kraals. This as well as provision of adequate nutrition, minimal stress and a weather proof habitat. Only then will we see our kids, lambs and calves alive and kicking.