Don’t sell sick animals, prov’l
veterinarian warns farmers

ILOILO – The Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) is warning livestock owners and farmers not to sell their sick animals to the meat market.

Provincial Veterinarian Dr. Silvino Teodosio Jr. said they have monitored that some farmers opt to sell their livestock as soon as they find out that they are ill.

This practice should be stopped, he stressed.

The PVO head said farmers should instead seek treatment for their livestock so that the source of sickness can be determined.

Likewise, Teodosio said, most animal diseases are curable and can be treated in the municipal and provincial veterinary office.

Teodosio is also urging farmers to provide shelter for their livestock especially with the onset of the rainy season so that they won’t succumb to animal disease.

The PVO also recommended that farmers should have their livestock, especially cattle and carabaos, vaccinated earlier to avoid contracting diseases.

Teodosio lamented that some farmers sell their livestock even though they know it is dying of diseases. There is great chance that the animal’s disease will be transmitted to humans if not cooked properly, he warned.

The PVO has earlier announced the rise of hemorrhagic septicemia (hemosep) cases in some municipalities of the province of Iloilo.

There had been 14 animal deaths in Leon, Iloilo as of the third week of July.

There are also unconfirmed animal deaths in nearby towns.

Hemosep is caused by bacteria that reactivate during rainy season. It causes asthma and respiratory illness among livestock and eventually death in just hours.

Teodosio said Leon, some 28 kilometers from Iloilo City, is on quarantine status. They are also vaccinating animal in the town since hemosep can be prevented through vaccination. (PNA)