Diseases carried by ticks
Practical Action
drench the animal with 2 litres of liquid (this dose is for adult cattle). Repeat once a day
for 5 days. For goats and sheep, drench 1 litre of liquid. Give twice a day for 3 days or
until the animal has recovered and its eyes and urine are normal. (Cattle, goats, sheep;
Samburu, 3)
Crush a handful each of rachar (Croton dichogamus) bark and leaves, ober (Albizia coriaria)
bark, and ngowo (Ficus sycomorus) bark. Boil in 4 litres of water for 45 minutes and mix
with a handful of luny (a type of salt lick). Drench 700 ml of the liquid for adult cattle
(250 ml for goats and sheep) twice a day for 1 week or until the animal recovers. (Cattle,
goats, sheep; Luo, 3)
Boil the bark ofmuldnduri (Croton megalocarpus) in 0.5 litre of water. Allow to cool, then
sieve and give the liquid to the animal to drink. (Cattle, goats, sheep; Samburu, 3)
Mix 500 g of epsom salt (magnesium sulphate, igati) with 750 ml of water. Drench to
relieve constipation. (2)
Crush 500 g of soda ash to powder and mix in 20 litres of water. Stir well. Allow
the animal to drink this water for 4 days. Do not allow the animal to drink any other water.
(Cattle, goats, sheep; Turkana, 3)
Pound 1 kg of sotowes bark to a pulp. Put into 3 litres of water and boil it down to 2 litres.
Leave overnight. Drench adult cattle with 2 litres of the broth (0.5 litre for goats and
sheep) 3 times a day for 1 week. In the evening, burn wood of sotowes upwind of the
animal and allow the animal to inhale the smoke. (Cattle, goats, sheep; Gabbra, 3)
Take 250 g of chemogong (Ajuga remota) leaves, 250 g of senetwet (Senna
septemtrionalis) leaves, and 250 g of labotwet (Solanum dennekense) roots. Boil in 700
rnl of water for 30 minutes. Allow the liquid to cool. Drench 0.5 litre per day for 3 days.
(Cattle; Kipsigis, 3)
Babesiosis (redwater)
A disease of livestock that causes very high fever and
often kills infected animals. It is also known as "biliary
fever" in donkeys and "redwater" in cattle.
Also known as
Signs
Red urine (giving the name "redwater").
Very high fever.
Pale or yellow mucous membranes.
Nervousness.
Depression.
Beek che biriren (Kipsigis),
aremo (Luo), enado nkulak
(Maasai), maumago yamatune
(Meru), ngula (Samburu), eyiala
(Turkana).
Cause
A protozoan disease carried by Boophilus ticks. Adults are more
often infected than are calves.
Prevention
Isolate infected animals.
See the general comments on prevention
Treatment
Pound two handfuls each of murembe (Erythrina
abyssinica) roots and olanga langwe roots. Boil in 5 litres of
water for 45 minutes. Allow to cool, and drench 0.5 litre
twice a day until the animal recovers. Give half this amount to
goats and sheep. (Cattle, goats, sheep; Luo, 3)
Boophilus tick (blue)
carries anaplasmosis
Soak 1 kg of bark of ljakwai (Acacia exocephaleia) in 3 litres
of water for 12 hours. Drench sick cattle with 1 Tree Top
bottle (700 ml) of the liquid once. Repeat as required the next day. (Cattle; Samburu)
Grind dry bark of muiri (Prunus africana) to powder and mix with 1 litre of water. Drench.
Repeat once a day for 2 days. (Cattle; Gikuyu, Meru)
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