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Sheep Essay

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Although most may not have been discovered or developed by animal scientists, pharmaceuticals that have been brought to the market in the past 100 yr have provided researchers, producers, and consumers with healthier animals. In numerous cases, animal science research has complemented the medical or veterinary work by establishing the effects of particular drugs on production parameters. A short list of products that have influenced the sheep industry and are still used routinely in many parts of the country includes vaccines for anthrax, bluetongue, campylobacteriosis, caseous lymphadenitis, enterotoxemia and other clostridial diseases (including tetanus), enzootic abortion, footrot, leptospirosis and ram epididymitis; amprolium, …show more content…

On the other hand, food restriction at or around the anthelmintic treatment has been shown to dramatically improve the efficacy of the avermectins (Ali and Hennessy, 1996). A discovery program for new families of anthelmintics for sheep and goats is unlikely because of the perceived poor rate of return to the animal health pharmaceutical industry. Selection programs for sheep with increased resistance to internal parasites have been and are being conducted because there is a proven genetic component to resistance, and possibly also tolerance. Estimated breeding values for parasite resistance are now being provided to breeders by using the Australian sheep genetic databases and to breeders of Katahdin sheep that use NSIP in the United States. In addition, genomic investigations are underway (e.g., Sheep CRC in Armidale, Australia, and others) with the objective of providing a DNA test that would identify resistant and resilient sheep. Other researchers are investigating the potential of natural products such as tannins (Min and Hart, 2003) and juniper products (T. Whitney, Texas AgriLife Research, San Angelo; personal communication). Part of the rationale for this approach is that the natural products, if found to be effective, could easily be introduced onto the market, whereas a new family of synthetic anthelmintics could take years to approve. There are, in fact, many highly effective drugs that are not authorized for sheep

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