Heat takes a toll on livestock

Alappuzha: Domestic animals are feeling the heat in the scorching summer and 22 pets, 13 cows and two goats have died due to heat wave since March 20.

Though the Animal Husbandry Department had taken precautionary measures to save them, they are falling victims to the heat now after hundreds of cattle had perished in the floods last year. AHD officials said that the animals can be saved by giving them enough water.

“The heat stress in cattle will result in reduced production and weight loss. They eat less, burn more energy and dehydrate quickly leading to their death. The milk production will slow down due to the adverse climate,” said Dr. Mary James, district animal husbandry officer.

The directive issued by AHD says the animals should not be allowed to graze in sunlight. Crossbred cows are the most vulnerable to the seasonal physical stress.

Ratheesan, a dairy farmer at Kainakary, said he had been advised by the veterinary office to mix each meal with a measure of up to 20 grams of baking soda to reduce internal heat generated by the digestion process. “We keep them under shade and give extra feed. I used to get 20-25 litres of milk per day before March, but now only 5-10 litres. We put wet jute sacks on them,” he said.

The district had lost  475 cows, 32 buffaloes, 146 cubs, 3,500 heifers, 2,994 goats, 1.34 lakh chicken and 3.6 lakh ducks in the floods. However, the dairy department has not taken stock of the situation in milk production.  

The milk production in the district had touched 10,6000 lakh litres in February. “The production increased because many hybrid cattle were distributed as flood relief. We have not checked the impact of heat wave so far,” said K.G. Sreelatha, district dairy officer.