Insights on use of Ethno Veterinary

Medicine in Sabarkantha District.

We visited 44 villages all throughout Sabarkantha district to understand the use and
efficiency of EVM in treating mastitis. We conducted the survey among the cattle owners and
DCS where we found that about 80% of the villages had good awareness about EVM.
Majority of the cattle owners had small herd size. We also found out that mastitis is the most
common disease affecting the cattle, especially cows, which mars the health of the cattle as
well as leads to economic losses to the cattle owners. Through our survey we got to know
that most of the mastitis case are occurring during monsoon and post parturition period.
The villages where, the VRP and the AI Technicians are pro-active and the cattle owners are
keen to adopt the EVM treatment for mastitis, those villages showed better adoption rate
among cattle owners and were satisfied by the results of the EVM. We observed that the
mastitis prevention informative posters are also made available to all the DCS.
Visit calls of sub-clinical mastitis has come down. Regular CMT tests and easy availability of
TSC has made it possible. Reporting of Clinical mastitis are being handled by the AI
technicians on pro-active level, due to that the mastitis visits has decreased. We witnessed
about 10% of cases with mastitis which were being treated while we surveyed them. Small
cattle owners are keen to adopt because the treatment is cost effective and efficient in
treating mastitis. Whereas the large farmers are reluctant to adopt as they complain of lack
of time in their hands to use EVM.
Other than the decrease in milk quantity and quality the cattle owners usually lack the
knowledge of issues of anti-biotic residues in the milk, which is right now a ticking time bomb
waiting to explode. Once milk standards are set for the country, it would be impossible for
the cattle owners to decrease anti-biotic residues in milk, as they have plied their cattle
heavily with anti-biotics to outrageous levels.
In almost 95% of the cases, cattle shed hygiene was poor which further increases the
vulnerability of the animal to the diseases. Different awareness camps organized by the
union lead to better understanding about mastitis among the cattle owners. We observed
that around 97% of the cattle owners didnt prefer to prepare fresh EVM paste for each
application. They are used to prepare the EVM paste in bulk for one or two days and store it
in refrigerators for future applications. Around 99% of cattle owners wished for the availability
of ready to use EVM medicine paste for the treatment of MASTITIS.
We have observed that along with the sabar diary veterinarians, the government
veterinarians also promoted EVM for the treatment of mastitis.
The major hurdles in the adoption of EVM for the treatment of mastitis is the unavailability of
Aloe Vera and the mind-sets of the cattle owners who consider it very laborious task.

SUGGESTIVE INTERVENTION
1) The availability of Aloe Vera plants to all the DCS has to be ensure.
2) The awareness about the ethno-veterinary medicine for the treatment of mastitis not
only in the relation of its cost effective benefits, but also in the relation to the
impending danger of antibiotic residues in the milk should be spread.
3) The ethno-veterinary medicine for the treatment of mastitis should be promoted
among the cattle owners who have large number of cattle and buffaloes.
4) The awareness about the importance and greater role played by proper hygiene
practices regarding the maintenance of animals, sheds, quarantine measures and
milking machines in the prevention of Mastitis should be spread.
5) Cattle owners have to be taught about good hygiene practices, how the benefits
outweigh the disadvantages. Keeping the shed washed and clean, use of fans to
keep the floor dry and keep down the temperature in the summer, cleaning the shed
vicinity with chlorine to properly disinfect the area.
6) Training program has to be conducted on the quarterly basis to inform the cattle
owners about how to make and apply the Aloe Vera + Turmeric + Lime paste on the
infected cattle and buffaloes at the UNION and DCS levels.
7) Women of the households should be targeted in order to propagate the importance of
preventive measures as they are the main care givers of the animals.
8) Awareness about how to milk the cattle and buffaloes after parturition in order to
prevent Mastitis.
9) Social awareness programs like street plays, short films, bill boards, cartoons, short
stories etc. should be conducted in order to spread the information about EVM and
MASTITIS.
10) Consider the use of vaccination programme against Coliform bacteria.
11) Promote establishing animal hostels in whichever village it is possible.
12) Indigenous knowledge of feeding lemon flower to cattle for curing mastitis should be
promoted.
13) Those villages where the AI staff and the DCS personnel are actively propagating the
use of EVM should be given due recognition and incentives, which would encourage
others to adopt and apply EVM in their village as well.
14) The success stories of cattle owners who has adopted the ethno veterinary medicine
practices for the treatment of mastitis should be use to spread the awareness among
the cattle owners.
15) Veterinarians should be trained on regular basis and propagate the importance of the
ethno veterinary medicine for maintaining the cattle health and ensuring the financial
prosperity among the cattle owners.

EVM is the boon of nature and indigenous knowledge of cattle owners. It will ensure
the sustainable diary among cattle owners in a more profitable fashion.