Rabies Continues
UNIVERSITY PARK (Dau
phin Co.) A rabies outbreak
among raccoons continues to
spread across Pennsylvania, but
alert homeowners, hikers and
others who spend time outdoors
can minimize their risk of expo
sure to the disease, a Penn State
specialist said.
“Rabies is a viral disease that
affects the nervous system,” said
Dr. Thomas Drake, extension vet
erinarian in the College of Agri
cultural Sciences’ Animal Diag
nostic Laboratory. “A bite from an
infected animal deposits the rabies
virus under the skin. The virus
then travels through the nerves
until it reaches the brain, a process
that can take up to six months.
Symptoms don’t appear until the
disease is in its final, fatal stages.”
Until recently, rabies outbreaks
generally struck fox and skunk
populations, with other species
infected in much smaller numbers.
“The current outbreak of rabies in
raccoons began in West Virginia
in the late 1970 s and spread to
south and central Pennsylvania
during the 1980 s,” Drake said.
“It’s now reaching the southeast
ern part of the state and the
Allegheny plateau.”
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Between 1981 and 1989, the
Pennsylvania Department of Agri
culture confirmed 3,243 cases of
rabies in animals. The number of
cases peaked at 700 in 1989. In
1991, 363 cases were reported.
According to the state Depart
ment of Health, Pennsylvania has
had no human cases of rabies
since 1983, but human exposure to
the rabies virus is always possible.
The best way to avoid exposure is
to avoid infected animals—but
they can be difficult to recognize.
“Unfortunately, rabies has no
consistent symptoms,” Drake
says. “Rabid animals just behave
in unusual ways—for instance,
nocturnal animals such as rac
coons may be active during day
light. Classic symptoms include
foaming at the mouth and aggres
sive behavior, but rabid animals
are just as likely to be abnormally
docile. Many lose their natural
fear and wander about aimlessly.”
Following these guidelines can
minimize your risk of exposure to
rabies:
• Avoid wild animals that act
strangely.
• Vaccinate all pets. Pennsylva
nia law requires vaccination for all
dogs and house cats beginning at
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three months of age.
• Bam cats and other neighbor
hood animals arc more likely to
carry rabies. If possible, see that
they are inoculated or avoid con
tact with them.
• Be aware of rabies symptoms
in farm animals and consider vac
cination in areas with a high num
ber of cases.
• If a pet or livestock animal
begins to act abnormally or
appears unusually sick, call a
veterinarian.
• Keep your property free of
material that might attract wild
animals. Keep garbage in contain
ers that animals can’t open or
knock down. Don’t leave food out
Official Drink
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Milk is Pennsylvania's
official beverage. And why not?
Dairy is the leading segment of
agriculture, the number one indus
try in the state.
Nearly 13,000 dairy farms pro
duce milk from 683,000 cows.
That represents an average of
14,500 pounds of milk produced
per cow!
In just 20 years, the number of
dairy cows has decreased 3 per
cent, while the production per cow
has increased 44 percent
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for wild animals or stray dogs or die within 10 days, it wasn’t rabid,
cats* **A wild animal should be cap-
If you or someone you know is tured, if possible, and submitted to
bitten or scratched by a potentially the Pennsylvania Department of
rabid animal, take it seriously. “If Agriculture Diagnostic Lab at
the bite came from a pet or domes- Summerdale for a rabies test,”
tic animal, the animal should be Drake said. “The bite victim
confined and watched closely for should see a physician for care of
several weeks.” Drake said. “As a the wound and recommendations
general rule, if the animal doesn’t about antirabies treatment.”
Mainesburg Farmer
this summer, he may do the same
thing.
Another problem with pastures
involves water. Sometimes a
stream or pond is convenient, but
often no water supply is readily
available. And cows need water
to produce milk.
To get water to the cows on the
lots, Chamberlain piped water
from the bam to 100 gallon tanks.
Each tank is connected to a flota
tion device similar to that found in
an ordinary toilet. When the water
level drops in the tank, the float
sends the message to the pump
that more water is needed.
The tanks are placed beneath
the electric wire so that two con-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 18, 1992-A2l
(Continuad from Pag* A2O)
necting lots have water at the same
time. This way, Chamberlian
doesn’t have to move the water
source each time the livestock
switches lots.
To help farmers learn about the
best watering and feeding system
for animals despite unfavorable
pasture conditions or locations,
the Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion Service and Soil Conserva
tion Service held a fact-finding
day June 26 at the Chamberlain
farm near Mainesburg.
Craig Williams from the
Cooperative Extension Office and
Paul Shaffer from the SCS Office,
both in Wellsboro, were on hand
to answer questions about Cham
berlain’s intense grazing program
and the methods he uses to pro
vide his herd with water in the
field.
Two weeks prior, the Cooperative Exten
sion Office helped Chamberlain solve the
problem of getting water to his cattle in
another pasture across the road from the bam.
In 1988, Chamberlain had transformed a
wet spot next to the pasture into a 3,000-gal-
lon holding tank by digging down and lining
the hole with cement blocks. Drainage ulc
help guide the water to the hole.
But how was he going to get the water to
the cows? He wasn’t anxious about spending
a lot of money piping the water as he had
done in the field behind the bam.
Cooperative Extension provided the anw
ser. With grant money, it had purchased a
special watering system called a nose pump.
A plastic tube connects the water source to
the pump.
Craig Williams explained how the pump
works. “By using the same principle as the
old-fashioned hand pumps common in days
gone by, no electicity is required. The cow
simply moves the pump arm back and forth
with her nose and water fills the drinking
cup.”
Are the cows smart enough to figure out
how to use it? “You bet,” said Chamberlain.
As if on cue, a cow wandered over to the nose
pump and demonstrated to the group just
that.
To test the nose pump’s practically,
cooperative extension is making it available
free to farmers on a 30-day trail basis. Plans
are to purchase a second nose pump to lest on
sheep.
But the nose pump has it’s limitations.
Twenty-six feet is the maximum height it can
move water uphill. Reluctantly, Chamberlain
tried the piping method in a pasture further
up the hill.
Using a 1/2 horsepower electric pump, he
was able to send water to a 100-gallon tank
via 400 feet of plastic pipeline. The same
type of flotation device used in the intense
grazing lots is used in this tank, also.
As Chamberlain can attest, the extra effort
was worth it. “Before we began providing
water in the pasture, the cows would come to
the bam and immediately begin lo drink. But
with everyone drinking at once, the (low to
each drinking cup was barely a trickle so the
cows lost interest in waiting for the water
long before they drank the amount necessary
for peak milk production. Now they arc able
to get then - fill before coming to the barn.”
Although the official results aren’t avail
able yet on paper, Chamberlain is convinced
the new watering system is helping this herd
produce 150 extra pounds of milk per day
according to bulk tank readings.
Chamberlain figures that in one month, the
additional milk will more than make up the
cost of the whole watering system.