Nigerians have to move from the era and age of primitivity and try to re allign themselves with international best practices. This move is rather coming too late and should be wholly embraced. In developed countries of this world, all animals carry passport and identifications detailing history of health, date of birth, travel history of animal and all other vital informations. In addition, digital chips have been recently introduced . This allows for proper tracing of animals and diseases and in our local environment would help to prevent the ongoing herdsmen invasion of farmlands. Animal chips can be used to trace the herdsmen responsible for farm grazing and such individuals either brought to book or forced to forfeit their animals. It is important to note that no European country would engage in the business of buying animals from Nigeria. This is because many diseases affecting animals, some, easily transmitted from animals to humans, which have been successfully eradicated in all other parts of the world, have remained endemic in our dear Nigeria. Need I mention that we lose a significant amount of foreign exchange from that sector?
Countries like South Africa, Botswana have embracef and others like Tanzania are embracing these international best practices and striving hard to ensure that these diseases are monitored and eradicated before genetic mutation occurs to make even previously non zoonotic strains become zoonotic. If Nigeria and Nigerians are to make progress in the livestock sector and protect the present day and future public health sector then.......this move is unprecedented, timely and highly welcome.

I wish i had responded to this earlier.i didnt see this post. What you described seems serious. The ideal thing would be to do an ultrasound to determine what the matter could be. The first impression would be some form of gastric poisoning, maybe from your dogs scavenging or some form of gastrointestinal irritation or trauma causing gastric haemorrhage. In both case, your vets hands might be tied so he would easily resort to antibiotics alone. I would however, urge him to administer gastric protectants and maybe consider trying to administer something to stop haemorhage and clot the blood. This should be accompanied by a lot of TLC and improved diet for self support. Since its an ongoing problem and not acute, you just have to pray and believe it should sort out soon. If you stay in a town with an improved vet clinic or a university with vet medicine, pls visit them and use their ultra sound facility or tell your vet to take you to any human diagnostic imaging center and use their ultra sound machine if this condition persist. You cannot rule out a hard matter and in which case you might need a surgery to remove it. I hope your dog gets better. And pls feel free to contact me directly. I would be available to give you professional advice. Thank you

If you knew what veterinary.medicine was then you would rather not have given the advise you gave. And comparing vet med with animal science? Thats gross. Animal scientists are like veterinary nurses in livestock. Meaning a vet can do what they can do and lots more. In other areas where they don't fit in, vets are ultra handy. I would urge you to go through my recent write up.and have your eyes opened. The challenge however may come when you are unlucky and most people will rather not employ you as they are scared of your salary demands. And while a vet would not settle for not so lucrative jobs like secondary or primary school teaching, an animal scientist would have no qualms doing that. As a vet with your needle and syringe and a few drugs, you can run around everyday and your bills will be paid comfortably.

I write In response to my learned colleague; Dentist
Dear writer while I appreciate your eye opening write up. I think you may have gotten some things wrong and i thought to shed light.

Are human medics and Dentists actually the only ones tagged health care providers in the traditional sense?
The answer is a big NO.
Veterinary Doctors today are as informed if not more informed than dentists and are also tagged health care providers and at par with only the human doctors(not dentists) in terms of knowledge and contributions to the society if not ahead. While I do admit that our immediate society lacks certain knowledge and orientation, it is important to bring certain basis to the fore. Now you rightly said, a Dentist isn’t a physician but a surgeon. A veterinarian is on the other hand both a physician and a surgeon.

Who is a veterinary doctor and what does it take to be one?

A veterinary doctor spends 6 years in the university to attain that title. In similarity to dentistry and human medicine 100 level is basically made up of basic science courses of physics, chemistry and biology. Subsequent levels see them study anatomy, physiology, bacteriology, virology, immunology, entomology, protozoology, helminthology, pharmacology and toxicology, theriogeniology and obstetrics, dentistry, optometry, internal medicine and surgery. After the pre-clinicals , a Veterinarian proceeds to clinics after the 4th year and they do clinic rotations in small animal internal medicine(dogs and cats), large animal internal medicine(ruminants, horses, all wildlife), microbiology, theriogeniology and production, surgery, parasitology, ambulatory medicine and poultry. Also like in human medicine, the final degree is unclassified and you either pass and graduate as a doctor or you fail and re-sit or repeat. Upon graduation you automatically become a member of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) and register with the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association(NVMA) and you are then issued a license and a VCN Number identical to you only . licenses are renewed each year. In service (NYSC) Vets CANNOT teach. You are posted to Vet clinics or establishments and you are paid an allowance same as a human medics and usually above regular corps members. You can also do locum d private practice around to earn more.
What is the similarity between the veterinarian and a human medic/ dentist

They all bear the name DR. A lot of people may not know but animals share the same body anatomy and physiology with humans. All muscles present in humans are present in man and even a lot more in animals. The basic physiology and functioning of humans and animals are also the same with even more complexities and variations in animals. It is worthy to also note that all procedures carried out on humans are also done in animals. Veterinary establishments and teaching hospitals are able to do surgeries and procedures like x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, ECG, EMG, and similar tests. Laboratory tests involving blood , stool, urine, biopsies and the likes are also carried out on animals. Human and animal diseases are also similar and treated alike. All drugs used in humans are also used on animals and though not all human drugs are licensed for use in animals and not all animal drugs are licensed for human use. drugs are often shared between both professions. All other fields of dentistry, optometry, gynaecology and the likes are also similar. A vet studies as much medicine as a human medic and more.
Is Veterinary medicine more difficult?
The answer is more of a Yes than a maybe.

Why?
The reasons are numerous. You should know that all institutions that offer the course has veterinary medicine as the course with by far the highest number of credit units to pass before graduation in any Nigerian university. This means that the work load of a Veterinary Doctor is much more than that of a dentist or human medic. While human deals in a single specie, a veterinarian is able to study anatomy, physiology, reproduction and medicine of different species ranging from domestic animals like dog, cattle, chicken, horses to lions, tigers, crocodiles, ostriches e.t.c. The absence of supporting professions in Nigeria like veterinary nurse, pharmacists and dentists also mean a veterinarian does a lot of pharmacology/toxicology, microbiology , optometry and even dentistry. The risk involved in animals means additional techniques are taught. While a human medic graduates more as a physician with basic knowledge of surgery except during specializations, a Veterinary graduate is a certified physician/surgeon and can carry out complex surgeries from Caesarian sections, orthopedic surgeries, graft and basic plastic/cosmetic surgeries and the likes. A veterinarian is also thoroughly trained to determine cause of death at post mortem and is a trained gross pathologist. It goes on…
Do they know that much/ Do they use basic medical tools?

A veterinarian is a jack of all trade in medicine and knows a lot and YES, stethoscopes, thermometers, surgical wears and kits and other kits are also used by a veterinary doctor.

Can a Veterinary Doctor attend to a human?

A vet is not licensed to treat a human being however , he knows enough to advice and make recommendations. During the 2nd world war and in extreme conditions of human medic shortage, vets may be asked to help in various capacities.
Can a Human Doctor attend to an animal?

No, but a human medics knowledge of medicine means he also has a fair knowledge of certain things in animal medicine.
Is veterinary practice lucrative in Nigeria?

Nigeria is still growing and the profession like many others has challenges. However, in government, Veterinary doctors are employed at the same entry level and paid the same salary as Human medics ahead of all other allied health courses like pharmacy and optometry (Not sure of dentistry). In the academics, a Veterinarian usually earns more than human medics based on certain hazard and risk allowances. In private practice however, it is a lot tougher for a Vet as Nigerians are only beginning to learn to value animals , but vets are millionaires from handling Fulani cattle and large farms with birds, and other commercial far. Even dog and cat practice can fetch lots of cash. A Vets knowledge also means that various pharmaceutical companies employ vets as reps. Pet feed companies, poultry feed companies, banks with agric loan schemes, colleges of agriculture and NGOs are others. NAFDAC(vet drug dept.) , the Nigerian armed forces (Military horse units and bioterrorism unit),Police /Civil Defense (police dog unit), Prisons (Prison farms) are amongst vet employers. A vet is always employed on one or two levels above a normal degree holder which is the same for human doctors. All universities with veterinary medicine have teaching hospitals and are employers of labour. In the last 2 to 3 years, many federal institutions are opening vet faculties in addition to what was available(over 8 veterinary faculties before)and are looking at the future prospects(UNILORIN, UNIJOS, UNIBEN, some Universities of Agriculture and Private universities). No school wants to be left behind. Countries in Africa e.g. south Africa, Botswana , Kenya survive on wildlife and animal farming. Oil is falling, agriculture is on the rise. Self employment is the inn thing , Veterinary knowledge makes you a potential farmer and business man/woman as you can raise you own animals. Only a Veterinary and a Pharmacist license is recognized for drug imports for animals and humans respectively. Human medic licenses are not used for drug import.
Do Vets only treat animals?

No, veterinarians are also core indirectly human health providers. Most countries have animal and human health agencies working side by side. Over 70% of diseases in humans in the last decade have come from animals and Vets play huge roles. Today in some EU countries, even in human hospitals for every few number of human doctors a Vet Dr. is attached(e.g. 5:1) to assist with handling zoonotic diseases(i.e. disease from animals). Vets are also needed in health agencies and public health institutions like WHO, CDC, FAO, OIE and the likes both home and abroad. In Nigeria each state has veterinary clinic and each abattoir in a state has a Vet Dr. attached to inspect slaughtered meat and prevent disease transfer to humans. Diseased animals are condemned or diseased body parts removed to prevent disease, so a veterinarian is out there saving our lives every-day. You will be surprised at how many diseases like tuberculosis a Veterinarian sees every day and saves someone from getting. Asides these, food processing agencies, environmental health and sanitation and water process inspections and supervision are roles veterinarians handle. Public health, Disease surveillance and eradication are other roles. Most significant medical researches done in Nigeria emanate from Veterinary medicine. You will find more Veterinary professors in universities that human medic professors due to this (factor in no of institutions offering the course). Today, the bigger world approach medicine as “one health”; Human health, Animal health and Environmental health. That is the only way to succeed in health issues(You can Google the “one health” concept)



Finally,Always take your animals to a vet for check up. dogs should be routinely vaccinated and livestock handled properly. an unhealthy animal means you are at risk too and animals have feelings you should consider.

Veterinary medicine is a noble profession. The title is DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine) and you are a doctor in your own right, respected in the society and can make a lot for yourself. No job is a bed of roses, nor perfect but certain professions give you self-dignity respect and can make you comfortable. So much to still to say

You may reach me on Adah Ogwuche(Facebook) or adah.ogwuche@gmail.com for further enquiries.
[b][/b]

In response to my learned colleague; Dentist
Dear writer while I appreciate your eye opening write up. I think you may have gotten some things wrong and i thought to shed light.

Are human medics and Dentists actually the only ones tagged health care providers in the traditional sense?
The answer is a big NO.
Veterinary Doctors today are as informed if not more informed than dentists and are also tagged health care providers if not at par with the human doctors in terms of knowledge and contributions to the society. While I do admit that our immediate society lacks certain knowledge and orientation, it is important to bring certain basis to the fore. Now you rightly said, a Dentist isn’t a physician but a surgeon. A veterinarian is on the other hand both a physician and a surgeon.

Who is a veterinary doctor and what does it take to be one?

A veterinary doctor spends 6 years in the university to attain that title. In similarity to dentistry and human medicine 100 level is basically made up of basic science courses of physics, chemistry and biology. Subsequent levels see them study anatomy, physiology, bacteriology, virology, immunology, entomology, protozoology, helminthology, pharmacology and toxicology, theriogeniology and obstetrics, dentistry, optometry, internal medicine and surgery. After the pre-clinicals , a Veterinarian proceeds to clinics after the 4th year and they do clinic rotations in small animal internal medicine(dogs and cats), large animal internal medicine(ruminants, horses, all wildlife), microbiology, theriogeniology and production, surgery, parasitology, ambulatory medicine and poultry. Also like in human medicine, the final degree is unclassified and you either pass and graduate as a doctor or you fail and re-sit or repeat. Upon graduation you automatically become a member of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN) and register with the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association(NVMA) and you are then issued a license and a VCN Number identical to you only . licenses are renewed each year. In service (NYSC) Vets CANNOT teach. You are posted to Vet clinics or establishments and you are paid an allowance same as a human medics and usually above regular corps members. You can also do locum d private practice around to earn more.
What is the similarity between the veterinarian and a human medic/ dentist

They all bear the name DR. A lot of people may not know but animals share the same body anatomy and physiology with humans. All muscles present in humans are present in man and even a lot more in animals. The basic physiology and functioning of humans and animals are also the same with even more complexities and variations in animals. It is worthy to also note that all procedures carried out on humans are also done in animals. Veterinary establishments and teaching hospitals are able to do surgeries and procedures like x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, ECG, EMG, and similar tests. Laboratory tests involving blood , stool, urine, biopsies and the likes are also carried out on animals. Human and animal diseases are also similar and treated alike. All drugs used in humans are also used on animals and though not all human drugs are licensed for use in animals and not all animal drugs are licensed for human use. drugs are often shared between both professions. All other fields of dentistry, optometry, gynaecology and the likes are also similar. A vet studies as much medicine as a human medic and more.
Is Veterinary medicine more difficult?
The answer is more of a Yes than a maybe.

Why?
The reasons are numerous. You should know that all institutions that offer the course has veterinary medicine as the course with by far the highest number of credit units to pass before graduation in any Nigerian university. This means that the work load of a Veterinary Doctor is much more than that of a dentist or human medic. While human deals in a single specie, a veterinarian is able to study anatomy, physiology, reproduction and medicine of different species ranging from domestic animals like dog, cattle, chicken, horses to lions, tigers, crocodiles, ostriches e.t.c. The absence of supporting professions in Nigeria like veterinary nurse, pharmacists and dentists also mean a veterinarian does a lot of pharmacology/toxicology, microbiology , optometry and even dentistry. The risk involved in animals means additional techniques are taught. While a human medic graduates more as a physician with basic knowledge of surgery except during specializations, a Veterinary graduate is a certified physician/surgeon and can carry out complex surgeries from Caesarian sections, orthopedic surgeries, graft and basic plastic/cosmetic surgeries and the likes. A veterinarian is also thoroughly trained to determine cause of death at post mortem and is a trained gross pathologist. It goes on…
Do they know that much/ Do they use basic medical tools?

A veterinarian is a jack of all trade in medicine and knows a lot and YES, stethoscopes, thermometers, surgical wears and kits and other kits are also used by a veterinary doctor.

Can a Veterinary Doctor attend to a human?

A vet is not licensed to treat a human being however , he knows enough to advice and make recommendations. During the 2nd world war and in extreme conditions of human medic shortage, vets may be asked to help in various capacities.
Can a Human Doctor attend to an animal?

No, but a human medics knowledge of medicine means he also has a fair knowledge of certain things in animal medicine.
Is veterinary practice lucrative in Nigeria?

Nigeria is still growing and the profession like many others has challenges. However, in government, Veterinary doctors are employed at the same entry level and paid the same salary as Human medics ahead of all other allied health courses like pharmacy and optometry (Not sure of dentistry). In the academics, a Veterinarian usually earns more than human medics based on certain hazard and risk allowances. In private practice however, it is a lot tougher for a Vet as Nigerians are only beginning to learn to value animals , but vets are millionaires from handling Fulani cattle and large farms with birds, and other commercial far. Even dog and cat practice can fetch lots of cash. A Vets knowledge also means that various pharmaceutical companies employ vets as reps. Pet feed companies, poultry feed companies, banks with agric loan schemes, colleges of agriculture and NGOs are others. NAFDAC(vet drug dept.) , the Nigerian armed forces (Military horse units and bioterrorism unit),Police /Civil Defense (police dog unit), Prisons (Prison farms) are amongst vet employers. A vet is always employed on one or two levels above a normal degree holder which is the same for human doctors. All universities with veterinary medicine have teaching hospitals and are employers of labour. In the last 2 to 3 years, many federal institutions are opening vet faculties in addition to what was available(over 8 veterinary faculties before)and are looking at the future prospects(UNILORIN, UNIJOS, UNIBEN, some Universities of Agriculture and Private universities). No school wants to be left behind. Countries in Africa e.g. south Africa, Botswana , Kenya survive on wildlife and animal farming. Oil is falling, agriculture is on the rise. Self employment is the inn thing , Veterinary knowledge makes you a potential farmer and business man/woman as you can raise you own animals. Only a Veterinary and a Pharmacist license is recognized for drug imports for animals and humans respectively. Human medic licenses are not used for drug import.
Do Vets only treat animals?

No, veterinarians are also core indirectly human health providers. Most countries have animal and human health agencies working side by side. Over 70% of diseases in humans in the last decade have come from animals and Vets play huge roles. Today in some EU countries, even in human hospitals for every few number of human doctors a Vet Dr. is attached(e.g. 5:1) to assist with handling zoonotic diseases(i.e. disease from animals). Vets are also needed in health agencies and public health institutions like WHO, CDC, FAO, OIE and the likes both home and abroad. In Nigeria each state has veterinary clinic and each abattoir in a state has a Vet Dr. attached to inspect slaughtered meat and prevent disease transfer to humans. Diseased animals are condemned or diseased body parts removed to prevent disease, so a veterinarian is out there saving our lives every-day. You will be surprised at how many diseases like tuberculosis a Veterinarian sees every day and saves someone from getting. Asides these, food processing agencies, environmental health and sanitation and water process inspections and supervision are roles veterinarians handle. Public health, Disease surveillance and eradication are other roles. Most significant medical researches done in Nigeria emanate from Veterinary medicine. You will find more Veterinary professors in universities that human medic professors due to this (factor in no of institutions offering the course). Today, the bigger world approach medicine as “one health”; Human health, Animal health and Environmental health. That is the only way to succeed in health issues(You can Google the “one health” concept)



Finally,Always take your animals to a vet for check up. dogs should be routinely vaccinated and livestock handled properly. an unhealthy animal means you are at risk too and animals have feelings you should consider.

Veterinary medicine is a noble profession. The title is DVM (doctor of veterinary medicine) and you are a doctor in your own right, respected in the society and can make a lot for yourself. No job is a bed of roses, nor perfect but certain professions give you self-dignity respect and can make you comfortable. So much to still to say

You may reach me on Adah Ogwuche(Facebook) or adah.ogwuche@gmail.com for further enquiries.

I am a Vet doctor, Newcastle disease has no specific cure as it is of viral origin, however the most effective treatment is re vaccination with the same Newcastle vaccine. Then supportive therapy using multivitamins . Id advice you add the normal vitamin c to the treatment and together with any antibiotic prescribed by a doctor for you. You should also ask the doctor to rule out avian influenza if this persists as there have been cases of avian influenza reported around and it happens to share significant similarities to avian influenza. Pray hard, I have seen a thousand birds lost in a day before.

As crazy as it sounds I partially agree with him.the core northerners using religion as a basis have choosen to continually devalue life. They kill incessantly with the most minimal provocation.it is pathetic.unfortunately, the igbos who are the most widely spread ethnic group nin this country and predominantly christians are on the receiving end. Almost so that for every 10 people killed in the north, igbos will most likely be 5 or 6. Sorry to say but I think its high time, southerners have a rethink about their status in this country.

My apologies to all private university graduants but...you are highly unfortunate.university educations goes a long way beyond reading and passing your exams.if at university level you are controlled like a toddler then, its a pity.private university subjects people to a lot of irrational restrictions that are most often detrimental in future. I hope there should be some legislation to curtail some of these university excesses soon.even prisoners deserve some breathing space

If you won't wed a couple because a lady is pregnant, I think pregnancy test should not be the only test to be carried out. Virginity test should be carried out on both the male and female.afterall u weren't supposed to have sex till marriage. Anyone who is not a virgin should not be married then.