Congenital abnormalities are common among avian and mammalian species. They could be partial or total drift from the normal structural organization of the organ-systems. This article is aimed at reporting the occurrence of multiple abnormalities in a 3-week-old broiler chick. Ante mortem, post-mortem, radiological and osteological investigations were carried out, to ascertain the number and form of abnormalities present in the chick. A total of four different congenital abnormalities were discovered in this chick. These include: polymelia (presence of supernumerary or accessory limb which is usually malformed); double vents (vent duplex); double cloacal bursae (bursa duplex) and triple caeca. Radiological and postmortem examinations revealed the attachment of the accessory limb to the caudal depressor muscle as a form of synsarcosis, via a tendon that originated from the deep fossa of the modified femoral head of the accessory limb. The right vent was patent whereas the left was not. The two cloacal bursae were almost the same size, while the three caeca showed slight variation in length but typical features of the avian caecum (base, middle (body) and apex) were clearly visible. However, most cases of congenital anomalies in the avian species occur as multiple defects, with the most common being polymelia. The latest finding in this report is the discovery of double cloacal bursae (bursae of Fabricius), which has not been reported in the avian species.

Food animals slaughtered in developing countries especially in Nigeria have shown prevalence of abscess which is linked to poor animal husbandry. This condition affects the performance of animals hence decreasing their productivity. Secondary data on abscess in cattle, goats and pigs were extracted from the Jos Abattoir record book for a period of five years. Five hundred and ninety-two (1.8%) animals from a total of 33,637 animals slaughtered had abscess. Pigs had more abscess (3.5%) than cattle (3.3%) and goats (1.4%), respectively. Yearly distribution of this condition revealed peak prevalence in all species in 2014.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious, fatal, economically important, transboundary, viral disease of pigs caused by a DNA virus belonging to the genus Asfivirus and in the family Asfarviridae (Murphy et al., 1999). The first reported ASF outbreak in Nigeria was in 1998 at a farm located in Lagos (FAO, 1998;Odemuyiwa et al., 2000). The disease spread widely within the country and has become endemic resulting in huge economic losses to the pig industry (Fadiga et al., 2013;Igbokwe & Maduka, 2018). ASF is a very fatal disease that can cause up to 100% mortality in a naïve pig population (Costard et al., 2009). Poor biosecurity, bad abattoir practices and extensive or free-range pig farming systems are known risk factors that facilitate the widespread dissemination of the disease in the country (Owolodun et al., 2010). In West Africa, ASF is reported more in domestic pig population, with humans and other fomites potentiating its spread with a one-time incidence in wild suids (Dixon et al., 2020;Luther et al., 2007). However, both domestic and wild pigs are susceptible to ASFV, but the wild

No abstract

The consumption of dog meat has been reported in many countries of the world including Nigeria. Different pre-slaughter handling methods are commonly used prior to dog slaughter in many parts of the country including Plateau State. This study determined the frequency and reasons for the use of the various traditional preslaughter handling methods at the "Angwan Kare" Dog Market Jos. Relevant data were collected from 120 butchers interviewed randomly in groups of 20 for six consecutive days. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 120 butchers were interviewed, 114 (95%) used the strangulation method of preslaughter handling. The suffocation method was used by 2 butchers with 1.7% as the overall use frequency. The stunning method was used by 4 butchers with 3.3% as the overall frequency of use. It is evident from this study that the strangulation method with frequency of 95% is the most used of the pre-slaughter handling methods. Dog butchers should be trained and taught proper pre-slaughter stunning techniques to enhance meat quality and dog welfare through the relief of pain, fear and suffering.