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Essay / Tremblante - 583
What is scrapie? Scrapie is a disease that affects the central nervous system of sheep and goats. It is a fatal disease for which there is no treatment or cure. Additionally, it is one of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), linked to mad cow disease, so it is essentially the sheep and goat version of mad cow disease. The disease was first recognized 250 years ago. The first reported case in the United States was diagnosed in a herd in Michigan. Scrapie is extremely infectious and contagious under natural conditions and as there is no way to treat it, affected animals are quarantined and then killed. It can spread from the affected ewe to her lamb or any other group of lambings that come into contact with the placenta. The problem is that it takes years before the affected animal shows signs of scrapie and by then the ewe will have had several lambs that were also infected. Some signs of scrapie are a change in behavior, as nerve cells are damaged. The animal constantly scratches against something to the point that it bleeds and causes lesions, loss of coordination, it bites its limbs, loses weight, loses its appetite and, basically, behaves very abnormally. Why eradicate scrapie? benefits of scrapie eradication. This improves animal health and reduces production loss. The animals will be healthy and will not have to suffer from this horrible disease. Seeing the animal go through all the discomfort and pain is reason enough to eradicate scrapie. It will be beneficial for them and the breeder to not have to put the animal down, which could result in financial losses. In addition, the presence of scrapie in the United States also prevents...... middle of paper ...... the producer buys scrapie-free sheep, this will help eradicate the last of the cases of scrapie trembling in the United States and only then will be completely free from this horrible disease. No sheep or goats will have to suffer from the disease that drives them crazy and the producer will save money while having a healthy flock that they don't have to worry about being susceptible to scrapie. / / Goats, Sheep, Small Ruminants / Agricultural Industry / Animal Industry / Divisions & Offices / Home. Np, and Web. March 24, 2014. “Nebraska Department of Agriculture.” » Nebraska Department of Agriculture. Np, and Web. March 24, 2014. “Your participation is needed now, more than ever — to achieve the goal of scrapie eradication in the United States” National Scrapie Educational Initiative. National Scrapie Education Initiative, nd Web. March 24. 2014.