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As dogs age, their needs change significantly, requiring adjustments in their care routine to ensure they remain healthy, comfortable, and happy in their golden years. Caring for a senior dog involves paying attention to their evolving physical and emotional needs, managing health issues proactively, and providing a supportive and nurturing environment. This article outlines the key aspects of caring for senior dogs, focusing on health and comfort.

Recognizing When Your Dog is a Senior

Dogs are generally considered seniors at around seven years old, although this can vary depending on breed and size. Larger breeds tend to age faster than smaller breeds. Signs of aging include graying fur, decreased energy levels, stiffness, and changes in behavior or appetite.

Health Care for Senior Dogs

Regular Veterinary Check-ups

Frequency: Increase the frequency of veterinary visits to at least twice a year. Regular check-ups can help detect and manage health issues early. Comprehensive Exams: Ensure the vet conducts comprehensive exams, including blood tests, dental check-ups, and screenings for common age related conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, kidney disease, and cancer.

Managing the care of a pregnant dog and supporting her through the whelping process requires careful attention, preparation, and understanding. Ensuring the health and safety of both the mother and her puppies is paramount. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to care for a dog during pregnancy and whelping, including nutritional needs, veterinary care, creating a whelping area, and post-birth care.

Understanding Canine Pregnancy

Gestation Period

• The gestation period for dogs is approximately 63 days, though it can range from 58 to 68 days.

Signs of Pregnancy

• Early signs include increased appetite, slight weight gain, and changes in behavior such as increased affection.

• Around the fourth week, the abdomen may start to swell, and by the sixth week, noticeable weight gain and enlarged nipples are common.

Proper grooming and hygiene are essential for maintaining the health and well-being of pet dogs. Regular grooming not only keeps your dog looking and smelling good but also helps prevent various health issues such as skin infections, parasites, and dental problems. This article explores the key aspects of grooming and hygiene for pet dogs, including brushing, bathing, nail care, ear and eye care, dental hygiene, and general tips for maintaining a clean and healthy canine companion.

Brushing Benefits

• Reduces Shedding: Regular brushing helps remove loose hair, reducing shedding and keeping your home cleaner.

• Prevents Matting: For dogs with longer coats, brushing prevents mats and tangles, which can cause discomfort and lead to skin issues.

• Stimulates Skin: Brushing stimulates the skin and distributes natural oils, promoting a healthy coat.

Pets provide companionship, emotional support, and numerous health benefits to their owners. However, they can also be carriers of zoonotic diseases— diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Understanding these risks and implementing measures to reduce them is crucial for maintaining the health and safety of both pets and humans. This article explores common pet-associated zoonotic infections and offers strategies to minimize the risk of transmission.

Common Pet-Associated Zoonotic Infections

1. Rabies

• Cause: Rabies is caused by the rabies virus and is transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.

• Symptoms in Humans: Initial symptoms include fever and headache, progressing to neurological symptoms such as confusion, hallucinations, and paralysis. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

• Prevention: Vaccination of pets, avoiding contact with wild animals, and immediate medical attention after potential exposure.

Natural disasters like cyclone, earthquakes, flood etc. can happen suddenly and put everyone, including our pets, in danger. Taking care of your dog during such situation means being prepared, staying calm and knowing what to do. This article provides simple steps to help you care for your dog during a disaster.

Before a Disaster make an emergency plan

i. Find Safe Spots: Identify safe places in your home and community where you can go with your dog.

ii. Know evacuation routes: Plan different ways to leave your home in case one way is blocked and find pet-friendly shelters in your area.

iii. Emergency Contacts: Keep a list of important contacts, such as your vet, local animal control, and pet-friendly hotels.

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect dogs from potentially life-threatening diseases. It plays a crucial role in controlling infectious diseases and helps maintain both individual and herd immunity. Timely and appropriate vaccination of dogs not only safeguards their health but also prevents the spread of diseases to other animals and even humans in some cases. This article provides a detailed vaccination schedule for different diseases of dogs, including core and non-core vaccines, and highlights the importance of adhering to a proper vaccination regimen.

Vaccination is categorized into two main types: core vaccines and non-core vaccines. Core vaccines are considered essential for all dogs, regardless of their lifestyle or environment, while non-core vaccines are given based on individual risk factors like geography, lifestyle, and exposure to certain environments.

Proper nutrition is essential for the health and well-being of dogs at every stage of life. The nutritional needs of a dog change as it grows, so it’s important to tailor their diet according to their age, size, and health status. Below is a comprehensive guide on the nutritional needs of dogs, broken down into different age groups: puppies, adult dogs, and senior dogs.

1. Puppies (0-12 Months)

Puppies are in a rapid growth phase and require a high level of nutrients, including proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals, to support the development of muscles, bones, organs, and the immune system.

Nutritional Needs

Protein: Puppies require high-quality animal-based protein to build muscle and tissue. Around 22-30% of their diet should be protein-rich. Chicken, tur key, fish, and eggs are excellent sources.

The cattle skeleton, like that of other mammals, is a complex structure that provides support, protection, and mobility. The skeleton for study purposes is divided into two main parts: the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton forms the central axis of the body and includes bones such as the skull, vertebral column, ribs, and sternum. The appendicular skeleton comprises the bones of the forelimb (scapula, humerus, radius-ulna, carpals, metacarpals and phalanges) and hindlimb (os coxae, femur, patella, tibia-fibula, tarsals, metatarsals and phalanges).

• The axial skeleton is comprised of several key structures that form the central core of the animal skeleton.

• This includes the bones of the skull, which encase and protect the brain, the vertebral column or spine, which provides support and houses the spinal cord, as well as the ribs and the sternum, which together form the rib cage, protecting vital organs such as the heart and lungs.

• These components work together to provide structural support and protection for the body’s central organs.

Skull Bones

The skull is a complex structure that varies greatly across different animal species, reflecting their unique evolutionary adaptations, dietary habits, and ecological niches.

Generally, the skull serves several critical functions: protecting the brain, supporting facial structures, and providing attachment points for muscles involved in feeding and expression.

India is home to rich animal resources; it is a source of sustainable livelihood and support during the subsistence crisis of farmers. As per the “First Revised Estimates of National Income, Consumption Expenditure and Capital Formation for 2020-21” released by National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI the Gross Value Added (GVA) of livestock sector is about Rs. 11,14,249 crores at current prices during FY 2020-21 which is about 30.87% of Agricultural and Allied Sector GVA and 6.17% of total GVA. At constant prices (2011-12), the GVA of livestock sector is about Rs. 6,17,117 crores during FY 2020-21 with a growth of 6.13% over previous financial year. It contributes about 3.9% to national GDP and 24.8% to agricultural GDP (At 2011-12 Prices) in 2013-14 (GoI 2022). According to the report Situational Assessment of Agricultural Households by the NSSO, a compounded annual income growth rate of 13.7% was observed between 2003 and 2013. Restructuring agriculture processes & policy interventions required to increase the income in real terms (ICFA, 2016). About 29% rural population in the country is below poverty line .Major source of livelihood of rural people is crops, however, it is largely restricted by uncertain and erratic precipitation and low input production system, compelling them for poverty and distress migration. Whereas, small ruminants possess an mechanism for coping up draught because of better adaptability and mobility as compared to crops and large ruminants. Livestock particularly sheep and goat rearing in India is closely interwoven with crop farming. Households cultivating less than 2.0 ha of land (marginal and small) are the main custodian and possess more than 76% goat and 70% of sheep population of the country respectively.

Organic Animal Husbandry happens to be an emerging area which requires attention given its growing potential for domestic as well as export market. The start-ups including farmers engaged in organic farming and entrepreneurs need support in terms of information, technical knowledge, financial, incubation, hand-holding and marketing of organic animal products. Organic animal husbandry has been defined as a system of livestock production that promotes the use of organic and biodegradable inputs from the ecosystem deliberately avoiding the use of synthetic inputs such as drugs, feed additives and genetically engineered breeding inputs, while ensuring the welfare of animals. There are four principles of organic farming viz; principle of ecology, principle of health, principle of fairness, and principle of care, which organic systems must always take into consideration. In order to achieve the animal welfare, environmental protection, resource-use sustainability and other objectives, certain key principles are adhered to under organic livestock production systems. The organic livestock & poultry standards have been notified by APEDA under National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP). All operations related to organic livestock including goat & poultry production are to be governed by these standards in India.

Goats are the backbone of the Indian rural economy as it helps in sustaining the livelihood of rural poor in difficult terrains. The value output from the sheep and goat meat sector has been worth Rs123177 crores during 2020 2021 (Central Statistical Organisation, GoI ). India has diverse small ruminant genetic resources with 44 sheep and 37 goat breeds registered with the ICAR National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal. The goat population has colossally increased by 215% (47.2 vs 148.9 million) from 1951 to 2019. Of late, the last two censuses revealed that the goat population in the country increased by 10.1% (135.17 to 148.88 million). The goats are 27.8% of the total livestock population in the country. Their contribution to total meat production is 13.63%. The goat and sheep contributed 1467 million kg of meat in 2021-22 (BAHS, 2022). Goat meat is increasing and is mostly preferred in North and Western India. Meat consumption in India is showing an upward trend but still, there is a lot of scope for improvement in per capita availability. The global Covid-19 pandemic altered the food preferences of the consumer with more demand for safe foods produced under the natural system. The organic food production system may be aptly suited and has potential to meet out demands of consumers. This change in the consumer attitude is gradually increasing the scope and opening more avenues for organic food production and marketing. Food safety legislation in different countries is also working towards improving the safety standards of food and, at the same time, consumers are increasingly willing to pay for quality foods as their disposable incomes rise.

Mathura, Uttar Pradesh Livestock plays a crucial role in agriculture and rural economies, affecting livelihoods, food security, public health, and economic development. The Gross Value Added (GVA)of livestock sector is about Rs. 11,14,249 crore at current prices during FY 2020-21 which is about 30.87%of Agricultural and Allied Sector GVA and 6.17%of Total GVA. At constant prices (2011-12), the GVA of livestock sector is about Rs. 6,17,117crore during FY2020-21with a positive growth of 6.13% over previous financial year (DAHD, 2022).Livestock contributed 16% to the income of small farm households that indicates importance of livestock sector as a whole. Despite the presence of limited land and water resources, India has the world’s largest livestock population accounting for over 35.94% of cattle, 20.45% of buffalo, 26.40% of goats and 12.17% of sheep of the world’s population. The goat population in the country was 148.88 million in 2019, increased by 10.1% over previous census BAHS, 2012 (DAHD, 2019).In India the goat sector contributes 8.4 percent to the Indian livestock GDP that is 1,16,400 crores through meat Rs64,000 crores, through milk 22000 crores, through skin Rs3345 crores, through manure Rs2535 crores, and others Rs4360 crores. India rank f irst in goat population and possessregistered37 goat breedsin different agro climatic zones.Goats (Capra hircus) are one of the oldest domesticated species and it provides meat (Chevon), milk, yoghurt, cheese and other by-products such as hair and skin. Goats rearing provide much needed livelihood support to the landless and weaker sections and also hold considerable potential for commercializationas well as provide job opportunities in rural India.

Indian farming community is dominated by the marginal and small farmers who account for nearly 86 percent of farm holdings in India. As these farmers have small land holdings of less than 2 hectare, their income from farming is meagre and not sufficient to meet family expenses (Lalji et al., 2019). As a result, these farmers often follow family income augmentation strategy either by taking land on lease, working as wage earner or livestock rearing. Among all these family income augmentation activities, livestock rearing is the most frequently adopted strategy they undertake to augment their family income. It is observed that in India in general, farmers follow livestock integrated farming system (Paramesh et al, 2022). Popularity of livestock activity to augment farm family income of poor farmers is due to synergy of livestock rearing with the farming. Agriculture waste in the form of green and dry fodder contribute important inputs in livestock rearing. Whereas, farm animals are important source of farm energy needed for cultivation. Livestock waste helps in maintaining soil fertility and protein supply to farm families. Animal rearing also help in managing cash flow for farm family as it generates cash from the sale of milk and other animal products on the daily basis. Sale of live animals help in meeting contingency expenses of farm family. Thus, it solves peculiar problem of farm family cash paradox where farmer gets income through sales of agriculture harvest only during harvest season which happens only two / three times in a year but he needs cash on daily basis to meet his other health, educational, social etc. family needs.

The livestock sector is a pillar of the global food system and a contributor to poverty reduction, food security and agricultural development. Livestock play a major role in sustainable food systems—for example, manure is a critical source of natural fertilizer, while livestock used as draft animals can help boost productivity in regions where there is low mechanization. Livestock are important assets for vulnerable communities.

Natural Animal Farming

Government of India is promoting natural farming, through National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF) and organic farming through ParamparagatKrishiVikasYojna (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER).On the initiative of NITI Ayog, Natural Farming defined as is a chemical-free traditional farming method. It is considered as an agroecology based diversified farming system which integrates crops, trees and livestock with functional biodiversity. Natural farming is a system where the laws of nature are applied to agricultural practices. This method works along with the natural biodiversity of each farmed area, encouraging the complexity of living organisms, both plants, and animals that shape each particular ecosystem to thrive along with food plants. Natural Farming builds on natural or ecological processes that exist in or around farms. Several studies have reported the effectiveness of natural farming in terms of increase in production, sustainability, saving of water use, improvement in soil health and farmland ecosystem. It is considered as a cost- effective farming practices with scope for raising employment and rural development.

With increasing demand from consumers for organically produced and certified food products in the country, organic agriculturein India is growing steadily as more and more farmers are adopting organic practices to meet the increasing demand.. Starting with organic tea and spices, it’s grown to organic f lour, breakfast cereals, fruits, vegetables and many more, the number of food categories sold as organic is growing rapidly in India. Of late, the consumer demand for organically produced livestock products like milk, eggs and meat is also on the rise.

Domestic organic food products market in India is witnessing a growth rate of around 20% CAGR in the recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to consumer awareness about the quality of foods and contributed to the growth of organic food market in the country. As a result, informal markets for organic products are getting established to serve the niche consumers and simultaneously, producer to consumer market is also gaining momentum. Local markets are also now vending perishable organic foods like fruits and vegetables. During 2020-21 in India, there were around 16 lakh organic producers under NPOP production system producing 34.9 lakh tons of organic products in 43.3 lakh hectares of land including 16.8 lakh hectares under wild harvest. During this period, 8.88 lakh tons of organic products worth Rs.7078 crores were exported from India. Under Participatory Guaranty System (PGS) in India, as of September 2021, there are about 42 thousand organic farmer groups comprising of around 12 lakh farmers producing organic products in 75 lakh hectares of land. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are the major organic production states in the country and the major commodities produced are oil seeds, fibre, sugar, cereals, millets, spices and condiments. USA, EU, Canada and Australia are major export destinations of Indian organic products and the major organic products exported from India are processed foods, oil seeds, cereals, millets, spices and tea.

Our nation happens to be the largest producer of goat milk globally and it is high time that we use this to our advantage. India happens to be one of the fastest growing economies of the world and the IMF projects our GDP is set to rise at a healthy rate of 5.9 % in 2023, the highest among all other economies.

Goat Production in Field Conditions

We are an agro-based nation with 70% of our population residing in rural areas. As we deliberate today on the best possible ways to facilitate natural goat farming, we have to remember that such traditional agrarian practices is the essence of our Indian ethos, from ancient times. Such wisdom has been passed on for generations and it is great to witness that the world is waking up to the benefits of the natural versus the synthetic be it in clothing or food or lifestyle in general.

India is bestowed with huge livestock population reared under diverse production systems and agro-climatic conditions. Livestock sector is great importance for the sustainability of rural economies and many ecosystems. The economic importance of livestock activity is reflected by the weight of the agricultural sector in the national gross domestic product. The share of livestock sector to the national GDP has increased more than 56% over the span of ten years to 6.17% in 2020-21 from 3.94% in 2010-11. The contribution of the livestock sector, mean while, to total agriculture GVA has increased to 30.87 per cent from 20 per cent during the corresponding period. The livestock sector employs about 8.8% of the population and provides livelihood to two third of rural communities in India.

India occupies first position in terms of goat population and milk production. Since ancient times goat milk has traditionally been known for its medicinal properties and has recently gained importance in human health due to its proximity to human milk for easy digestibility and it’s all round health promoting traits. The goats are also important for chevon production; the most preferred and relished meat in India. As per 20th Livestock Census, the total population of goats in the country is estimated at 148.88 million numbers. Goat milk has continued to play an important role in human nutrition in the area acknowledged as the cradle of modern civilization (Hatziminaoglou and Boyazoglu, 2004). Goat milk is having better digestibility, alkalinity, buffering capacity and certain therapeutic values in medicine and human nutrition in comparison to cow’s or human milk. Goat milk is considered the best milk for infants because of predominance of smaller fat globules causing faster lipase activity which results in easy digestibility of goat milk (Chandan et al.,1992).

Natural goat farming is one among various farming systems that are close to nature and sustainability. In Uttrakhand which has 13-15 lakh goats as per animal husbandry department goat farming or rearing mimics how an animal would behave if they were freely living in the wild which therefore provides a more humane experience for the animal.In Uttrakhand, districts like Uttarkashi, Joshimath etc goat rearing is a part of indigenous lifestyle and tradition and is passed down generationally. They operate on no cost or low cost models therefore by default it is close to natural farming. They allow their goats to graze in forests and bugyal which are free from pesticides and fertilizers.Natural goat farming shall aim to use natural breeding methods, minimize stress, taking preventative measures and thereby eliminate the use of allopathic drugs or minimalist use of drug and detain animal health and welfare.Breed selection in natural goat farming should be indigenous as it is genetically adapted to specific or extreme conditions. They will be more productive and production cost will be lower.

Goat (Capra hircus) is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (C. aegagrus) of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. It is one of the oldest domesticated species of animal, according to archaeological evidence that its earliest domestication occurred in Iran at 10,000 calibrated calendar years ago. Beginning approximately 10,000 years ago, Neolithic farmers in the Near East started keeping small herds of goats for both their meat and milk, as well as for clothing and building with the hair, bone, skin and power. Undoubtedly, goat farming at the time was natural resource based and is organic in nature. Mechanical (1880–1930) and chemical (1920–1950) revolutions in agriculture, significantly influenced the modern day livestock farming predominately in non-organic form. Biological advances in the genetically modified organisms in the 70s further complicated the researcher–producer–consumer dynamics. As of today, there are over 750 million goats scattered throughout the world. Goats are found in nearly every country on the planet and in nearly every climate, each one with a different purpose. There are more than a thousand adapted breeds in existence. Goats have been used for milk, meat, fur, and skins across much of the world.

Goat is considered as KAMDHENU of small and marginal farmers in India. Agroforestry plays a very important role in three phase goat production system for the demand for natural/organic livestock product. Three phase goat production system i.e. extensive system, semi-intensive system and intensive system are very much supported by agroforestry systems. Goat farming contributes significantly to the family economy, sustainable livelihoods and poverty.

Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components. Agroforestry can also be defined as a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resource management system that, through the integration of trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic and environmental benefits for land users at all levels. In particular, agroforestry is crucial to smallholder farmers and other rural people because it can enhance their food supply, income and health. Agroforestry systems are multifunctional systems that can provide a wide range of economic, sociocultural, and environmental benefits. (FAO, 2015)

Goats are important components of livestock industry and play a vital role in the socio-economic structure of the economically-week rural community. Goats have been reared as domestic animals across the world. In India, goat keeping constitutes an important business of small and marginal farmers and the landless due to multifold advantages. These are short generation interval, high rate of prolificacy, easy management and marketing as compared to larger ruminants. Goat milk got the nutritional merit of the animal food products in shape of the animal protein. It is highly nutritious, contains essential vitamins and minerals and is an ideal food for the entire family. Though there are 28 registered goat breeds in India (NBAGR, 2017) constituting 26.4 per cent of the world population and are reared very few are having considerable milk producing animal of the country. Goats are highly efficient in converting food stuff, live vegetation, grasses and leaves forage crops, agro-industrial waste and byproducts and even waste cereals unfit for the human consumption to edible milk. Goat milk possesses 19 amino acids in its protein. It has 11 fatty acids in its butter fat, 6 vitamins, 8 enzymes, 25 minerals, 1 sugar, 5 phosphorus compounds, 14 nitrogenous substances all of which are suspended or dissolved in the fluid milk. Goat milk is as close to perfect food as possible in nature. Its chemical structure is amazingly similar to mother’s milk.

Small ruminants (goat and sheep) rearing are considered as natural farming based on two grounds, i.e., (i) their survival on natural resources and are climate resilient, (ii) out of pocket expenses are minimal (Nardone et al., 2004). These animals contributes as livelihood and income augmentation sources for resource poor farmers and immensely contributes by providing milk, meat, f iber, skin, and manure. Goat rearing is done for milk and meat, while sheep is reared mainly for wool and meat purposes and limited use of milk. Goat milk has very high demand globally because of its nutraceutical properties and easy digestibility than bovine milk (Clark et al., 2017), overcome problem of lactose intolerance (Pal et al., 2017), and its nutritionally similarity to human milk (Rai et. al., 2022).

The health benefits of goat milk such as anti-hypertensive, overcome dengue fever, probiotic, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties, and good for gut health are widely recognised by the researchers. The market price of goat milk is almost three times the price of cow milk in different parts of Asia highlighting its income augmentation potential form marginal and small farmers (Liang & Paengkoum, 2019).

Along with raw milk sales, India has an opportunity to expand the processing of goat milk into value-added products which might be highly competent in the international market (Devendra and Liang, 2012). The goat milk products which have export market are: frozen yoghurt, fortified or flavoredmilk, ice cream, butter milk, dried milk or condensed milk product, whey protein concentrate, ghee etc.

Goat production for milk and meat is an age old practice and goat is one of the first animals to be domesticated by man. Throughout the world goat is considered as ‘poor man’s cow’. Central Institute for Research on Goats has projected it as ‘Future Animal’ for rural and urban prosperity (Chakrabarti, 2019). In Switzerland goat is nicknamed as “Swiss baby’s foster mother’ (Chakrabarti et al, 2014). Prasad et al., 2013 opined that among various livestock production enterprises, goat farming is one of the important enterprises, which supports the rural households by providing gainful employment and steady income for the rural masses. The households cultivating less than 2.0 ha of land (marginal and small) are the custodian of more than 76% of the total goats in the country (Singh et al., 2018). The Small ruminants are also important in a diversification strategy that aims to reduce market and climatic risks and optimize the use of available resources (Ayo-Enwerem et al., (2017). Goat farming is an important component in smallholder farming systems in Tripura. Goat rearing has grown from backyard farming to the localized cluster based intensified entrepreneurship activity throughout the state. Goat meat is considered in state is a high value product due to high market price than the any other meat available in the state. Also animals are mostly liked by the native people because of their varied adaptability and presence of lean meat. Goat farming becomes very popular in Tripura because of availability of abundant grass and fodder resources throughout the state. It becomes a significant food source due to its ability to convert poor quality of feed into valuable human food. At present total goat population of the world is more than one billion and 90% are available in developing countries.

The domestication of animals started during Neolithic period. Initially goats and sheep, subsequently cattle and pigs, and lastly draft animals such as horses and asses were domesticated. Thus, goats and sheep were the earliest domesticated animals and rearing of these animals has been centred on food, religion, culture and economy from the ancient times. India’s ruminant biodiversity is enriched with 34 breeds of goats (ICAR-NBAGR-2023). At the world level, India ranks second in the goat population and third in sheep population. Even with such impressive genetic resource availability, goat rearing still continues to be a backward profession, primarily in the hands of poor, landless or small and marginal farmers who own either an uneconomical land holding or no land at all. Goats are a source of meat, milk and fibre. The ability of goats to utilize minimal forage, and survive under harsh conditions, makes them a very valuable asset for subsistence farmers. Morbidity and mortality are the two important factors resulting in heavy losses in goat production and improvement programmes. Diseases in goats result in mortality which ranges from 5-25% in adults and 10-40% in kids. In addition, losses due to morbidity result in low productivity. Prevention of disease is always better than cure as it is a lot cheaper. Goat farming is still traditionally oriented and the traditional management systems still hold the key in small ruminant production. Ample information regarding Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) still exists in the farming communities, which helps them in practicing successful goat farming. Even though considerable literature pertaining to treatment of animals using indigenous medicines/herbals is available, references on indigenous husbandry practices in sheep and goat farming are lacking.

The livelihood in rural India mainly depends on agriculture in the form of various land-based enterprises like crop farming, livestock rearing etc. But the landless people in the villages depend mainly on agricultural wages. These landless rural resource poor possess own labour as the only abundant factor which is free to them and they try to use it to its maximum for their survival and thus concentrate on animal husbandry. Goats are kept as a source of additional income and as an insurance against income shocks of crop failure. In addition, the rural poor who cannot afford to maintain a cow or a buffalo find goat as the best alternative source of supplementary income and milk. Goats represent a more liquid form of capital than cattle and are readily tradable, hence goats are called as “poor man’s cow” in Indiabecause it will produce milk, meat and manure like cow at very low costs.Goats are also perceived to be a less risky to invest into compared to sheep. Goat rearing has significant effect in augmenting farmers’ income. Goats preferentially select plant parts that are higher in digestibility when stocking density is low. Tolerance of goats toward bitterness may play an important role in maximizing grazing capacity and in biological control of weeds. Goats will sustain and produce well under low fodder, low water and extreme adverse climate and it will produce well in terms of milk, meat, manure and hide. Goats are docile, good tempered, cooperative animals easy to rear by women, land less labour and children and they will thrive well on shrubs, bushes and kitchen waste. They are known as moving ATM because they will provide financial assistance to farmer thought the year in all situations.

Among the small ruminants, goat is perhaps the most useful animal providing milk as well as meat. It is also superior in converting the feeds to meat and other products in a short period than most of the other livestock (Pandit&Dhaka,2005). Goats contribute milk, meat, fiber, skins and manure to the subsistence of small holders and landless rural poor. Goat meat accounted for almost 37 per cent of the total meat production in the country (Chandra, 2002). Importance of goats lies in the fact that human population is increasing very rapidly creating increasing demands for animal protein foods on the one hand and the feed resources for large ruminants are decreasing due to shrinkage of grazing lands on the other.Goats make important economic contributions in India. They are so vital to a large human population that their contribution to national economy cannot be overlooked. Goats require relatively much lower investments and facilities in terms of housing, feed, labour and health care. There is quick pay of dues because of fast multiplication and early maturity. Further, the risk involved in goat farming is much lower compared to other livestock and crops production.In Gujarat state, Population of milch goat has shown increasing trend as it was 23.36 lakh in 1951 and in year 2019 it found 48.68 lakh, which shows 47.98%, increased. As per the previous livestock census i.e. 2012, goat population declined by 1.84 percent which shows goat farming should give emphasis to enhance rural farmer’s income.

In India, agriculture is the primary occupation and source of income for the vast majority of the population. More than 58% of the population depends on agriculture for their living. Indian agriculture has been expanding for a long time with the help of related industries like sheep, goat, cow, chicken, and egg production. The world’s largest livestock population resides in India. For rural residents, the livestock industry is one of the most significant sources of revenue and employment. Agriculture and livestock are highly interdependent, with agriculture providing crop waste, a primary source of feed for livestock, while livestock provide manure and draught power to agriculture. The fact is that agricultural production and livestock raising work together to fully utilise a farm. In terms of giving families in rural and urban regions nourishing food, livestock is also crucial.

Because it is so straightforward, raising sheep and goats is more popular among landless, small, and marginal farmers who rely on common grazing and forest lands for food. Some of the factors responsible for the concentration of sheep and goat rearing among these categories include low capital intensity, prolific breeding, superior chevon/mutton quality, early sexual maturity, high-quality skin, low kidding intervals, good adaptability, no religious taboo against consumption, and steady returns.

India ranks first in goat population with 148.88 million goats and 10.14% growth rate (DADF, 2019). Goat meat contributes around 37% of the total meat produced from the livestock sector in India which comes from the 42% of goat population annually (GOI, 2019). Goat has served as source of livelihood support and financial security to large section of society, especially to the resource-poor farmers. However, in the current scenario, this small ruminant farm animal has tremendous potential to be projected as the “Future Animal” for rural and urban prosperity. Rapid transformation of backyard goat farming to “commercial goat industry” is taking place in the country. The perception of goat as “poor man’s cow” to “preferred livestock species” is fast changing; therefore, to meet this transformation goat rearing system is shifting gradually from extensive low input system for livelihood purposes to semi- intensive and intensive rearing system for commercial purposes in India (Ramachandran et al., 2019). Due to their higher resilience capacity to climate change and better adaptability goats play significant role in ensuring food security. Goats have traditionally been a significant asset and source of protein for rural communities inhabiting arid and semiarid regions of the world. It is an endeavour of millions of small holders who rear animals on crop residues and Common Property Resources. The small holders produce milk, meat, fibre, skin etc for the community with virtually less capital investment, resources and formal training. They are conventionally raised on grazing resources. However, these resources are gradually shrinking over the periods both in terms of quality and quantity. On the other hand, there is continuous rise in the demand of meat which led to further deterioration of available grazing resources.

1. Alkalinity is expressed as equivalents of calcium carbonate.

2. Adult fish retained for spawning is called as brood stock.

3. The population, number or weight of a species that is present in that environment is called as carrying capacity.

4. The discharge from a rearing facility, treatment plant or industry is called as effluent.

5. The ability of water to neutralize soap is due to presence of cations (calcium and magnesium).

6. Very soft water – 0 to 20 ppm as CaCO3 .

7. Soft water – 21 to 50 ppm as CaCO3 .

8. Hard water – 51 to 500 ppm as CaCO3 .

9. Very hard water – above 500 ppm as CaCO3 .

10. Aquaculture is believed to be first practices as early as 2000 B.C. in China.

1. A production of 600 tones/ha/year of tilapia in cages has been recorded in Laguna Bay in Philippines.

2. Indian Major Carps (IMC) contributes 84% of India’s aquaculture production.

3. The seed production of the carps has been standardized, with commercial hatcheries producing over 19000 million fry per year.

4. A pit like structure located near the outlet of the pond is called as harvesting pit (measures about 50 - 100m2).

5. Size of the nursery pond = 12 x 6 x 1m.

6. Size of the Rearing pond = 25 x 12 x 1m.

7. Size of the production pond is 0.1 to 2 ha.

8. Size of the quarantine pond is less than 0.5 ha.

9. During construction to retard erosion and seepage, soil must contain a minimum of 25% of clay.

10. The depth of the pond must be 0.5 to 1m.

1. Ornamental fishes are also called as living jewels.

2. The ancient Romans were the first to keep ornamental fishes as pets at homes.

3. Aquarium fish can fetch 100 times more price than the food fish.

4. Marine ornamentals fetches 10 times more costly than freshwater ornamental fishes.

5. Ornamental fish farming is a boon to India for rapid development of national economy.

6. Values of international trade of ornamental fishes are about US $ 5 Billion.

7. Major traders of ornamental fishes are USA, Europe, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Sri Lanka. (8 countries, code word: SIPS-JEUA)

1. 21723 living species of fishes existing in the world at present.

2. Jhingran and Gopalakrishnan 1974 listed 314 species of teleost utilized for aquaculture throughout the world.

3. Gynogenetic offsprings are always females.

4. Bisexual fishes – Gonochorism fishes.

5. Protoandrous hermaphrodites – Lates calcarifer, Sparus auratus, Sargus sargus and Palleus mormyrus.

6. Protogynous hermaphrodites – groupers.

7. Dwarf males were observed in Angler fish and Salmonids.

8. Sand spawners / Psammophils – Gobio gobio.

9. Rock and gravel spawners – Rohu, salmonids.

10. Terrestrial spawners / aerophils – Bryconpetrosus.

1. P. monodon (green tiger prawn) is the most candidate species for cul ture.

2. Testis have 6 lobe all lobes are connected on the inner margin leading to vasdeferens.

3. Spermatozoa are stored in the terminal of ampulae.

4. Inhibitory hormone are secreted in the early maturity stage.

5. Matured ovary has dark color due to the accumulation of the carotenoid pigment.

6. The first abdomen segment assumed that have diamond shape called as saddle.

7. Male have petasma on the first pair of pleopod.

8. Female have thelycum on the 4 & 5th pair of walking leg.

9. Male has Gonophore on the fifth pair of the walking leg.

10. Female has Gonophore on the third pair of walking leg.

1. Catla prefers zooplankton.

2. Silver carp prefers phytoplankton.

3. The blooming of diatoms causes golden brown colour in the aquaculture system.

4. Light or bright green colour of pond is due Chlorella (Green algae).

5. Dark green or blackish green colour is due to BG algae (Oscillatoria, Phormidium, Microcoleus).

6. Dark brown colour or sauce like colour is due to eutrophication.

7. Yellowish colour of pond water is due to growth in Chrysophyta.

8. Foggy white colour of pond is denoted by the mixture of zooplankton, clay particles and detrirus.

9. Japan is the biggest producer of marine finfish fry of 200 million fry per year (Pagrus major, Paralichthys olivaceus makes up 70% of total production).

10. Europe is a second biggest producer of marine fish fry for about 100 million fry per year.

1. Feed costs 40-60% of the operational cost of the aquaculture systems.

2. Nutrition consists of diet (what you take in) and metabolism (what happens to it after it enters your body).

3. Types of nutrients: 6 (water, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, vitamin and minerals).

4. Organic nutrients - Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins and Vitamins.

5. Inorganic nutrients - Minerals.

6. Energy yielding nutrients Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates.

7. Non-Energy yielding nutrients - Vitamin and Mineral.

8. Lower protein requirement - Herbivores and omnivores.

9. Higher protein requirement - Carnivores.

10. Average calorific values for protein-5.65 Kcal/g.

1. Taxon names. group of organisms in a classification and given biological

2. Category the level or rank at which the taxon is placed.

3. Systematics is a biological science that discovers names, determines relationships, classifies and studies evolution of living organisms.

4. Alpha taxonomy description of new species.

5. Beta taxonomy relationships are worked outon the species level and on higher categories.

6. Gamma taxonomy studying the intraspecific variations and its evolutionary relationship.

7. Right eye flounders - Pleuronectidae & Soleidae.

8. Left eye flounders - Bothidae & Cyanoglossidae.

9. Cyanoglossidae - Tongue sole (only pelvic fin present and absence of pectoral fins)

10. Morphometric characters are measurable characters

1. The name taxonomy was first proposed by Candolle in 1813.

2. The shellfish includes two highly diversified (i.e. phylum Arthropoda and phylum Mollusca).

3. The commercial formalin used for preservation of shellfishes is about 40% concentration and diluted to 8-10%.

4. Ostracoda is also called as Seed or Mussel shrimps.

5. Cladocereans is also called as water flea.

6. Argulus is commonly called as carp lice.

7. Balanus species belongs to sub-class Cirripedia.

8. Pill bugs and wood lice are comes under the order of Isopoda.

9. Gammarus is commonly known as sand hoppers belong to order Amphipoda.

10. Squilla is called as Mantis shrimp belongs to order Stomatopoda.

1. Anatomy the word derived from Latin word.

2. Study of internal structure and organization of organisms known as anatomy.

3. The macroscopic study of organisms is known as gross anatomy.

4. The study of parental developmental anatomy is known as developmental anatomy.

5. The study of tissue is known as histology.

6. The study of organization of cell and sub cellular components known as cell biology.

7. The study of nervous system is known as Neuro anatomy.

8. Bottom feeder has sub terminal or inferior mouth.

9. Sturgeon bottom feeder.

10. Grouper and lion fish has superior mouth.

11. In half beaks the lower jaw projects.

1. Giant tube worms - Riftia sp.

2. Novel mussels Bathymodiolus sp.

3. The stock inside the marine protected areas is called as Bank account.

4. Cartilaginous fishes don't have swim bladder.

5. Non- endemic species - Grass carp.

6. Banned species - Tilapia.

7. Non-parasite fish - Echinoderms.

8. Non- Penacid fishery - Maharashtra.

9. Maximum shellfish and finfish exploiting state in India is Kerala.

10. Small reservoir more in Tamil Nadu.

1. The word physiology was first used by Greeks around 600BC to describe a philosophical enquiry into natural things.

2. The word "physis" meaning nature.

3. The discovery of blood circulation by William Harvey in 1628.

4. C.Bernad (181378) who is considered as one of the founder of physiology.

5. The process of transport of an oxygen from outside air into the cells within tissues are called as Respiration.

6. STPD is abbreviated as standard pressure dry.

7. The gill arch along with the filaments is called as gill.

8. Haemoglobin is abbreviated as Hb or Hgb.

9. Cephalopods use haemocyanin- a copper containing protein for oxygen transportation.

10. Protobranch - the gill structure tends to occur in primitive groups and appears as a small leaf like structure.

1. B / R = Biomass per recruit.

2. CPUE Catch Per Unit Effort.

3. E max = Exploitation level which maximizes Y/R.

4. F = Effort.

5. F = rate of fishing mortality.

6. F max = Fishing Mortality generating maximum yield per recruit.

7. F MSY = Fishing effort generating MSY.

8. H = natural mortality factor in Jone's length based cohort analysis.

9. K = parameter of VBGF.

10. Ln =log e , logarithm of base e; Neperian logarithm.

1. In GAS normal adaption done on 3 stages.

2. In GAS alarm reaction is an physical response.

3. Resistance stage adaptation achieved under homeostasis.

4. In exaust unable to achieved homeostasis.

5. Study of disease and their causative agent is called as pathology.

6. Aeromonas salmonicida is an obligate pathogen.

7. Aeromonas hydrophilia is an opportunistic pathogen.

8. Inflammation occur due to stress.

9. 5 signs in inflammation are calor, ruber, tumour, dolore, et function leaso.

10. Inflammation response will occur following the release of pharma-codynamic amine.

1. Meteorology is the branch of science that deals with the study of the atmosphere.

2. The scientific study of the interactions between living organisms and their atmospheric environment is called as Biometeorology.

3. 75% of the mass of atmosphere is in the troposphere.

4. The ozone layer present in stratosphere.

5. Exosphere gradually merges into interplanetary space.

6. The concentration of ozone occurs between 20 and 50 Km with the maximum around 25 km which is referred as ozonosphere.

7. Chromospheres - the layer which has the chemical activity predominant between 20 and 100 km.

8. Atmospheric composition varies above 80-100 km which is called as Heterosphere.

9. Heliosphere Molecular oxygen is seen been between 200 and 1000 km.

10. Ionosphere above 10000 km, hydrogen atoms are in an ionized state.

1. The term limnology is derived from Greek word.

2. Limne means lake.

3. The term limnology was coined by Francois-Alponse forel.

4. August Thienemann and EinarNaumann co-founded the international society of limnology.

5. Welch 1935 described about biological productivity.

6. Epheirology is defined as branch of science deals with terrestrial habitats.

7. Peter Erasmus Muller is credited with laying the foundation stone of limnological study.

8. Anton Fritsch could be considered as the Pioneer in Lacustrine limnology.

9. F.Simony (1850) is regarded sometimes as the founder of limnology for his discovery of thermal stratification.

10. Junge and Forbes who were the first to treat the native waters as microcosm.

1. F. produce inky taste.

2. Phenol produce bitter taste.

3. Anaebena produce strong grassy odour.

4. A protozoan dinobryon imparts fishy odour to the water.

5. Phosphorus compound produce wormy smell.

6. H,S produce rotten egg or putrid smell.

7. Humus produce earthy odour.

8. Sewage contain 99% of water & 1% solids.

9. Sewage contain 70% organic & 30% of inorganic in nature.

10. In sewage organic fraction contain 60% of protiens & 20% of carbo-hydrate &10% fat.

1. Carotenoid act as antioxidant

2. The energy source for ATP generation in the light muscle is glycogen

3. Dark muscle contain much more mitochondria than the light muscle

4. Phospholipid also called as structural lipid

5. Light muscle mostly generating energy by the anaerobic metabolism

6. The triglyceride are known as the depot fat

7. Cod contain less than 1% lipid

8. Lean fish contain 6% of the cholesterol of the total lipid

9. Squalene also known as diacetyl alkyl glycerol

10. Shark liver oil contain minimum 80% of the lipid as un saponifiable substances

11. In marine fish fatty acid constitute only around 2% of the lipid

1. Father of caning Nicholas apart

2. Tin canister invented by Peter Durand

3. Father of modern canning Bryon Dorkin

4. Pure food act - 1906

5. Invention of pressure retort-1874

6. Double seaming machine invented in - 1890

7. OTS can invented in 1904

8. The first Indian canning industry was constructed in 1911 at chaliyam, Kerala

9. PH above 5.3 food known as low acid food

10. PH 4.5-5.3-known as medium acid food

1. Food is an essential part in everyday life.

2. The major biomolecules of the food which perform these functions called nutrients.

3. The study of various nutrients in relation to their effect upon the human body is called as nutrition.

4. Major nutrients: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Minerals, Vitamins and water.

5. Insufficient food intake of necessary minimum amount of any nutrient leads tot state of malnutrition.

6. No food intake leads to starvation.

7. Water is not always included as nutrients, but it is essential that the diet provides sufficient water required for many functions of the body.

8. Lipids provide calories and essential fatty acids,

9. Lipids 98% of triglycerides + 2% phospholipids.

10. Lipids carry fat soluble vitamins.

1. Protein solubility depends up on the amino acids composition

2. Viscosity is influenced by protein solubility & swelling capacity

3. Thermodynamically unstable mixture of immiscible liquid are called as emulsion

4. Emulsion capacity based on the hydro pobisity charecters of myosin

5. Foam is the analogous to the emulsion

6. Protein solubility is the key requisite for foam formation

7. My of ibrilar are the largest water holding filament

8. Cross linking of protein polymer called Gelation

9. Important key characteristics for gel forming ability is freshness of the fish

10. Margarine produces the golden yellow colour