A CASE STUDY ON HOUSEHOLD USE OF TURMERIC PASTE TO TREAT FMD IN DAIRY ANIMALS

Abstract

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting dairy cattle and buffalo, causing severe economic losses due to reduced productivity and treatment costs. This study evaluated a low-cost, household-level ethno-veterinary remedy for treating FMD lesions using turmeric powder. A total of 10 grams of turmeric powder was mixed with 1000 grams of locally available cooking ghee to form a paste. The remedy was applied to mouth and foot lesions of affected animals after cleaning the wounds with a 1% potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) solution. The trial was conducted across four districts under the Progeny Testing Program, and animals were treated on the first and second day after symptoms appeared. Data on healing time, wound recovery, and feeding behavior were analyzed using the Chi-square (χ²) test. The most significant associations were observed between mouth lesions and recovery time (χ² = 81.46; p = 8.6×10⁻¹⁷), mouth lesions and wound healing (χ² = 63.21; p = 1.88×10⁻¹⁴), and mouth lesions and feeding alertness (χ² = 25.75; p = 2.56×10⁻⁶). Additional significant relationships were found for time vs. feeding alertness (χ² = 11.94; p = 2.548×10⁻³) and time vs. wound healing (χ² = 99.80; p = 2.1×10⁻²¹). These results confirm that turmeric paste is highly effective in promoting rapid recovery, improving feeding behavior, and healing lesions. This remedy provides a practical, affordable, and accessible solution for FMD treatment at the household level, especially for smallholder farmers. It also highlights the importance of integrating traditional knowledge into disease management strategies in livestock production systems.