Animal Health Assistant

About this module

Sick animals mean lost money and sometimes sick people. A trained helper who looks closely, keeps things clean and calls the vet early can save a farmer a great deal.

Who it is for. Beginners with no formal certificate, including school leavers, young farmers, women's groups and persons with disabilities. National Proficiency I is the first level of Ghana's TVET framework.

Why this course

Ghana has few vets. A 2017 review counted 16 private and 51 public vets.
Community animal health workers, trained by projects, already help in some places. In Builsa North, 30 were trained in 2023 to support the few government vets and to report animal diseases to local veterinary officers.
Western Region had some of the highest outbreaks of the sheep and goat disease PPR in an older data study.
In August 2026, five rabies deaths were reported in the Western and Western North regions.

The red line

This course does not make you a veterinarian or a licensed veterinary para-professional. You help farmers prevent disease, notice illness early, give first aid that an owner may give, keep records, and call a veterinary officer. Only a registered veterinary surgeon may diagnose, prescribe and treat as a vet (Veterinary Surgeons Law, 1992). Do not call yourself a vet or veterinary doctor: it is an offence.

In this manual you will never be taught to: name a disease as a final diagnosis; choose or dose antibiotics, dewormers, trypanocides or tick killers; inject prescription drugs; sell prescription medicines; cut or operate on animals; or promise a cure. Instead you use the words signs, suspect, report and refer.

CTVET status

CTVET status. No CTVET competency standard for animal health assistants or community animal health workers was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. It follows CTVET's format. Whether the Hub may issue a certificate or list "Animal Health Assistant" as a job title is still to be confirmed with the Veterinary Services Directorate and the Veterinary Council of Ghana.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical. Practical work is done on a partner farm with the farmer's permission, with a trainer present.

Related Hub courses: for housing and rearing of sheep, see Sheep Rearing; for snails, Snail Rearing; for hens, Raising Layers to Point of Lay; for feed, Animal Feed Formulation. This course does not repeat them. It teaches health, hygiene, records and referral.

Unit 1 · Safety and the law: what you may and may not do

Know your limits before you touch an animal. The kindest helper is the one who knows when to call the vet.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
1.1 Know the law	explains who may diagnose, prescribe and treat, and what an owner may do
1.2 Know your role	sorts tasks into safe helper tasks and tasks for a vet
1.3 Know who to call	names the roles of the veterinary officer, district office and laboratory
1.4 Keep safe at work	wears the right clothing and washes hands correctly

Range. Goats, sheep, cattle, pigs and chickens on a partner farm. Evidence. Oral questions; the may and may not sort; hygiene checklist.

What the law says, in plain words

The Veterinary Surgeons Law, 1992 (PNDCL 305C) creates the Veterinary Council of Ghana, which keeps the register of vets.
Only a person with a veterinary degree can register as a veterinary surgeon.
Veterinary surgery includes "surgical operation, test, diagnosis, advice and treatment" of any animal.
A registered vet may use the title "Veterinary Doctor" and, under other laws, prescribe and store dangerous and restricted drugs.
It is an offence to use the title of veterinary surgeon, or a name that makes people believe you are one.
The Law does not apply to non-surgical treatment given to an animal by its owner or a member of the owner's household.

So, in plain words: only vets diagnose, prescribe and treat as vets. Owners may give simple non-surgical care to their own animals. A paid helper who treats other people's animals is in a grey area that no source found by the Hub clears, and Ghana has no verified law that gives a "community animal health worker" a licensed right to diagnose, prescribe, sell prescription medicines or inject. That is why this course keeps to what is clearly safe.

The law may change. The 2017 review said the 1992 Law "does not address veterinary paraprofessionals" and noted a draft Bill. Whether a new law has passed is not verified. Your trainer will tell you if the rules change.

What a helper does

Look closely at animals and write down the signs
Take temperature, pulse and breathing safely, and note body condition
Handle animals safely
Keep pens clean, and help with disinfection and biosecurity
Keep records
Give first aid that an owner may give: stop bleeding with pressure, rinse a wound with clean water, give shade and water, keep the animal calm and apart
Help on vaccination days organised by the Veterinary Services Directorate: calm and hold animals, write names and numbers, bring farmers together. A veterinary officer does the vaccinating
Teach farmers simple hygiene
Report suspected serious disease and refer the farmer to a vet

What a helper never does

Never: diagnose as a vet, prescribe, choose or dose antibiotics, dewormers, trypanocides or tick killers, inject prescription drugs, sell prescription medicines, cut or operate (including castration), help animals in difficult births, put an animal down, open a dead animal, or say "I can cure it". For each of these the answer is: ask the veterinary officer.

The law does allow unregistered persons to castrate very young animals in some cases. It is still a cutting act with a risk of pain and infection, so this course does not teach it. Ask a vet.

Who does what

Person	What they do
Veterinary officer (district or regional)	Diagnoses, prescribes, treats, vaccinates, orders quarantine, directs disposal. Reports up the line from district to region to the Chief Veterinary Officer in Accra
Veterinary laboratory	Tests samples. A Takoradi Veterinary Laboratory exists; its services and prices are not verified
Farmer or owner	Is responsible for the animals, may give simple non-surgical care to his or her own animals, and pays
You, the helper	Look, measure, keep clean, record, give owner-level first aid, report and refer

The Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) controls vaccines and the private sector handles most other veterinary drug sales. Veterinary drugs are also sold in unauthorised places by unregistered people. You must never become one of those sellers.

Who to call in Western Region. The Regional Director of Veterinary Services for the Western and Western North Regions was Dr Simon Gbene in July 2026. The office address, phone and WhatsApp number were not found. Your trainer will give you the number, and you write it on your contact page in the logbook. Until then, go to the district MoFA or veterinary office. No farmer hotline for animal disease was found.

Your own safety

You can be kicked, bitten, crushed or infected. Wear boots, overalls, an apron and gloves. Wash hands with soap and water after animals. Do not eat or drink while working. Keep children away. More on this in Units 3 and 6.

Hand washing and kit check

Take off rings and watch. Roll up sleeves.
Wet hands with clean water and apply soap.
Rub palms, backs of hands, between fingers, thumbs and nails for about 20 seconds while a partner counts.
Rinse and dry on a clean towel or let air-dry.
Check your kit: boots clean, apron clean, gloves without holes, nails short, cuts covered with plaster.
Fill in the hygiene checklist in your logbook.

May or may not?

Write OK if a helper may do it, or VET if it is for a vet only.

a. Counting the breaths of a goat. b. Choosing an antibiotic for a coughing goat. c. Rinsing a small cut with clean water. d. Giving an injection of a prescription drug. e. Writing down the date a cow stopped eating. f. Holding a goat steady while the vet vaccinates it. g. Opening a dead animal to find the cause. h. Calling the district veterinary office. i. Selling a bottle of dewormer. j. Cleaning a pen and then disinfecting it.

Know your office

Find the district MoFA or veterinary office nearest you. Write its location, how to travel there, and any phone number you can verify. Ask one farmer who they call when an animal is sick.

Check yourself 1

Who may diagnose, prescribe and treat as a vet?
May an owner give non-surgical care to his or her own animal?
Name three things a helper does and one thing a helper never does.

Unit 2 · Know the animal: normal signs, temperature, pulse and breathing

You cannot see that an animal is sick until you know what well looks like. Learn "normal" first.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
2.1 Know a healthy animal	lists the normal signs of a healthy animal
2.2 Take temperature	takes a rectal temperature safely and records it
2.3 Count pulse and breathing	counts pulse and breaths for 15 seconds and works out the minute rate
2.4 Score body condition	feels and scores body condition of a goat or sheep

Range. Goats and sheep (practise first), then pigs, cattle and chickens as available. Evidence. Observation; readings in the logbook; oral questions.

Local names

English	Twi (Fante spelling may differ; ask your trainer)
goat	abirekyi
sheep	odwan
cow	nantwie
pig	prako
chicken	akokɔ
dog	kraman

A healthy animal

A healthy animal is alert with its head up, stands on all four feet, has bright eyes with no discharge, a clean nose (the muzzle of a cow is moist, that of sheep and goats cool and dry), no dripping saliva, a smooth coat, firm droppings and clear urine, and eats and drinks normally. It chews the cud for about 6 to 8 hours a day (if a ruminant) and walks normally.

A sick animal

An animal may be sick if it stands apart from the group, is slow to move or lies down, has eye or nose discharge, chews slowly, has very soft droppings or strains, kicks at its belly, stops chewing the cud, does not eat, or has a raised temperature. These are signs. You write them down. You do not give a disease name.

Daily look: head to tail

Watch the herd from a distance for two minutes before going in. Who is apart, limping, or not eating?
Count the animals. Write the number.
Go in slowly and look at each: eyes, nose, mouth, ears, coat, skin, feet, belly, back end (droppings), udder or scrotum.
Check feed and water: is it clean, is it taken?
Write what you saw. Use words like "left eye watery" and "no cud chewing since morning".

Normal temperature (rectal)

Sources give slightly different ranges, so use both and also learn the animal's own usual reading.

Animal	Merck range (°C)	FAO example (°C)
Sheep	38.3 to 39.9	39.0
Goat	38.5 to 39.7	39.5
Pig	38.7 to 39.8	39.0
Dairy cow	38.0 to 39.3	38.5 (cattle)
Beef cow	36.7 to 39.1	38.5 (cattle)
Chicken	not given	42.0

FAO says body temperature may be 1 °C above or below these values. Young animals are usually about 1 °C higher than adults.

Rule. A reading 1 °C or more above the animal's usual reading, or above the top of the range, is a sign to tell the vet about. A fever is not a diagnosis.

Taking the temperature, step by step

Temperature

Get a helper to hold the animal. Stand to the side, not behind.
Check the thermometer. A glass one: shake it down below 35 °C. A digital one: switch on and clear it. Tie a string and clip so it cannot be lost.
Put a little clean lubricant (Vaseline or clean water) on the tip.
Lift the tail to the side. Push the thermometer in gently, about 5 cm (2 inches) for sheep, goat and pig and about 7.5 cm (3 inches) for cattle, tilted so the tip touches the wall of the rectum and not a dropping.
Hold it. Wait half a minute for a glass thermometer (FAO), at least one minute (AU-IBAR), or until a digital one beeps.
Take it out and read it without touching the bulb. Write the reading, the time and the animal's name.
Wash the thermometer in cold soapy water and disinfect it. Do not use hot water. Keep it away from heat and sunlight.

Order. Count pulse and breathing first, then take the temperature, because handling stress raises the others.

Pulse and breathing

Pulse for adult sheep and goats is about 70 to 130 beats a minute, felt on the inside of the top of the back leg. For cattle it is about 40 to 80, felt under the base of the tail. A pig has no good pulse point; feel the heartbeat behind the front leg.
Breathing at rest should be smooth and regular. For goats and sheep a commonly quoted rest rate is about 12 to 20 breaths a minute. Books disagree on other species, so for cattle and pigs learn the normal count of the animal you know when it is well. This range was not checked by a Ghana vet.
Counting method. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4. For breathing, watch the flank: one rise and fall is one breath.

Pulse and breathing

Let the animal rest quietly for a few minutes with a helper.
Find the pulse point. Count the beats for 15 seconds with a timer. Multiply by 4.
Watch the flank. Count the breaths for 15 seconds. Multiply by 4.
Write both numbers. Then take the temperature.
Practise on three healthy animals until your numbers are steady. Write them: these are your baselines.

Body condition score (goats and sheep)

Score by feel, not by eye. Goats and sheep are scored from 1 (very thin) to 5 (very fat).

Stand beside the animal with a helper holding it.
Feel the backbone behind the last rib, and the short ribs sticking out from the backbone (the loin).
For goats, also feel the breastbone and the ribs, because goats carry little fat over the loin.
Score: 1 the backbone is a sharp ridge and fingers go easily between the ribs; 3 the backbone is smooth and rounded and the ribs are barely felt under an even layer of fat; 5 fat is thick, with dimples, and ribs cannot be felt even with firm pressure.
Write the score. Half-points are used for goats.

A healthy goat is commonly 2.5 to 4.0. A drop of one point over a few weeks, or a score of 1 to 2, is a sign to tell the vet and the farmer. Body condition scoring for cattle and pigs was not found; use the simple rule "ribs and hip bones easy to see means thin", which is general knowledge and not verified.

Work it out (all readings are examples)

a. You count 28 pulse beats in 15 seconds in a goat. What is the rate per minute? Is it within the FAO range? b. You count 38 beats in 15 seconds in another goat. What is the rate? What do you do? c. A goat's temperature is 39.2 °C. Another goat's is 41.0 °C. Using the Merck range, which one do you report? d. You count 5 breaths in 15 seconds in a sheep. What is the rate per minute? e. A goat's usual temperature is 38.8 °C. Today it is 39.9 °C. Within the Merck range? Report?

Baselines

With the farmer's permission, record temperature, pulse and breaths for three healthy animals on three different days. Write them in a table in your logbook with the date and time.

Check yourself 2

Name four signs of a healthy animal.
Why do you count pulse and breathing before taking the temperature?
In a goat, a pulse count of 30 beats in 15 seconds is what rate per minute?

Unit 3 · Handling and restraint without hurting yourself or the animal

A calm animal and a calm helper are safer than a strong helper. Most injuries happen when people hurry.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
3.1 Understand behaviour	explains flight zone, blind spot and herd behaviour
3.2 Restrain small stock	holds a goat or sheep safely with a helper
3.3 Work around large animals	stays safe around cattle and pigs
3.4 Handle poultry	picks up and holds a chicken correctly

Range. Goats, sheep and chickens (hands-on); cattle and pigs (observe and assist an experienced handler). Evidence. Observation; oral questions.

How animals think

Flight zone. Every animal has a space around it. If you step inside, it moves away. Work at the edge of the flight zone to move it.
Point of balance. For cattle it is at the shoulder. Behind the shoulder, the animal moves forward; in front of it, it moves back.
Blind spot. There is a blind area directly behind large animals; they may kick if you startle them, so never walk or stand right behind a cow.
Stress. A stressed animal may need 20 to 30 minutes to calm down. Shouting, prodding and rushing make the flight zone bigger.
Goats climb and jump and need firm control of the head. Sheep follow the flock and are easier to move as a group, but hard to hold alone.
Dangerous situations. Boars, sows with piglets and cows with calves can be dangerous. A source for safe handling of these was not found: do not handle them without an experienced handler.

Safety rules for every job

Always work with a helper
Wear boots, overalls and gloves
Work in a pen with a solid wall, a gate and a way out for you
Keep children and visitors away
Never kneel or stand behind a cow
Keep your voice low; move slowly
Never tie a rope around your hand or body
Stop if the animal is too wild. Call the owner or an experienced handler

Holding a goat or sheep, step by step

Hold a goat

Choose a small pen with a solid wall. Remove sticks and anything the animal could be hurt on.
With your helper, approach slowly from the front and side. Talk quietly.
Control the head first: place one hand under the jaw behind the ears.
Place your other arm around the chest or hold the animal against the wall or between your legs.
If you must tie, use a simple rope and a knot you can undo at once (a quick-release knot).
Do your job (look, measure). Keep the time short.
Release gently. Let the animal walk away. Wash hands.

Chickens

Hold a chicken under the body (the chest), with its wings held against its sides, or by the legs for a short moment only. Ducks are held differently; ask your trainer. Wash your hands after every chicken.

Hold a chicken

Catch the bird calmly in a small space, in the evening or early morning when it is quieter.
Slide one hand under the chest, fold the wings in, and hold the body against your side.
Look at the eyes, nose, comb, feet and vent; feel the breast bone and the crop.
Put the bird down gently. Wash hands.

Pigs and cattle

Pigs and cattle are heavy and can hurt you. Small pigs can be held without a rope; bigger pigs may be roped with a loop in many ways. Always watch an experienced handler first. Use a crush or race for cattle if the farm has one; a helper should never go into a pen with an angry animal.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake	Fix
Rushing	Slow down; calm animals are easier
Working alone	Get a helper
Standing behind a cow	Stand beside, near the shoulder
Chasing	Use a small pen and walk the animal into a corner calmly
Holding too long	Do the job, then release
Pulling the rope tight on your hand	Use a quick-release knot

Plan a safe job

A farmer asks you to check a goat that has stopped eating. List five safety steps you take before you touch the goat.

Watch and write

Watch a farmer move animals for 15 minutes. Write what he or she does that is calm and what makes the animals run. Draw the flight zone of one animal.

Check yourself 3

Why should you not stand behind a cow?
What do you control first when holding a goat?
Why should you always work with a helper?

Unit 4 · Clean housing, disinfection and biosecurity

Most disease walks in on boots, hands, tools and new animals. A clean pen and a closed gate cost far less than a sick herd.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
4.1 Clean a pen	removes dung and bedding, washes, dries and disinfects in the right order
4.2 Use disinfectant safely	mixes a registered disinfectant exactly as the label says
4.3 Quarantine new animals	sets up and records a quarantine pen
4.4 Apply biosecurity	sets up a visitor log, a footbath and one set of boots per pen

Range. One pen or poultry house on the partner farm. Evidence. Observation; cleaning record; quarantine and visitor logs.

House design and feed rations are taught in Sheep Rearing, Raising Layers to Point of Lay and Animal Feed Formulation. Here you learn the cleaning and hygiene routines.

Tools and materials (Ghana names and where to buy)

Item	What it is for	Where to look
Rubber boots ("wellington boots")	Walking in dung and water	Takoradi market, agro-input and hardware shops
Overalls and aprons	Keep clothes clean	Market stalls, uniform sellers
Disposable gloves and heavy gloves	Protect your hands	Pharmacies and hardware shops
Shovel, rake and wheelbarrow	Removing dung	Hardware shops
Stiff brush and broom	Scrubbing floors	Market, hardware shops
Buckets (the plastic "Veronica bucket")	Water and disinfectant	Markets
Detergent or bar soap	Washing	Markets
Registered disinfectant	Killing germs after washing	Agro-input or veterinary shops; buy only FDA-registered products with the registration number and an expiry date on the pack
Hand sprayer	Spraying disinfectant on walls and equipment	Agro-input shops; keep one for disinfectant only
Footbath tray	Dipping boots at the entrance	A shallow plastic basin or a concrete tray
Visitor book and pen	Visitor log	Stationery shops

Prices of these items in Takoradi were not verified; ask three shops and write the prices in your logbook.

Cleaning order

The order is: remove dung and bedding, wash with soap and water, let dry, then disinfect. Disinfectant does not work well on dirt, so washing comes first. The detailed method and strengths for Ghana products are not given here: follow the label of a registered product and any advice from the veterinary officer.

Clean and disinfect a pen

Move the animals to a clean place. Never spray disinfectant on animals.
Put on boots, overalls, gloves and a mask.
Remove all dung, old bedding and feed leftovers. Put them in a heap away from the pen and water.
Wash floors, walls, feeders and drinkers with soap and water and a stiff brush. Rinse.
Let everything dry in the sun and air.
Mix the disinfectant exactly as the label says, measured with a clean cup, in a clean bucket. Do not mix two products together.
Apply to floors, walls and equipment. Leave it for the time on the label.
Rinse feeders and drinkers well with clean water before animals return.
Wash tools and boots. Wash hands. Write the date in your cleaning record.

Chemicals can hurt you. Some strong disinfectants burn skin and eyes. Caustic soda is named in some disease control guides for vehicles, shoes and equipment, but it is hazardous. Do not use it unless the veterinary officer says so and shows you how. Wear gloves and eye protection, keep chemicals away from children and food, and store them in labelled containers.

Quarantine

A new animal can bring disease. Keep new arrivals apart from the herd for at least 30 days (extension advice; Source: Oregon-Footrot). Empty poultry houses for at least 15 days between batches.

Set up a quarantine pen

Choose a pen away from the herd, with its own feeder, drinker and tools.
Put the new animal in. Write the date, species, number, where it came from and the date it can leave.
Look at it every day: eyes, nose, droppings, appetite, temperature on day 1 and day 7. Write what you see.
Look after the quarantine animals last each day. Wash hands and boots after.
If it shows signs of illness, keep it apart and call the vet.
When 30 days are finished and the animal is well, tell the farmer and write the date it joined the herd.

Biosecurity: keeping disease out

A fence and a gate that closes
A visitor book: name, date, where they came from
A footbath or boot-wash at the entrance, and one set of boots per pen
Wash hands before and after animals
Do not share tools, buckets or feeders between farms
Keep new animals in quarantine
Keep sick animals in a separate pen and look after them last
Do not feed pigs uncooked kitchen waste or meat scraps (a general rule for African swine fever; the exact Ghana rule was not verified)
Report sudden death of many animals at once

African swine fever has no vaccine, so biosecurity is the main protection. In August 2025 over 200 pigs died of confirmed ASF at Sogakope in the Volta Region.

Footbaths

A footbath at the entrance is used for poultry and for foot rot. For foot rot, sheep and goat guides use 10 percent zinc sulphate, soaked for about 5 to 30 minutes depending on the source, once a week for four weeks, and sources differ. Which product, strength and time to use on your farm is the vet's advice, not yours. For people's boots, ask the vet for a registered disinfectant and mix by the label.

Dead animals

Do not drag a dead animal to a stream or leave it for dogs. Do not sell or eat meat from an animal that died suddenly or from a notifiable disease. For suspected serious disease, the veterinary officer sets the disposal method; do not bury or burn alone unless told. No Ghana rule for ordinary deaths was found; your trainer will ask the district office.

Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake	Fix
Disinfecting dirty floors	Wash first, then disinfect
Stronger mix "to be sure"	Use the label strength; stronger can hurt people and animals
One bucket for everything	Keep disinfectant bucket and drinking bucket separate and labelled
New animal straight into the herd	Quarantine for at least 30 days
Visitors walk in freely	Visitor book and footbath
Same boots for all pens	One set of boots per pen, or wash boots between pens

Mix and plan (example numbers)

a. A label example says: mix 100 ml of disinfectant in 10 litres of water. How much for 25 litres? b. A farm has 3 pens. You clean one pen in 90 minutes with a helper. How long does the whole farm take if you clean one pen after another? How would you plan the order if one pen has a sick animal? c. A new goat arrives on 5 October. What is the earliest date for it to join the herd, after 30 days of quarantine?

Audit one farm

With the farmer's permission, use the biosecurity list above and tick what the farm already has. Write three simple changes the farmer could make this month and what each costs (ask local shops; write "not verified" if unsure).

Check yourself 4

What is the correct order: disinfect, wash, remove dung?
For how long should a new animal be kept in quarantine at least?
Who decides how to dispose of an animal that may have died of a serious disease?

Unit 5 · Spotting illness early, keeping records, reporting and referring

The farmer who calls early saves more animals than the farmer who tries many things first. Your notes are what make a call useful.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
5.1 Spot illness early	lists early warning signs and checks animals in a routine
5.2 Keep records	fills health log, register and death log correctly
5.3 Know the main diseases	names the key signs and the right action for each disease in this unit
5.4 Report and refer	prepares a clear call to a veterinary officer

Range. Records on a partner farm; role play of a call. Evidence. Completed records; role play; oral questions.

Early warning signs

Not eating, or eating slowly
Standing apart from the group or lying down more
Eye or nose discharge, coughing, fast or hard breathing
Very soft or bloody droppings, or straining
Limping, swollen joints, a swollen or hard udder
Stopped chewing the cud
Raised temperature (see Unit 2)
Weight loss; falling milk or eggs
Abortions, still births
Sudden death

Records: what to keep

All forms are examples for you to copy into a record book.

1. Animal register

ID or tag	Name	Species	Sex	Birth date	Source

2. Health log

Date	Animal	What I saw (signs)	Temp	Pulse	Breaths	Body score	What I did	Who I called

3. Deaths and abortions log

Date	Animal	Signs before	How many	Reported to	Date reported

4. Visitor and movement log

Date	Name	From where	Animals moved in or out

5. Quarantine log (Unit 4) and 6. Vaccination and medicine register (Unit 6).

A community animal health worker in the AU-IBAR training toolkit keeps a veterinary register and reports regularly.

Diseases to know: signs, what you do, what the vet does

Signs only. The signs below help you decide when to call. You do not name the disease to the farmer as a certain fact, and you do not treat it. Say "this may be a serious disease, I suspect it, let us call the vet."

Disease and animals	Signs to watch (from guides)	What you do
PPR (sheep and goat plague)	Sudden high fever, depression, eye and nose discharge, mouth sores, severe diarrhoea, breathing difficulty, abortion, death in about 5 to 10 days	Separate sick animals; do not move or sell animals; wash hands and boots; call the veterinary office. Vaccine exists but treatment is the vet's decision. In the AU-IBAR toolkit, a CAHW inspects all animals twice a day for 7 days and reports
Newcastle disease (chickens)	Depression, loss of appetite, greenish diarrhoea, breathing problems, tremors or paralysis, swollen comb and wattles, drop in laying, sudden deaths	Separate sick birds; footbath and boots; do not sell or move birds; call the vet. Prevention is vaccination and hygiene
African swine fever (pigs)	Bleeding, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea, red or blue-purple belly and ears, high fever, sudden deaths of many pigs	Do not move or sell pigs, nor allow visitors or vehicles in; report at once. No treatment or vaccine
Anthrax (cattle, sheep, goats)	Sudden death of a healthy animal, sometimes bleeding from nose, mouth or anus	Do not cut open or skin the carcass. Do not eat or sell the meat. Keep people and dogs away and call the district or regional veterinary office at once
Trypanosomiasis (cattle, pigs, small stock; spread by tsetse and biting flies)	Weight loss, pale gums and eyelids, intermittent fever, swollen lymph nodes, watery eyes, falling milk	Tell the vet; the vet chooses any drug and dose. You can help by pointing out fly-heavy places to avoid. A 2024 study in two forest-zone districts of Ghana found tsetse and found the parasite in about 46 percent of pigs tested
Mastitis (udder infection)	Hot, swollen or hard quarter; changed milk; less milk	Milk the sick animal last; do not use the milk without vet advice; wash hands. Prevention: clean dry bedding, wash and dry teats before milking, clean hands
Foot rot (sheep and goats)	Lameness, smelly foot	Keep the animal apart; keep ground dry; tell the vet. Do not cut into the hoof
Worms, ticks and lice	Weight loss, pale eyelids, diarrhoea, rough coat, ticks and itching	Tell the vet. Do not worm all the animals on a calendar, since resistance is real; the vet decides who needs treatment
Rabies (dogs and any mammal)	Behaviour change, aggression or unusual calmness, drooling, paralysis	Do not touch. Keep away. Anyone bitten or scratched goes to the nearest health facility at once, and the animal is reported to the nearest veterinary centre

Ghana's current official list of notifiable animal diseases was not found, and the old list in the Diseases of Animals Act was described as outdated. So use a simple rule: sudden deaths, many sick animals at once, or any of the signs above in more than one animal: report.

Reporting line

Reports go from district veterinary officers to regional officers to the Chief Veterinary Officer. Digital tools exist: a mobile app, EMA-i+, is being used by the VSD to receive reports in real time, with community animal health workers trained in the north. How farmers themselves report through it is not stated, so for now phone or visit the district veterinary office.

Make a call that helps: SBAR for animals

This is a teaching tool made for this course, to help you speak clearly.

Make the call

Before you call, write on paper:

Species and number. "Goats, 12 in the pen, 3 sick."
Signs and when they started. "Since yesterday, not eating, runny nose."
What you measured. Temperature, pulse, breaths, body score.
What has been done. "Separated from the others; cleaned water; no medicine given."
Where. Village, farm name, how to reach it.
Photographs or short videos if it is safe to take them.
Say what you need: "Please advise and come to see the animals."
Write the date, time and the name of the person you spoke to. Follow their instructions.

Referring: what the farmer should hear

"I cannot tell you for sure what it is. Only a vet can."
"Keep the sick animal apart, give it clean water and shade, and do not give any medicine until the vet says."
"Do not sell, slaughter or move it until we hear from the vet."
"I will help you write down everything for the vet."

Write the report (example case)

On Monday morning, a farmer says that 4 of his 20 goats stopped eating on Sunday, have watery noses and loose droppings, and one is breathing fast. You take temperatures: 40.6 °C and 41.0 °C in two sick goats, and 39.1 °C in a healthy goat. One kid died overnight. Write the call script using the 8 steps and decide whether to report as an emergency.

Records for a week

For one week, fill the health log for 5 animals on a partner farm, daily if possible. Bring it to class. Also write the number you would call and a one-minute call script.

Check yourself 5

What does SBAR in this course remind you to say on a call?
You find a cow dead suddenly with blood at the nose. What three things do you NOT do?
Why should the sick animal be looked after last?

Unit 6 · First-aid awareness, medicines, vaccination days and diseases people can catch

Keep the animal calm, keep it clean, keep yourself safe, and call the vet. Leave the medicine to the vet.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
6.1 Give owner-level first aid	stops bleeding, rinses a wound and keeps an animal calm, apart and shaded
6.2 Understand medicines	explains withdrawal periods, resistance and safe buying and storing
6.3 Help on vaccination day	keeps records and handles animals under a vet's direction
6.4 Protect yourself	explains how diseases pass from animals to people and the protections

Range. Owner-level first aid; concept of medicines; vaccination day support. Evidence. Observation; oral questions; records.

First aid that an owner may give

These are things an owner or the household may give, and you can help. They do not replace the vet.

Small wound

Put on gloves. Get a helper and restrain the animal (Unit 3).
If bleeding, press a clean cloth on the wound firmly for several minutes. Do not remove the cloth to look.
When bleeding slows, rinse the wound with plenty of clean water to wash out dirt. Remove loose dirt gently.
Keep flies away. Keep the animal in a clean, shaded place with water.
Do not put any medicine, spray, oil, herb or powder on the wound unless the vet says. (Some guides recommend sprays and antibiotics; this course does not teach them.)
Note the time and what you did. Call the vet if the wound is deep, near the eye or a joint, will not stop bleeding, is dirty, or the animal is not eating.

For all of these, do not give home remedies. Keep calm, keep apart, give shade and clean water, note the time, and call the vet: heat stroke, bloat (swollen left side), poisoning, snake bite, difficult birth, broken bones, a fit. These steps are general good practice and were not taken from a Ghana source.

Safe handling of medicines by owners

Only buy from a registered outlet, with the FDA registration number, batch number and expiry date on the pack. Keep the receipt. Veterinary drugs are sold in poorly controlled places in Ghana, which is risky.
Follow the vet's plan and the label exactly. Do not change the dose or stop early.
Withdrawal period. This is the minimum time between the last dose and using meat, milk or eggs. It makes sure no drug residue is left in the food. It differs by product, species and food, and foreign examples are not for Ghana. The label and the vet set the time. Write the end date in the medicine register and do not sell or eat before it.
Resistance. Misuse of antibiotics makes germs resistant; antibiotics should be used only when really needed, and good hygiene reduces the need. So never "keep some for next time", and never share medicine between animals or farms.
Leftovers. Do not keep or reuse leftover medicines. Ask the vet how to dispose of unused medicine; no Ghana rule was found.
Storage. Away from children and food, in the original container, out of sun and heat, and as the label says.

Vaccination day helper

The VSD controls vaccines; the farmer and the helper do not choose a schedule alone. An official Western Region vaccination calendar was not found. Your trainer will ask the Regional office for it and for their rules on helpers. Whether non-staff may help on a campaign, and on what terms, is not verified, so ask first. In other places, community workers have worked alongside veterinary officers in a PPR campaign.

Vaccination day: your jobs

Before: tell farmers the date and time, tell them to bring the animals and a notebook, and prepare a pen with a clean floor, shade and water.
Make a list: farmer name, village, phone, species and number of animals.
During: keep animals calm, hold them as the vet asks, keep children and visitors out of the way, and keep the vet's work area clean.
Write for each animal: date, product name, batch number and expiry, who gave it. Copy these from the vet.
Watch for animals that look unwell afterwards and tell the vet.
After: keep the list and note the next date set by the vet. Never decide the next date yourself.

Cold chain awareness. Most livestock vaccines are kept at about 2 to 8 °C; freezing can ruin some, heat damages others; in a bag a vaccine reaches outside temperature within about 20 minutes, so transport is the weak point; a cool box with ice packs around, not touching, the vials helps. The label comes first. The Newcastle I-2 vaccine is thermotolerant but still needs cool transport. You do not handle or store vaccines unless a vet or the VSD gives you that job and instructions. Ghana cold chain rules were not found.

Diseases people can catch (zoonoses)

Disease	How it passes	Protect yourself
Rabies	Bite or scratch of an infected animal, mostly dogs. Almost always fatal once signs show; prevented by vaccination	Never touch a strange or sick dog or any odd-acting animal. Wash any bite or scratch with soap and water, go to a health facility at once, and report the animal. Dogs and cats need yearly vaccination
Anthrax	Touching or eating meat, hide, bone or wool of an animal that died of it; skin anthrax starts as a painless sore, then a blister, then a black scab	Do not open a suspected carcass. Wear gloves. See a doctor with such a sore. In July 2026 the VSD in the Western regions warned about old anthrax burial sites at Tarkwa
Brucellosis	Birth fluids, afterbirth, aborted calves, raw milk. In North Tongu, 10.1 percent of cattle farmers and 22.9 percent of cattle tested positive in one study	Wear gloves for births and abortions; boil milk; keep the cow apart; let the vet direct disposal of afterbirth
Others	Germs on hands, dung and water	Wash hands with soap after animals; no eating or drinking while handling; keep children away; disinfect boots; wash clothes

In Senegal, 70.3 percent of cattle farmers surveyed helped cows give birth without gloves and none knew brucellosis. It shows why gloves and teaching matter. Report any suspected animal-to-human disease to the nearest health facility.

Dress and protect

Put on boots, overalls and an apron before you enter.
Put on gloves; use a mask when the work is dusty or involves an abortion.
Cover any cut with a waterproof plaster under the glove.
At the end: take off gloves inside out and throw them in a bin; wash hands; wash boots and apron; change clothes before going home.
If you feel fever, aches or a sore after work, tell the doctor you work with animals.

Withdrawal date (example)

The vet gives a goat a prescription drug on 3 October. The label example gives a meat withdrawal period of 28 days. What is the end date? The same label gives 7 days for milk; what is the end date for milk? What do you write in the medicine register?

Medicine register

Make a medicine register page with these columns: date, animal, drug name, batch and expiry, prescribed by, withdrawal end date, receipt kept. Fill in one example from a vet's note on the farm, with the farmer's permission.

Check yourself 6

What do you do first with a small bleeding wound?
What is a withdrawal period?
A dog has bitten a farmer. What two actions follow?

Unit 7 · Your location, business and brand

A trusted helper sells care, records and good advice, not medicines. Honest work, clean hands and clear prices win trust.

Competency standard

Learning outcome	Performance criteria — the trainee…
7.1 Choose a safe business idea	sorts ideas into safe and unsafe for a helper
7.2 Cost and price	works out costs and a fair monthly fee
7.3 Choose a location	judges where to work and where to buy supplies
7.4 Market yourself	plans a name, message and ways to reach farmers

Range. The trainee's own plan. Evidence. Costing sheet; one-page plan.

Safe business ideas

Ghana has no verified licence that lets a helper treat or sell prescription medicines, so the safe ideas do not depend on them. Foreign projects show that income for community animal health workers comes from fees and from selling medicines, and that service is often held back by unclear scope, weak supervision and low pay. Hub trainees should use the safe model.

Farmer-group health helper. Visit a group of farmers each month to check animals, take body condition and vital signs, coach hygiene and biosecurity, keep records, organise vaccination days, and refer to the vet. Paid by a monthly fee per farmer.
Pen cleaning and biosecurity service. Cleaning and disinfecting pens with registered products, setting up footbaths and quarantine pens, and training workers.
Farm health records service. Health registers, medicine and withdrawal logs, and help with reporting.
Livestock supplies shop (no prescription medicines). Feeders, drinkers, buckets, rubber boots, gloves, thermometers, brushes, registered general disinfectants, ear tags, record books, cool boxes. No prescription antibiotics, dewormers, trypanocides or vaccines. Which licence a veterinary-only shop needs, and what it may sell without a prescription, was not found: ask the FDA and the Pharmacy Council before stocking any medicine.
Partner with a licensed vet or registered veterinary pharmacy for referral.

A licence exists for a higher level, "Veterinary Technician (Veterinary Para-Professional)", with formal training; a third-party website lists an application fee of GH¢2,000 and an annual retention fee of GH¢1,000 (page edited 1 May 2025, not an official page). Your course does not make you one, but it is a path to think about for later study.

Do not advertise treatment or cure. Say "check, clean, record, refer".

Costs and prices

A farm visit has costs: transport, gloves, soap and disinfectant, phone data, record books and your time. Ghana prices of thermometers, gloves, boots, buckets and disinfectants were not found; ask shops in Takoradi and write the prices down. A vet call-out fee in Western Region was not found either; ask the district office.

Price a monthly service (all figures are examples)

You serve 20 farmers. You charge GH¢30 per farmer a month. Your monthly costs are transport GH¢150, gloves, soap and disinfectant GH¢80, phone data GH¢40, and record books GH¢30. a. What is the total income? b. What are the total costs? c. What is the profit? d. How many farmers do you need to cover your costs? e. The profit is what percentage of the income?

Shop margin (example)

A bucket costs you GH¢12 and you sell it for GH¢15. What is the profit per bucket and what percentage of cost? How many buckets must you sell to make GH¢60?

Location

Near clusters of farms: look around Akwidaa and nearby districts; which districts have most small stock is not verified
Near the district MoFA or veterinary office and a main road
Near a market where goats, sheep, cattle and pigs are sold (Takoradi market is not verified for this)
Where supplies can be bought and where a vet can be reached
Safe water and a place for cleaning tools

Market yourself

A simple name that says what you do: "Farm Health Helper" or "Animal Care Helper". Not "vet" or "veterinary doctor".
Talk to farmer groups, church groups, market associations and cooperatives; offer a free talk on hygiene.
Use WhatsApp groups, a notice board, radio spots and VSD campaign days.
Show your clean boots, records and a simple price list. Be open that you refer sick animals to the vet.
Ask satisfied farmers to tell others.

Accessibility

Many tasks can be done by people with different abilities. Record keeping, farmer education, hygiene supervision, shop work and phone calls to the vet can be done by people with physical, hearing or sight impairments. Helpful adjustments are a seated handling station, a ramp to the crush, large-print records, pictorial charts, voice notes for records, and a partner for heavy restraint and lifting. In FAO's 2025 PPR work in Ghana, women and persons with disabilities were targeted because they depend on sheep and goats. The heavy or risky tasks (restraint, lifting) always need a helper.

Business plan

Choose one safe idea from the list.
List your costs and set a monthly fee or a price list.
Choose where you will work and why.
Write your name, your message and two ways you will meet farmers.
Write the one sentence you will say to every farmer about calling the vet.
Write a one-page plan and show it to your trainer.

Talk to farmers

Talk to three farmers. Ask: What animals do you keep? What went wrong in the last year? Who did you call? What would you pay for monthly? Write the answers and what you learned.

Check yourself 7

Name two safe business ideas for a helper.
Why must a helper avoid selling prescription medicines?
What name must you never use for yourself?

Glossary

Term	Meaning
Baseline	An animal's own normal readings when well
Biosecurity	Steps that keep disease out of a farm
Body condition score	A score from 1 to 5 for how fat or thin an animal is, judged by feel
CAHW	Community animal health worker, trained by a project to support vets
Cold chain	Keeping vaccines cool from the maker to the animal
Disinfectant	A chemical that kills germs on clean surfaces
Flight zone	The space around an animal that makes it move away if you enter
Notifiable disease	A serious disease that must be reported to the authorities
Quarantine	Keeping new or sick animals apart
Refer	Send the farmer to a vet
Resistance	When germs no longer die from a medicine
Signs	What you can see, hear, smell or measure in an animal
VSD	Veterinary Services Directorate
Withdrawal period	Time between the last dose and safe use of meat, milk or eggs
Zoonosis	A disease passed from animals to people

Logbook

Contact page: veterinary office, district MoFA office, health facility (numbers confirmed by your trainer)
Unit 1: hygiene checklist; may and may not sort; know your office homework
Unit 2: baselines table; body condition scores; temperature, pulse and breathing readings
Unit 3: handling practice notes; watch and write homework
Unit 4: cleaning record; quarantine log; visitor log; farm audit
Unit 5: animal register; health log; deaths log; call script
Unit 6: first aid practice; medicine register; vaccination day record; dress and protect checklist
Unit 7: costing sheet; one-page plan; farmer interviews
Every homework, dated

Self-check quiz

Who may diagnose, prescribe and treat animals as a vet in Ghana?
Name three things a helper may do and two things a helper must never do.
Why do you count pulse and breathing before taking temperature?
A goat's pulse count is 26 beats in 15 seconds. What is the rate per minute?
Name two normal signs of a healthy goat.
Where do you stand to stay safe near a cow, and where not?
What is the correct cleaning order for a pen?
How long should a new animal be in quarantine at least?
Name three early warning signs of illness.
You find a cow dead suddenly with bleeding from the nose. What do you do and not do?
What is a withdrawal period?
Name two safe business ideas and one thing you must never advertise.