Abstract

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

Key words: Abattoir, Abscesses, Cattle, Goats, Pigs, Slaughter