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This cross sectional study was conducted in October and November 2017 to investigate the occurrence of indigestible foreign bodies in goats slaughtered at Morogoro Municipal slaughterhouse, Tanzania. During ante-mortem examination of goats, the breed, sex, age, origin and the general body conditions were recorded. After slaughter and evisceration, the set of stomachs of 119 goats examined for the presence of indigestible foreign bodies. The results indicated that most of the slaughter goats were local breed (90.8%), female (66.4%), had age >2 years (63.0%), had originated from Dakawa (42.9%) and their general body condition was moderate (65.5%). Out of 119 goats, 22 (18.5%) had different kinds of indigestible foreign bodies in their rumen or rumen and reticulum. A significantly (P<0.05) high proportion of animals with poor body condition (40.0%) had indigestible foreign bodies compared to those with good body condition (9.7%). The observed indigestible foreign bodies were plastic bags (77.3%), maize corns (13.6%), clothing material (4.5%), hairballs (9.1%), stones (4.5%) and fruit seeds (9.1%). Further, a greater proportion (72.7%) of indigestible foreign bodies, were encountered in the rumen. This study found that the ingestion of indigestible foreign bodies is common in goats slaughtered at the Morogoro Municipal slaughterhouse as a result of widespread use with improper disposal of plastic bags. This may cause significant losses in the livestock production. Therefore, it is recommended that plastic bags should be properly disposed of and appropriate policies for solid waste management should be implemented. |
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