Ethnoveterinary study of plants used by Fulani agropastoralists for treating livestock diseases in Ido agrarian community of Oyo State, Nigeria

A survey was carried out on ethnoveterinary practices used by Fulani agropastoralists for maintaining the health and treating of livestock diseases in Ido agrarian community of Oyo State, Nigeria. Information was collected from fifty cattle herders using interview method with the help of Hausa interpreter and with the aid of questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (cross tabulations) to generate frequencies and percentages. Plants used for various ethnoveterinary and ethnomedicinal purposes were revealed. Information on the type of animals kept and management practices used by the respondents show that 48% kept cattle, goat and sheep. 14% kept cattle and goat, 36% kept cattle and sheep, while 2% kept cattle only. All the respondents agreed to stomach and intestinal worms as the prevalent ruminant diseases in the area. However, 86% of respondents reported seasonal appearance of worm infestations during wet season, while 14% both seasons. Higher percentage of respondents (80%) adopted the use of traditional medicine and conventional drugs in treating animals. 88% showcased the effectiveness of such combination of traditional and conventional drugs as being very effective. 20% of the respondents used the whole plant in formulating herbal preparations. Urbanization, seasonal variations and unquantifiable dosage have been highlighted as challenges encountered in the use of ethnoveterinary medicine in Ido agrarian community. 12% used decoction method of preparation, 50% used infusion, while 30% mixed plant with non-plant to formulate herbal preparations in solving the problem of helminthiasis and other diseases. The respondents who used local remedies claimed the knowledge of ethnoveterinary was passed from the parents to the children, and this keeps going from generation to generation. The results obtained from this study show that the awareness and the availability of ethnoveterinary plants among Fulani agropastoralists in Ido agrarian community of Oyo state is high, and this is responsible for the high patronage and usage of ethnoveterinary plants in this community. Intestinal worm infestations are the prevalent livestock disease encountered by the Fulani agropastoralists in the study area.