Indigenous knowledge is the type of knowledge that is available in the mind of knowers. It is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing and verbalizing since it is not documented. This type of knowledge was generated at local area by indigenous people through interacting with the environment, know-how to accomplish and practices maintained and collected by peoples through generations (Lodhi, 2010). Akull (2007) defined indigenous knowledge as ideas, beliefs, values and norms which are embedded in the minds of people. This knowledge is collected over a long sequence of observations and transferred from generation to generation orally.
Indigenous knowledge plays a key role in improving sustainable farming, animal husbandry practices, increasing the livelihood and disease treatment (Kumar, 2011). According to Belay (2016), indigenous knowledge medicine practices are knowledge and beliefs, integrating with the use of plant, mineral and other animal as drugs. This type of practices was used singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses, and to maintain well-being. Indigenous knowledge is the sum total of all knowledge and practical experience used for disease diagnosis, prevention, elimination and observation handed down from generation to generation verbally (WHO, 2008). Indigenous knowledge medicine was practices of animal health care as a process based on skills of traditional knowledge and methods used for curing diseases and maintaining health of animals (Njoroge, 2006).
In different developing countries, this knowledge provides for communities for problem solving strategies in various activities such as in health sector, education, natural resource management and in agriculture to support and maintain sustainable agricultural crop land management, animals production and climate change adaptation and mitigation (Tabuti, 2003). According to Endashaw (2007), traditional medicine in Ethiopia has been widely used by various ethnic groups and about 90% of livestock population depending on traditional medicine and most of it comes from plants. In Ethiopia 80% of the population used traditional medicine due to the cultural acceptability of healers, the relatively low cost of traditional medicine and difficulty of access to modern health facilities (Kebede, 2006).
A cattle have a numerous uses, for instance for income generation, serve for milk, meat for household consumption, manure for fuel and fertilize; and foreign exchange to the country. The contribution of cattle in the Ethiopian economic context can generally be categorized in terms of food production, supplier of inputs and services for crop production, raw material for industry, cash income and export earning, saving and investment, social functions and generator of employment.
Indigenous knowledge medicine practices for cattle health care is the only asset in the hands of farmers and/or cattle holder to mitigate the impact of cattle diseases treatment and production. There are different types of cattle diseases that affect cattle production in several ways. These cattle diseases have negative effects on international market export; decreases cost of production, reduce the quantity of products and generally cause great loss of income of the farmer. Modern science to diagnosis and treat cattle diseases in the form of veterinary service may not always be readily available to rural farmers. But, to diagnosis and treat different types of cattle diseases indigenous people know a lot about how to prevent and treat different diseases in traditional methods. For example, they use (hora obaasuu) to treat cattle suffering from scabies (cinii), stomach diseases and skin problem, whereby cattle are taken a water body rich in mineral to drink for a few days.
Therefore, in different areas, indigenous knowledge medicine practices of cattle diseases diagnosis and treatment still play an important role. But the mode of application of this knowledge was not equally employed from one local area to another since it given to a specific culture or society and is not organized. Indigenous knowledge practice is only medical practices accessible to the majority living in the remote areas, but currently different youth thinks as a backward practice because it is not in standard format (Abdullahi, 2013).
Even, indigenous knowledge medicines contributed to innovation of modern medicine, for instance the user of this knowledge becoming fewer and fewer in number; since this knowledge was going to be lost (Asante, 2013). Indigenous people want to use indigenous knowledge medicine practices of cattle diseases prevents and treatment since it is cheaper and more accessible in society. However, individuals who are knowledgeable in traditional practices usually try to keep the knowledge secret and remain unwilling to openly teach to others (Mesfin, 2001), because rights of ownership are not protected. This is one of the causes for losing of indigenous knowledge and indigenous people are becoming fewer and fewer in number. On the other hand, indigenous knowledge has not been well incorporated in development interventions (Abdullahi, 2013). Moreover, indigenous knowledge is local or environmentally specific in nature and transmitted orally, the mode of application and preparation in different area and way of preservation also another problem (Kaniki, 2002).
Therefore, this study attempt to identify common cattle diseases identified, prevented and treated using indigenous knowledge practices and clarify the mode of preparation and application of the drugs by indigenous people in the study area.