Anyone working with sheep will have come across lameness in their flock; irrespective of animal numbers, it can be hard (and at times frustrating) keeping on top of lameness cases when there’s many other jobs to do on the farm. In the UK, there has been a concerted effort in the last few years to try and bring the prevalence of lameness below 2%, as this is a significant welfare issue.
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Less lameness means of course less welfare issues, but also better productivity (and profitability of the flock), less costs (directly related to treatment, and indirectly for loss of productivity, increased culls etc).
Lameness in sheep can be of infectious and non-infectious origin
If you are not sure what is causing your sheep to become lame, you should always consult your local farm vets for diagnosis and the best treatment plan. Antibiotics vary and not all are suitable for every lameness.
Control involves first and foremost treating the affected animals
This shouldn’t be put off until next time sheep are gathered because it’s more convenient that way. The longer a sheep is lame, the more serious the lameness will become and if it’s caused by an infectious agent, the more chances it will have to infect other sheep.
The 5-point lameness control plan relies on 5 actions, with 3 main aims:
1) build resilience: culling repeat offenders (i.e. 2 strikes and out);
2) establish immunity: vaccination (footrot vaccine);
3) reduce disease challenge: quarantine, treat promptly, avoid further exposure.
Practically, what should you do if you find lame sheep in your flock?
Here is a quick guide:
Catch it (them) as soon as possible for inspection and treatment
No more than 2-3 days from when first spotted lame. Depending on your experience and previous cases of lameness, either treat and release if you know what you are dealing with or call your vet for diagnosis. If cost is a concern, many practices would let you take the sheep to their premises and that can often save a farm visit fee (check this with your vet first!). The resources linked below can help give you an idea of what type of lameness your sheep have.
Pain relief is a must; antibiotics are often needed, either in spray form or injectable
Ask your vet for the most appropriate medication and stick to the treatment plan. Don’t try to cut corners or asking for the “stronger” or “longest action” antibiotic. We use what we use for a reason, and bacteria don’t need to be exposed to newer drugs if the first line treatment usually works well.
Keep good records
Specifically, which animals needed treatment, and use this information for culling later in the year (if repeat offenders) and for breeding selection – i.e. try not to keep replacements from ewes or rams that have poor foot conformation.
Maintain fields to try and avoid heavily poached areas
Move feeders often, avoid certain gateways if you know they become a swampy bottleneck. If housed, regular changes of bedding and disinfection will reduce the environmental burden. Isolation of lame sheep ought to be used more, as they are infection carriers and spreaders until they recover.
Talk to your vet
Understand and discuss with your vet the best way to implement the 5-point control plan in your flock.
Foot trimming yay or nay?
New research shows that shears are often best left in the shed. Trimming alone as treatment for lameness is not acceptable; as it doesn’t relieve pain and obviously does not cure an infection. There is enough evidence to show that overtrimming (both in frequency and in amount of horn taken off) is actually a cause of lameness and it can make the hoof weaker, allowing entrance of bacteria.
Additionally, when feet with footrot are trimmed the shears become the perfect vehicle to spread bacteria to other feet, worsening the situation for the individual and the whole flock. Studies have shown that sheep with footrot will recover quickest if given antibiotics injections, pain relief and topical spray. In any combination of treatment protocols, whenever trimming was involved it appeared to cause delay in healing.
If trimming is really necessary (i.e. a tidy up of loose horn flaps, shelly hoof or similar), you should be careful to not remove too much of the hoof wall. The wall should not be pared level with the sole, but leave 2-3mm overhang as this is the main weight bearing part of the hoof. If there are holes with packed muck you should enlarge the hole sufficiently for this to not become packed too tight. Ideally spray and if the horn defect after trimming is significant, it would be best to return the animal to drier ground if possible.
Footbathing: old fashioned practice?
If you speak to any sheep farmer, most will have their opinion on the usefulness of footbathing. Some swear by it and others haven’t really seen any significant benefit. As with most diseases of animals, one size treatment does not fit all. For certain situations, flocks in the hills gathered 2-3 times a year or only affected by scald, footbathing can be a useful tool in controlling lameness, alongside other practices.
Sometimes during an outbreak of footrot it may help in reducing the environmental burden, although it should not be used as the only treatment measure. Products licensed for use in footbaths such as formalin or zinc sulphate are not antibiotics – more like antiseptic. They can help harden the hoof when it is healthy. A diseased foot with lesions, however, is much less likely to be dunked in the footbath because the sheep tend to keep them off the ground!
We should be careful to not let them run or jump through it
For it to have any beneficial effect, the sheep should walk slowly in it; even better if they can stand in it for a couple minutes. Additionally, dirty feet packed with muck will make any footbathing molecule ineffective. So unless we take specific precautions and plan it properly ahead, footbathing can be more of a waste of time than anything bringing actual benefit. If you have any specific questions you should discuss with your vet how to proceed and what to use; the recommendations may vary depending on the type of lameness in your flock.
Lameness in sheep is a serious welfare concern that needs addressing as soon as identified; regardless of the cause, it is a very painful condition which negatively affects quality of life. If we mean for them to live a life worth living before they become our food, it’s our responsibility to provide the best care we can.
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