The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: dizzykizzy on March 08, 2014, 09:13:46 pm
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Sheep very lame on front foot, she was turning it under her rather than walking on it. We penned her in and found a small round sore patch underneath sort of on the edge of where her foot is split. I have been bathing it daily in hibiscrub and spraying with tetcin from the vet for over a week now and it is much more comfortable for her, she is walking on it now but it is still red and sore looking and today I noticed her hoof seems to be coming apart in a wider ring round the sore patch. Her hoof is quite soft I assume because of my soaking it everyday. Should I be getting the vet to come?
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if its scald - engymycin spray/jag will clear it up quickly. wont do any harm if its not. I think you will need to get it from the vet though.
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Thank you for replying, tetcin is oxytetracycline hydrochloride, is that no good? I'm going to google what you suggest :)
Looked it up and it is the same drug. I'm worried the time it is taking to get better and that her hoof seems to be breaking away now.
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Alamycin spray, clears it up in 24 hours, did 3 of my lambs yesterday and they are totally sound today. x
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have you brought her inside to give it chance to dry out?
that's what we did with our goat. her took a while to heal as it got quite bad as we used the wrong spray at first.
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Thanks all, alamycin is also the same drug but we have been using it for over a week and there is still a red patch. She doesn't seem sore on it except when I dry it off with cotton wool. We have got her in on straw but it's not drying because I keep washing it in hibiscrub. Should I stop washing and just spray?
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There are several things it could be, including Strawberry Footrot and CODD (Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis). Do you have a photo?
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Hoof coming away means there's more than just scald going on. It could've started as scald and then a secondary infection got in. Generally one or two treatments of antibiotic spray would clear scald up (and no hibiscrub needed.)
Can you take her to the vet for an expert opinion? Otherwise can you post a few pics?
Is there any smell? Pus?
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No smell, no pus but when I cleaned it off with a soft brush yesterday it started to bleed again. She's not sore on it but it's just not healing ????. I think we will have to get the vet to her she's too big to transport anywhere!
I will try and get a photo today. Thanks all.
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If its not sore and bleeds easily then strawberry foot suggestion does sound likely, a photo would be helpful, if sf then get the vet to come and cut it back for you
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when my goat had scald between her toes, it was very painful for her, and the treatment did work very well - so maybe it isn't scald.
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Vet is coming at 5, I'll let you know.
Just googled strawberry footrot and some of the pictures look a bit like it but her foot isn't smelly or rotting I don't think. We'll see what they say but thank you to everyone who has taken the trouble to reply :)
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Vet has been, he said it is a strawberry and has given her an anti-inflammatory to be repeated in 2 days. If it doesn't heal with the oxytetracycline spray he said the next step would be to cauterise but he doesn't really want to put her through that :( so we may end up losing her. Fingers crossed it clears up.....
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fingers crossed for you both? what age is she?
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Spray wont heal it, cuatery is old fashioned and often makes it worse. The best and only treatment IMO is to cut it back hard with a scalpel inc all the surrounding horn, dig out the "root" of the tissue.
(Blood will spurt big time but its not too painful as its granulation tissue).
Then create a pea sized lump of cotton wool and bandage it in place to exert pressure on said root for several days.
Then change the bandage cutting back the area again though much less vigorously - cure
Failing that you can cut the affected claw off - dramatic but you know where you are. They cope well with one.
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She is 6 this year.
Vet is young so I'm surprised he suggested cautery over what you suggest? Seems like we are wasting our time spraying it then and it isn't going to get better on its own :(. Don't know whether to put her through surgery or just let her go.
Can anyone tell me why this has happened and how I can try to prevent it in my others please?
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Some sort of insult to the soft tissues within the hoof caused for eg. by over enthusiastic hoof trimming possibly then compounded by chemical irritation by a formalin footbaths etc the foot responded by producing granulation tissue which poked out through the defect in the hoof wall, pressure exerted by the wall on this tissue stimulates it to grow further and so on and forth. Its one scenario.
Trim carefully to prevent damaging deep structures of the hoof and if you notice damaged horn avoid footbaths until you know how deep the defect is
ps euthenase her if you feel it is the right thing to do but as I say it should not require anaesthetic and should be largely pain free as it is granulation tissue. Does bleed like hell though so be prepared! Have your pressure bandaging gear at the ready. Don't wear your favourite white suit.
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Thank you. She has only ever been a pet so hasn't ever been in a footbath. Their feet get trimmed once a year and only again if really bothering them. The vet commented on how good her feet were, he said far to many people trim too much. Our shearer always does them hard, I wonder if that's where it started. Vet was not in favour of bandaging her foot, he said it is very difficult to keep in place and if it comes off the risk of infection is high. I don't want to kill her off but have to do what is best for her. Friend who farms sheep for a living said send her to market :(
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once its cut back patching the defect with artificial hoof works really well. it stops further irritation from dirt & movement and maintains integrity of the hoof wall while the defect grows out. the local farrier will have some if the vet hasn't any.
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You can't send her lame, you will be done. So either pts or sort it out would be my advice. I have sorted a fair few with the method outlined above, difficult to bandage and get the pressure where you want it and not where you don't, but very achievable if you are happy to pay for two visits
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On a farm scale, if she isn't limping, then sending her to market makes the most sense. However it sounds as though you may prefer to make your decision based on other factors.
(And yes, if she's limping you can't transport her, so she'd have to be shot / pts on farm. If you'd want to put her in your own freezer the vet may be able to write you a certificate saying she's fit for human consumption, but I don't know if you have anyone who would come to the farm to slaughter and butcher for you. We have a chap will come to slaughter and take away cattle that can't be transported, but whether anyone would turn out for one old ewe...)
I've seen a fair few of these granulomas treated, with and without cauterising, with and without bandaging and with and without Cheviot paste. Sometimes the granuloma comes back and the animal can't be kept sound, but often one treatment is enough.
I wouldn't get too carried away with the spectre of 'an operation' - to the sheep it'll just be a rather vigorous foot-trimming session and there will be a lot of blood afterwards. (Oh, and if the cost of an 'operation' was a concern - the vet won't think ill of you if you ask for a quote! It shouldn't be too expensive - a callout, a simple procedure, a few jags.)
If she's not in lamb and she walks sound then market is an option. If she's lame, or you don't want to put her in the fat or eat her yourselves, then I'd get the vet to cut it off - the op won't kill her and might give her another few years. ;)
If she is in lamb, then if she's now comfortable on the foot then personally I would leave it until after she's lambed and then get the vet to cut it off.
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Thank you all again, she's not really lame I don't think, hard to see as she is penned and she's definitely not in lamb (as an aside how old is too old to be in lamb, not that I'm thinking of breeding from my sheep!)
The farrier will be here on Friday, is it worth asking him if he can cut it out? How would I manage it after though? Would it need to be bandaged or not? When can you use the artificial hoof?
Otherwise I have the number of the hunt but also wonder if local butcher would take her and we can feed her to the dogs....that's awful isn't it, poor Dolly :(
I'm not too worried by the cost of an operation if it gives her quality of life again. I will talk to the vet again.
I'm not sure she is consumable after these anti-inflamm injections either?
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I have spoken to the vet again and he is advising to leave it be for now. He feels it is too tiny to have a stalk and he wants to see whether it is growing. He has advised me to give the second jab tomorrow then let her out in the field with the others and watch her for a week to see if she is lame and then to check if it has grown any. It is currently less than 1cm which he says is much smaller than what he normally observes.
Feeling a bit more positive for her ...... :)
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I let a farrier trim my sheep and goats feet and he made a right mess of them. never again.
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good advice shygirl :), the vet said the current view is not to trim them back hard and let them do it naturally if possible.
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Too old to lamb question: it depends! Some of my Southdowns have produced 11 sets of twins. Every ewe is individually assessed on her merits - at lambing, during lactation, after weaning and before tupping. Condition, mouth, feet and udder must be excellent. She must lamb without problems and mother up straight away if a ewe and within a day if she's a first-timer. She must milk well and become pregnant during the three weeks the tup is in. On this basis some ewes are discarded after four pregnancies and some go on and on. Because the early cull ewes will produce fewer lambs, over time the average top age of the ewes will tend to increase as those ewes produce more lambs, some of which will hopefully have inherited their dam's qualities.
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Too old to lamb question: it depends! Some of my Southdowns have produced 11 sets of twins. Every ewe is individually assessed on her merits - at lambing, during lactation, after weaning and before tupping. Condition, mouth, feet and udder must be excellent. She must lamb without problems and mother up straight away if a ewe and within a day if she's a first-timer. She must milk well and become pregnant during the three weeks the tup is in. On this basis some ewes are discarded after four pregnancies and some go on and on. Because the early cull ewes will produce fewer lambs, over time the average top age of the ewes will tend to increase as those ewes produce more lambs, some of which will hopefully have inherited their dam's qualities.
My oldest girl had her last set of twins at 14 years. Cracking twins and she is still in fine health but retired now at 16. Only problem i had in her last pregnancy was that her skin got very itchy over her stomach area where she was stretched for her ballooning tummey, she rubbed loads of wool out. Under order of vet I rubbed sudocrem all over her sides everyday for 3 weeks until lambing. stopped her itching, she had lovely skin down her sides and smelt gorgeous! As soon as twins were delivered and her tummy shrunk she stopped itching!