[moprabbit]

One of my ewes has had this strawberry foot rot ( which I understand is caused by  dermatophilus bacteria and the orf virus) for nearly 13 weeks now. I've read that it is very difficult to get rid of and I'm certainly finding that. She's had various  injections from the vet and he did originally say that if it didn't respond he would cauterise it. I just wondered if anyone else had had this done to their sheep and if it was successful? Also what does it actually entail? The strawberry footrot is at the back of her hoof - on her heel. I wonder will she need a general anaesthetic or a local one? Would she need to be kept in? So many questions - sorry.   

[Me]

Vet knows best? Surely not!

I have cut off a few of these, they bleed like stink, tbh I don't use cautery as either you leave unhealthy tissue or you burn healthy tissue, I cut it and the wall around the root away and put a serious pressure bandage on the stump of the strawberry. Generally I give a bandage change after a few days and generally it works first time. The growth is not well innervated, just tip, nip and bandage hard while getting covered in blood (bigger growth bigger blood supply) you could give a sedative if the farmer was unable to hold sheepy still.   

[SallyintNorth]

How would one tell the difference between strawberry footrot and a granuloma, Me?  And would the treatment differ for a granuloma?

[Me]

"One" had assumed it was a strawberry foot (granuloma) Sally! So ignore all Ive said if it is infact not!

[SallyintNorth]

I did wonder, 'Me'! 


Strawberry footrot

Granuloma (also sometimes called 'strawberry foot', just to make the confusion even more so), usually caused by over-zealous paring.

[SallyintNorth]

'cauterise' means to burn, either using heat or a caustic substance, waterbuffalofarmer. 

[moprabbit]

Thanks for all the replies. I looked at the links you'd put on your post Sally. The 'strawberry foot rot' my ewe has is nothing like that shown. It's at the back of her heel and is just slightly swollen, black 'pads' - it was a bit sore originally but since I've been putting sudacreme on it - it seems to have improved a bit. It doesn't bleed even if she's been itching at it - it just gets a bit sore. I certainly haven't been clipping her feet too much and as I say it's not on her hoof. So I wonder if it is strawberry foot rot?   

[Marches Farmer]

Do you have a photo?  Could she have injured that area and it's bruised, or got a thorn in it which is gradually growing out?

[moprabbit]

I have a photo of it when I first called the vet out - but I've tried to put it on this post but it won't let me! Sorry. I think the photo is too big or something?

[SallyintNorth]

If you look in Forum tips there's a post about reducing the size of pics so they can be posted

[bloomer]

if all else fails you can email picture to me at david@tas.re and i will add it to the thread for you!

[moprabbit]

I hope I've managed to put the photo on this time following Sally's tip. This is the back of her heel when it was at its worst. It's nothing like this now ,,, the redness has gone and it's not as swollen as it is on the photo. The bit that is swollen is now black and looks a bit like the pad of a dog. Still not sure that photo is there! Couldn't see it on the preview! Anyway I'll post it and see what happens! Sorry if it's not there! Thanks for your offer Bloomer 

[SallyintNorth]

Yes, the pic is there - well done.

It does look very similar to the Merck pic of strawberry footrot to me, but I've never seen it in the flesh.

If it's receding / improving, then I guess they don't want to use more a/bs, so perhaps the pain relief isn't such a bad plan.  But again, I've no experience of this one.

[shep53]

 Your picture shows a mild case of sfr , iv'e only seen maybe 4 cases and all  much worse , you can see the orf  scabs and since you say it is now not red ,scabby, swollen or bleeding then well done you've cured her