The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Hillview Farm on March 21, 2014, 08:26:20 am
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Having lameness issues with the new bought in sheep ( did check feet when we veiwed them but we had to wait over a month for them to be scanned and they were out) they have bad cases of scald.
Can I foot bath them to get rid of it? If so what with, how many times?
Any other info welcome :) anyone know about footvac? How much it costs?
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Depending on how many you are treating, but I put a quick squirt of teramycin spray on - works superbly. It's designed specifically for scald and really does the trick.
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Are these your Charollais things?
My new Charollais seem to be very susceptible to holding their feet up and looking like there is something wrong but on inspection they have nothing wrong---just wimps I think?
Scald In individual animals I just jab with a LA AB or spray if not too bad
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We have been spraying and jabbing with LA Abs
Yes they are the charollais, they do seem to over react and sometimes there is nothing. The field they were in when we went to pick them up was sodden and we ate now finding we are having to re treat after two weeks ( they are dry in the barn)
Can scald be carried onto my grass?
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Yes, scald is very contagious and can live in the soil. These ewes ideally should be on pasture separate to your other ewes until all signs of the disease have been eradicated.
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Fusobacterium necrophorum causes scald, and is always present - you can't get rid of it; it just exploits damp conditions, lesions or system weakness and multiplies. NADIS suggest "Individual cases of scald can be treated topically using oxytetracycline aerosol sprays. When several animals are affected, walking sheep through a 10% zinc sulphate solution or 3% formalin in a footbath usually provides effective control. It is usually necessary to repeat the foot bathing at weekly intervals throughout the risk period."
And/or lime feeding areas?
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Yes it's contagious. I think I am right that the bug can persist for 3 weeks on pasture.
Lime in gateways and around troughs will help a lot. ;)
Maybe one of the vets can comment about Footvax - my understanding is that Footvax immunises against footrot, which is a different bug to scald. Footrot can sometimes opportunely infect where there is already scald to weaken the foot, but if your problem is pure scald then I am not sure if Footvax would be of any value.
Yes blue spray clears up scald.
You won't want to hear this with new pedigrees.... but if we have to repeatedly treat any sheep for scald, she's marked not for breeding. Proclivity to foot problems is highly hereditary. :( Anyone's allowed to get scald - or even footrot - once, but they need to get better after that. ;)
(And I'd have better foot health in the flock if I could get BH to follow the same protocol with the tups ::))
However, I would certainly allow your newcomers time to adapt to the local buglife - it could be that this bug is on your farm, rather than that they brought it with them, but having not come across it before it's hitting them hard. They may be able to build up immunity to it.
Finally, yes footbathing can help control scald. Formulin is, however, intensely painful on open flesh, so although walking them through a 2% solution every 2-3 weeks (and then standing them on clean dry cement for an hour) will stay on top of the problem, you would have to steel yourself to watch them in apparent agony for a few minutes after the treatment each time. Golden Hoof might be less painful and as effective, but much more of a palaver to administer as they have to stand in it for some minutes.
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Maybe one of the vets can comment about Footvax - my understanding is that Footvax immunises against footrot, which is a different bug to scald. Footrot can sometimes opportunely infect where there is already scald to weaken the foot, but if your problem is pure scald then I am not sure if Footvax would be of any value.
The above may be rubbish.
I have just read the following in an Eblex publication:
Scald is caused by the bacterium Dichelobacter
nodosus which also causes footrot. Infection
occurs through damaged skin.
You can read the whole document from the Eblex Publications -> Better Returns Programme -> Health and Fertility page (http://www.eblex.org.uk/returns/health-and-fertility/). It's Manual 7 - Reducing lameness for better returns. There are good pics of all the foot conditions and advice on treatments and management approaches.
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Interesting inconsistency about whether Dichelobacter nodosus or Fusobacterium necrophorum is the persistent bacteria which causes scald or the short-lived bacteria which exacerbates the condition to footrot.
This Kentucky University paper argues the latter:
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CFUQFjAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.extension.purdue.edu%2Fextmedia%2FAS%2FAS-596-footrot.pdf&ei=WDcsU7KRNs6O7QbO8YCIDg&usg=AFQjCNHWEIy_iDrgpNlKuvoC25A690l-vg&sig2=GyTo1zcf3mmE4_9_MQZ1WA&bvm=bv.62922401,d.ZGU&cad=rj (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CFUQFjAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.extension.purdue.edu%2Fextmedia%2FAS%2FAS-596-footrot.pdf&ei=WDcsU7KRNs6O7QbO8YCIDg&usg=AFQjCNHWEIy_iDrgpNlKuvoC25A690l-vg&sig2=GyTo1zcf3mmE4_9_MQZ1WA&bvm=bv.62922401,d.ZGU&cad=rj)t as does this NADIS bulletin:
http://www.nadis.org.uk/bulletins/lameness-control-in-sheep.aspx (http://www.nadis.org.uk/bulletins/lameness-control-in-sheep.aspx) and the DEFRA lameness in sheep publication at http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/welfare/documents/sheeplameness.pdf (http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/welfare/documents/sheeplameness.pdf), while Sal quotes EBLEX arguing for the former!
Nice if we could all sing from the same bugsheet!
I think Sal is right about footvax only being for footrot.
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If you want to look up exactly what a drug is for and contains eg. Footvax the best place to look is the NOAH Compendium online. Me
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Footvax doesn't help control scald only footrot. Oxytetracycline spray is best. Footbathing is ok but ideally the feet need to be clean before & the sheep stand on clean hard ground for a while after. Running through formalin in a muddy gateway is popular but worse than useless!
The new girls are probably being exposed to a slightly different stain of bacteria on the new holding, plus a bit of drop in immunity from the stress of the move.