[Farmsheep99]

Got a sheep here with a swollen upper lip/muzzle. She has some scabs around her mouth and a pretty big scab on her nose, she’s got noisy breathing as well. I think this could be orf but would that cause this much swelling?

[SallyintNorth]

So sorry, have only just seen your post.

Cannot see the pic, can you please retry?

There is another recent thread about orf, with a pic of a nasty case, might be worth having a look see at that too.  Linky

[landroverroy]

Yes it does look like orf. I've found the best treatment is to make a mixture of sulphur and salt (@50:50) and to put it in a container so your animals can help themselves. The scabs will take a while to go but the sulphur:salt mixture will help them dry up and prevent them getting infected, and passed on to other animals.


You can buy sulphur from a chemist as Flowers of Sulphur, or from your agricultural supplier as powdered sulphur, in a tub, or off the internet.   

[Farmsheep99]

So sorry, have only just seen your post.

Cannot see the pic, can you please retry?
 Thanks yes it’s just a short video here.

[SallyintNorth]

I don't think we can do videos on TAS.  Can you upload a still pic?

[Farmsheep99]

I don't think we can do videos on TAS.  Can you upload a still pic?

Yes

[SallyintNorth]

Yup, looks like orf.

It can get quite sore and sometimes puts them off eating.  So it's worth washing it (Daz is the best thing to use, I kid you not) and putting some purple spray afterwards on to stave off further secondary infection.  Also make sure they have soft grass available to eat, and maybe some pellets that won't stick to the sores.  They may have sores inside the mouth which make it uncomfortable to chew, so perhaps also a feed block they can lick.

Remember it's highly contagious, to you and by you, so wear gloves and change your clothes after handling them or being in their pen. 

[Farmsheep99]

Yes it does look like orf. I've found the best treatment is to make a mixture of sulphur and salt (@50:50)

Yup, looks like orf.

It can get quite sore and sometimes puts them off eating.  So it's worth washing it (Daz is the best thing to use, I kid you not) and putting some purple spray afterwards on to stave off further secondary infection.  Also make sure they have soft grass available to eat 

Thanks for the advice. I’ve cleaned her face a bit and used some iodine solution on her. I’ll look into Daz and I’ll see what I can get her for soft foods. As for the sulfur and salt mixture I’ve got a mineral tub out there for them, I’ll check to see the sulfur-salt content in it.

[twizzel]

Brinnicombe Frobut buckets are very effective at treating orf. Or rock salt lumps will do the same thing as the buckets and dry the sores up. I use both to keep orf under control in my lambs out in the field, have to watch the ewes udders but most of my ewes have a bit of immunity now as they’re homebred and have had orf themselves.


In future years you may find vaccinating with scabivax beneficial?