[andywalt]

Hi All

could I please ask for some advise,  two of my ewes both aged roughly at about 5-6 years old(full mouthed), and they both have foot rot in the same front right foot, they are suffolks i treat it with spray or golden hoof it seems to get better and then a month or so later they start to show signs of a slight limp!!

So far I understand that it can be infectious and as the rest of my flock (45 now) are all good I dont want it to escalate.

there must be other treatments or solutions please can you advise what you have found to be best or should I be looking at culling them?

your thoughts are appreciated please?

many thanks    andy

[Anke]

Is it actually footrot (does it stink?) or is it scald (red/sore skin between the claws)? If definitely footrot a longacting antibiotic, like engemycin (given as an injection) would do it (or Mycotil, but only vet can give that), if scald then blue engemycin or terramycin spray will be enough, but it may come back when conditions (long + wet grass/stalks) are right. If scald doesn't get treated it develops into footrot.

There are also footbaths and stuff available, but I have so far not had to use them.

I wouldn't cull a good ewe because of footrot only.

[jaykay]

Good advice from Anke.

We cured one recurrently rotten foot by dunking it in formaldehyde (formalin), put some in a jam jar and stuck the foot in it. Had to do it x2 but no further problems.  But if scald, just one of those things to prevent shepherds getting relaxed and idle 

[Fleecewife]

Continue the treatment a bit beyond when you think it is better.  We would use long-acting Terramycin given as an intramuscular injection every third day, plus a foot bath of golden hoof or Formalin (which is no longer recommended but it works).  This system worked with an outbreak (can you call it that?) of footrot we had a few years ago.  If it does come back in the same sheep, act promptly and hit it hard.
Commercially ewes might be culled for persistant footrot.  I believe there is evidence that susceptibilty to the condition tends to be hereditary, so it could be that such a ewe would produce lambs with the same tendency.
Our vets say if it doesn't clear up with one injection then cull - but we don't do that.  We have an ancient Shetland ewe who would have been culled years ago on that advice but we persevered and she now has perfect feet, but we don't breed from her.
It is also a good idea to take the individual sheep indoors onto hard standing which is kept clean and dry until the foot has cleared up.

[SallyintNorth]

All good advice.  If it keeps coming back you need a positive diagnosis, particularly in regard to infectiousness and likelihood of infecting the other sheep in your flock - and each year's lambs.

If it is footrot then the other thing your vet can advise on is vaccination against footrot.  I've no experience of it myself but it is supposed to be very effective.

A farmer's view would be that any ewe who repeatedly gets foot problems should be culled when convenient.   Smallholders often approach these decisions differently. 

I personally would not be keeping ewe lambs on from ewes who repeatedly have foot problems.

There are mixed opinions about whether bad feet are hereditary - but some breeds have good feet (Exmoor Horn for one) and some are notorious for bad feet (Suffolks and Texels are both better than they were but not even their breed societies could say they have good feet and rarely have foot problems.)  My personal observations and opinions are that a propensity to foot problems is highly hereditary - but that's not scientific and, although I've worked with many hundreds of sheep and lambs, it has only been over a handful of years.

If the vet says it is footrot, and 43 of your 45 ewes haven't been getting it (nor their lambs) then I would be keeping on all their ewe lambs for breeding / selling as breeders!   

(fleecewife posted while I wrote this, so apols for some reiteration!)

[TheCaptain]

Agree totally with all of the previous advice - I've found the only way to deal with it is to inject with long acting antibiotic plus a covering of blue spray each time you inject (never had to do more than twice).  Make sure they can go somewhere on hard standing and dry for the blue spray to take effect/dry.

There is a vaccination (footvax?) but isn't recommended in (light coloured) pedigree sheep as it apparently leaves two discoloured marks on the skin and fleece at the injection site (middle of the neck?)

[andywalt]

THank you all very much indeed, very grateful for your comments and I need to ask the vet for a long acting antibiotic, I did evrything that you said except the antibiotic, so thats very helpful to know and I will carry on my learning curve

many thanks


andy

[andywalt]

actually I could ask you before I ask the vet? where do you give the injection ? in the same leg? does it make a diferance where in the ewe?
and also long acting so would i give two shots 7 days apart or 14?

[TheCaptain]

In the leg which has the infection, have always injected three days apart.

[feldar]

I agree with the above but i would shy against vaccination if you are a small breeder it leaves unsightly marks on the neck and sometimes a big lump.
We footbath with copper sulphate and a sachet of erythromycin obtained from vet. this works very well for us

[Anke]

Antibiotic always needs to be injected into the muscle - so a short thicker needle, have the ewe preferably tied up against a hurdle, and then push against her and make sure the needle goes into the skin and not just into the fleece (it is easier at this time of year - short fleeces). Then quickly inject and preferably massage a bit on the injection site. If it is a large quantity, two injections are better than one large dose.

[Fleecewife]

actually I could ask you before I ask the vet? where do you give the injection ? in the same leg? does it make a diferance where in the ewe?
and also long acting so would i give two shots 7 days apart or 14?

The antibiotic will work throughout the animals body so no need to give it close to the site of infection.

The usual place for an intramuscular injection is in the thickest part of the muscle of the leg ie the gigot or leg o' lamb.  I find the easiest way to inject, especially if the sheep is struggling, is to plonk her on her backside then lean over and hold the leg you are going to inject into in a bent position.  This relaxes the muscle fibres and makes it easier to put the needle in.  It also makes it less likely that she will tense the muscle and snap the needle than if she were standing.  Part the wool so you can see the bit of skin you are aiming for.  I always use a new syringe and needle for every injection.

Long acting antibiotics are given every three days as that is the length of their action, and you may need to do it only once or a few times, depending on the results.

[andywalt]

thats brilliant, thanks for the advice very concise and helpful, cheers


andy

[Corrie Dhu]

Also make sure you are paring the foot back enough, if there is necrotic tissue or bacteria trapped behind seemingly healthy hoof then they will improve and get worse all the time.  I personally have never found the need to use injectable anti-biotics for foot problems, it is possible to cure it with correct foot trimming and terramycin spray. 

Culling or not is up to you.  It is heritable, and also if you have ewes with foot rot your lambs will be more susceptible to scald.

[andywalt]

yup got that and understand thanks