[Ina]

Anybody used that? And if so, what's your experience?

[shep53]

Works very well if you have foot rot in your sheep (will not stop scald ) because it is oil based it tends to leave a lump which can last for a year, so shearing has to be done carefully over the lump, if you spend time massaging the site after injection it helps 

[Ina]

Ah - thanks! Where do you usually inject it? Shearing is rather a problem with the Merinos, anyway...

I suppose massaging isn't really an option for several 100 sheep 

[shep53]

Normally a neck injection , sorry i thought you only had a few sheep. I don't have footrot so i don't use the vaccine but i have in the past, on a large flock so no massaging  and at shearing a few of the lumps were cut off

[Ina]

  I don't have any sheep at all... But I often help a friend who breeds Merinos - and believe me, footrot is a problem in a wet country like Scotland... She has thought of using vaccine before, but seemed to be a bit reluctant - probably because of the potential problems at shearing. But it would be so good to at least reduce footrot, for the sheep as well as herself!

[SallyintNorth]

Ina, it would be worth looking at the Eblex and Moredun sites; advice regarding flock management for footrot changes year on year.

Last time I had a presentation from Defra, which would be about 2 years ago, it was all about Footvax but it had to be done with a very robust management programme alongside.  Quite a lot of flock preparation before the vaccination programme; any ewe with recurrent foot problems after vaccinating to be culled, that sort of thing.  Can't remember all the details but sure as eggs is eggs, the advice now will be different anyway. 

[Ina]

Thanks, Sally - there is a very robust management programme in place already... It just seems such an unbelievable input in time at the moment, plus it's stressful for the sheep, too; I was hoping that maybe with the vaccine my friend could get away with not doing feet just about every day I go over there... Especially since her husband can't do much (back problems), and my friend works night shifts as well as doing all the hard work on the farm - and she's not getting any younger. either!

Should have thought of Moredun myself - actually have a brochure here beside the bed - thanks for reminding me!

[shep53]

May i ask are you 100% sure its footrot, CODD is very similar but requires a slightly different treatment . What % are lame at any one time .   

[Ina]

I'm pretty sure it's "proper" footrot. It does tend to clear up if my friend finds time to keep at it constantly - Merinos are simply not suited for a wet country... No wonder they do so much better in Australia! Couldn't tell you the percentage of lame at any time.

[Jcrang]

Does anyone have any advice on CODD? I think we have just found this in the breeding ewes in our flock, we have about 12 pretty lame sheep out of 450 with what looks like an abscess starting on the coronary band and the the infection seems to run under the hoof and in some cases the hoof detaches when trimming the hoof. I have been using a formalin footbath and Terramycin spray but after 4 weeks they have not really improved that much. The sheep are kept on pretty dry ground and regularly put through the footbath. I think I'm right in thinking that CODD is different to normal foot rot/ scald. Does this sound like CODD? If so then I think I need to use a different foot bath chemical and maybe antibiotics? If anyone has any experience of eradicating this kind of infection I'd love to know how you went about it.

[Ina]

I don't think I've ever consciously seen it - but I found this on the web when I googled to remind myself of the differences...

[shep53]

Sounds like you are describing CODD, best to get a vet to confirm and talk about anti biotics.    Antibiotics  and a closed flock

[jaykay]

I had CODD in a tup lamb I'd shown. He had an enormous abscess and then huge hole  in his foot, just where the hoof joins the leg.

In a different league to shelly foot or even footrot I've had to be honest.

This photo shows it: