[smee2012]

One of my girls is lame on a front leg. There's no swelling and I can't feel any heat in the leg so I am assuming that it's hoof related. Our pasture is absolutely sodden, and has been for a couple of months now - apart from a few days the other week when the ground was frozen.

I need to get down their with hubby so that he can hold her on her bum whilst I have a good look at the inside part of the hoof. I'm wondering whether scald might be the culprit because of the wet ground. Is this quite obvious when looking? The outside of the hoof looks just about as perfect as it can be! If it is scald, what is the name of the spray that I need to use? If it isn't scald, could it be the beginning of foot rot? What are the early signs of that? I don't want to go trimming her hoof away because it looks (superficially) fine.

Could she have just sprained or bruised something? She's our naughtiest sheep and often jumps up and climbs the fence. Would getting her hoof caught either side of the fence wire (ie the wire going up between the claws)  cause lameness?

Should I leave it a day or so to see if she improves or should I just spray something as a preventative anyway? I don't really have the option of bringing her in - we have a field shelter but not really any way of keeping her in it!

[SteveHants]

Could be anything - you won't know till you look. Scald and rot should be fairly obvious - try and find some pictures. If you are trimming/spraying, try and stand her somewhere dry at least till the spray dries...trailer?

[smee2012]

I've been looking for pictures of both but, as far as I can see, scald just looks pink between the claws and the only foot rot pictures I can find are where presumably it is well set in, rather than just beginning. 

I think what I might have to do, if I do spray (if someone can give me the name of said spray), is to bring her up to the house and stand her in the driveway whilst the spray dries.

[Fleecewife]

Foot rot smells, so part of checking sheeps feet is to sniff them 
 
The spray you want is variously called Terramycin foot spray, purple spray and blue spray.  There are others.
 
As Stevehants says - you need to look first, but look with an open mind.  Yes it could be scald, or footrot, or compacted mud pushed up between the cleats, or an overgrown hoof (needs to be seen from the underneath), a stone or splinter stuck in the hoof, or..............
 
Is there any way you can put some hard standing in your field?  Permanently wet ground is not good for your sheep or their feet, given that they are arid climate creatures.  Even a pile of rocks would give them somewhere dry to play and help wear down their feet the natural way.

[ScotsGirl]

Have a feel over horn and just above. Don't hold too tight and you should be able to feel if any het. If there is it probably an abcess. I have had two with it cos of weather, they went sound now lame again. Looks like antibiotics again. All mine have bad looking feet although sound. Lots of horn coming off which is worrying and no idea what to do.


Sometimes also if you dig out dirt caught between horn and pad it can help or will release pus. Good luck

[SallyintNorth]

If you can't see anything then don't rush in with a knife, give her a few days to see if she just bruised or strained it.  Very often these things clear up on their own.  If it's muddy, there could be small stones within the mud that are sharp to their feet when they sink down onto them (ask me how I know - the mud's claggy enough here to pull wellies off...  )

[Blackbird]

Smee, I keep a can of Footmaster (from Countrywide Supplies) to hand for scald (looks pink and sore between their toes) and if I've accidentally nicked them trimming their feet. I think the Terramycin Sally refers to is only available on prescription from the vet (?). Agree with others that if you can't see anything immediately wrong, give it a day or 2. I've had one lamb lame just from skidding over in the mud when he ran up to me for food, and an older ewe lame with a hot, swollen knee. Both fine after a couple of days.

[Blacksheep]

We often put a wrap on a lame foot to enable the sheep to stay in its field rather than come in. If there is likely to have been a thorn puncture the foot, although not always easy to see, will use an epsom salt solution, soaked into half a disposable nappy, this is then very easy to wrap around the foot and then cover with waterproof gaffer tape, this will help to draw out any infection from an abscess. Alternatively if there is no abscess but some damage then you can use a half disposable nappy again after spraying with terramycin spray, cover with a corner of plastic feed sack and then wrap with gaffer tape, this will help keep the foot dry and protected from mud whilst healing for a couple of days or so.  As others have said sometimes lameness spontaneously resolves and may just have been a bruise etc.

[Anke]

If this sheep is in lamb - don't up-end her! Just get someone to hold her gently, you lift the foot up like you would do a horse/goat/cow. (water proof trousers, as you will have to kneel on the ground!) If you cannot see/smell anything - leave it. Engemycin/terramycin spray often works wonders, if you can get the foot to dry a bit.

[smee2012]

No, she isn't in lamb - she's only 9 months old herself.

When I checked on them this morning, Flossie was absolutely fine again so I'm thinking there might have been a tiny stone or something lodged in there that I didn't see when I lifted her foot yesterday. Or she's been clambering on our pile of logs at the bottom of the field and sprained it!

They all came up the track to have a play in our garden this afternoon, so got to spend an hour on our much drier lawn and gravelled driveway and hard-standing. I've also got some straw being delivered tomorrow so that I can fill the bottom of their shelter with it. That way they've got somewhere dry to stand/lie even if the rest of the field is sodden.

I shall get some of that spray to keep in case of emergency, I used to have it in my tack box (if it's the same as the purple spray for horses) but can't seem to find it and it's probably well out of date by now anyway!

Thanks for all the help

[SallyintNorth]

I know of 3 purple sprays.

Gentian Violet - probably what you had in the horse tack box.  Not so much use on sheep, although I have used it on orf.

Septiclense - general antiseptic spray, good to use to protect wounds, eg, clipping cuts

Footmaster - similar to Septiclense but does have added extras to protect feet.  Good for scald.

The Terramycin spray is usually blue, yes you have to get it from the vet, it's an antibiotic so should only be used when there is a bacterial infection.  So not for protecting wounds which are not infected - use the Septiclense for that.

The other thing you can use for infection or to protect against infection is iodine.

[kanisha]

the gravelled driveway may be responsible for getting a stone caught

[ScotsGirl]

Where do you get septiclense from? I was looking for some copper sulphate past also which vet uses but Scats don't stock it.  I go through a load of Terramycin spray as both vet and sheep friends say use on scald/lame sheep. Mine are a pain to catch so rather treat once than have to keep trying to catch the little sods.

[smee2012]

the gravelled driveway may be responsible for getting a stone caught

Today was the first time they'd ever been out of their field so no, it wasn't that, and, although I said gravelled, it's not actual gravel. Our driveway is very similar to our track - compacted earth and MOT, with grass down the middle.

The girls loved it in the garden    I did have to put my foot down about them trying to follow me into the house though!   

[SallyintNorth]

You'll get Septiclense or similar at your local agri merchant.  It's a Nettex product.  They do a special one for Poultry, not sure what the differences are.

I found it on eBay so you can see what the tin looks like