[supplies for smallholders]

Hi SfS.  What are the active ingredients of the Orf Paste?

Hi,
Sorry for the delay, a motorist took down all our phone lines over the weekend, so no internet either.

The Active ingredients: 1,5 pentanedial in a petroleum based soft emollient cream.  Each 200g gives approx 100 applications and is applied to the sores. In the trials a single application appeared to clear up sores in around 5 - 7 days.

Thanks

[princesspiggy]

is orf just found on sheep?

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

No - Its a type of viral infection - people can catch it as well off infected sheep.

If anyone is interested I will post some Pics and the trial report on my site - but be warned some of the links to pictures of bad cases of orf are pretty grusome.

Thanks

[landroverroy]

Hi S f S, I'm not decrying your 2,5 pentanedial, but when you have a flock of 100 sheep+ it is not practical to check them all for orf scabs, let alone apply it. The sulphur + salt allows them all to treat themselves and ensures it does not recurr.  Applying an ointment may cure those you see at any one time, but not does stop it affecting the rest. Once you have got orf it can spread throughout the flock for the next few months unless you treat them all at the same time. In addition, you do not want to be handling sheep with orf because, like you say, it can be caught by humans. I know - I've had it.     

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

All Im doing is offering an alternative by way of a newly launched product that can be used as and when required.

I posted the report if anyone wants to download and have a read about orf, the pics in the report are OK but there are links in the text that lead to pics of some pretty nasty cases of orf - be warned!

anyway, link is here: http://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/orph_paste.doc Ill leave it there for a week or so then remove it.

Thanks

[landroverroy]

Have looked at your link and I am impressed by the speed at which your product clears up the sores. However, the link  does stress that this is a very infectious virus and I still maintain that you need to treat all your sheep once  you have an outbreak; and  sulphur + salt is the easiest way of preventing it spreading. It would appear that a combination of both treatments is probably the ultimate solution, in particular where you have few sheep affected but a large flock that could potentially catch it. 

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

Can I just say its not my product - its by Net Tex. Im just bringing it to the attention of the forum users.

Thanks

[Freddiesfarm]

I got orf last year and the only thing to clear it up was a herbal thingy called Thuja occidentalis - this is a pine extract.  You buy it as a tincture and can either dab it on directly or add it to the water to give everyone a little of it.  I found an article on it last year from Farmers weekly or something along those lines.

Worked for me - make sure you a fully gloved if you are handling lambs with it as the slightest scratch is an open invite to this little bug.

It could be that it is just in your soil and barn and in a period of stress (which for sheep is everyday life) it can flare up - its a bit like cold sores in that respect.

[Freddiesfarm]

Forgot to say - you can vaccinate against it too, but that means possibly introducing it to animals which do not have it.

Pros and cons either way - I try to isolate infected animals and ensuring they are boosted with mutli vitamins and it usually clears fairly quickly.

[Pebbles]

We're going to try using 'scabivax' this year as we've had lambs with orf for the last three years. Zinc ointment does help heal it but prevention is better than cure.

Anyone used scabivax before? We're going to use it on the ewes next week when we worm and 'covexin' them.

 

[landroverroy]

Yes I've tried it and didn't find it much good. Still got orf recurring . What does treat all your  animals with minimum stress (to all) AND stops it recurring is to mix equal quantities of sulphur (from chemist) and salt. Leave it out for sheep to help themselves. Have mentioned it earlier on this post. It's a very old cure, but trust me - it works.   

[welshie79]

HI,i wanted to know how much sulphur you would need for 100ewes also how much it costs ruffly. do you ad it to their feed or just mixed in a separate tub. the problem we have is that 50ewes have lambed and are no turned out around half of them and their lambs are infected the vet is advising scratching them and all new lambs,we have another 50 to be brought in to lamb but are luckily borrowing a friends shed as hoping they will not then catch it so wanted to know more about the sulphur and salt. also if we disinfect should we be safe for next year and what can we do about the sheep to stop having it next year and year after. any feed back much appreciated

[cooper956]

we lambed for the fisrt time last year and at about 3 months the lambs got orf teated with terimicine spray and it cleared up maybe on its own spoke to the vet the other day and hes sending use some  scabivax this year

[landroverroy]

 Hi Welshie79 - can't remember how much you use as it's some years since I've had orf now.
 However, you buy it from the chemist as Flowers of Sulphur, mix with a roughly equal quantity of salt and leave it in a seperate container to the feed. They'll eat it readily because of the salt. Keep replenishing it till there's no more signs of orf.
 I definitely would not vaccinate as it's a live vaccine and you then have the potential of the scabs dropping off and leaving a reservoir of the virus for next year. The sulphur seems to kill the virus entirely and you don't get a re-occurence in following years unless you have introduced a fresh source of infection. 

[LucyMGreenfield]

I caught Orf last year and it was dreadful! Does anyone know if it can recurr spontaneously like coldsores? My little finger has that mix of MADDENINGLY ITCHY/painful which i am afraid might be a recurrence? (i haven't begun lambing yet)