[Pixie]

Hi All
Looking for some advice, one of my sheep has had a prob with her feet from day one (begining of the year) i have always noticed little bits of her hooves break off which i think could be shelly hoof,i have tried mineral drench's with no luck,today i checked there feet whilst moving them to another firld and noticed quite a big chunk has come off so you can see the soft under part, i'm not really sure what to do about it?Was wondering if i should get her in the dry as our fields are often quite wet?Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks x

[mab]

Not an expert but if it's not causing her any trouble then there's a school of thought that you don't need to do anything.

If it's making her limp and it's just shelly hoof (sounds like it to me) then I'd trim all the loose bits right back so there's nowhere for the dirt to stick & fester, clean, then give it a bit of terramycin spray.

[Marches Farmer]

Some sheep just have poor quality hoof and there's very little you can do about it.  Could be genetic, poor nutrition in the dam, past flystrike in the foot or something else entirely.  In this case I'd be inclined to clean the foot thoroughly, spray with antibiotic and keep her in the dry for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.  Often the horn will dry and harden enough to bear weight.  Problem comes when it gets wet again.  Sometimes you just have to cull 'em.  If it can't be improved she may well struggle to keep her condition due to pain when grazing, and will always be susceptible to flystrike in her foot.

[smallflockshearing]

Is she at all lame, and is there any accompanying lesion or inflammation?  If so, it could be CODD - contagious ovine digital dermatitis - and you need to see a vet.

When you say you can see the 'soft part' underneath, do you mean that, mainly, the wall of the hoof extends beneath the sole?  If so, and you have any hard ground, then she could be wearing through the excess horn which is undergrowing the hoof.  This is healthy and nothing to worry about.

[Tim W]

1) If she is limping or otherwise unfit to go to market/abattoir give her AB jab to get rid of any infection that may or may not be there
2) Cull here as soon as you can ---you don't need problem sheep

[Pixie]

Thankyou so much for all your help.She isn't lame and seems pretty happy,there is no inflamation etc the hoof doesnt come all the way down to the floor so what is underneath is on show.I think i will probably get her in clean trim and spray and just keep an eye. She is a pet sheep so i really hope i can get her sorted and not have to cull.

[devonlad]

1) If she is limping or otherwise unfit to go to market/abattoir give her AB jab to get rid of any infection that may or may not be there
2) Cull here as soon as you can ---you don't need problem sheep

I'd agree totally- we have a rule that if its got a name we don't eat it- but last year Lola's feet were always a problem. we'd tried all options to clear it up but she just seemed predisposed to having dodgy feet. she went in the freezer

[ZaktheLad]

She sounds as if she will be fine - especially as not lame etc.  Just keep an eye on her and there really is no need to cull her if she is a pet and she is happy enough. 

[Pixie]

Thankyou does make me wonder if we ended up with dodgy sheep,we lost one of the three to a heart problem in the summer, my husband tells me sheep just like to die!!!!

[Marches Farmer]

Unfortunately, because some folks don't cull for problems and breed from poor sheep, problems can be spread through a whole flock.