Lameness on sheep farms is a never-ending issue and headache for farmers.
Not only is it an animal welfare issue, but the loss in performance and the expense incurred in treating lame sheep, is a costly one for farmers.
You are never going to eliminate lameness from your flock completely. However, it can be minimised.
The main causes of lameness
The two main causes of lameness in sheep in Ireland are footrot and scald (pictured below).
Scald is very common in lambs and is the first stage of footrot.
It’s important that before any control programme is put in place, farmers first and foremost identify what is the cause of the problem.
The causes of lameness in sheep are many and varied, although Teagasc says that 90% of cases relate to scald and footrot, with the other 10% arising from sores, hoof horn lifting and infections.
Managing lameness issues, such as footrot and scald, requires early and appropriate intervention.
The longer an infected sheep is left untreated, the greater the severity of the infection, and the greater the likelihood that the disease will have been transmitted to other sheep in the flock.
Having good handling facilities will go a long way in helping to keep lameness issues to a minimum on farms. Treating individual sheep out in a field is a very labour intensive job when on your own, so having good handling facilities will go a long way in making life easier.
Getting to grips with lameness issues
The first step when treating for lameness is to separate any lame sheep from the rest of the flock.
The next step would be to identify the cause of why the sheep are lame, and treat it accordingly.
Antibiotics may be required in cases, such as for footrot and contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD), so you will have to talk to your vet about the best course of treatment.
Running your flock through a footbath regularly will be a big help.
Batch footbaths, where the sheep can be left standing in the solution for a period of time, are the most effective. Walkthrough footbaths are of limited use except for the control of scald in lambs.
Pairing sheeps’ feet will only make the situation worse, so it should be avoided, while repeat offenders should be culled.
According to Teagasc, there is a vaccine available that will help reduce the incidence of footrot, but on its own, it will not eliminate it (research carried out in the UK suggests its efficacy is in the region of 65%).