Sheep Diseases

[mikey]

Ten lessons on Antibiotics:
1-consult with your vet about diagnosis.Know what diseases are prevalent at particular production stages or seasons,remember that some bacteria are only sensitive to certain antibiotics.
2-A sheeps temperature,normal 101-103f,no temperature,no infection,so you should not use an antibiotic.Fever may precede other signs.
3-Treat early.An antibiotic will not remove scar tissue from lungs,prevent the scar tissue by early and adequate treatment.
4-Maintain drug treatment for 2-5 days.Identify lambs previously treated.
5-Prevent problems,do not rely on drugs to replace good management.
6-Check on management shortcomings as a cause of the problem before using drugs.
7-Vary antibiotics,bacteria do develope resistance.
8-Take care of drugs,refrigerate them,keep them out of the sun,do not freeze them.Read Directions.
9-Know the limitations of antibiotics,antibiotics are ineffective in treating diseases caused by a virus.
10-Sick animals usually do not eat,animals too sick to eat,maybe too late to treat with antibiotics,will not make the animal want to eat.If animals will drink,sulfa treatment added to the water.Intramuscular (IM) injections require the least skill and last longer.

[mikey]

Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (opp.mpedi or lunger disease):
this disease usually a disease of older sheep.Lung infection causes sheep to waste away.In younger sheep it may express itself as mastitis and hard meaty udders that produce little or no milk.Since it can be passed from sheep by contact and via colostrum,culling of infected sheep is recommended.
By:R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Pregnancy Disease:
upset or interference in the metabolism cycle of carbohydrates,it is not related in any way to the amount of exercise the ewes gets.Ketones accumulate in the bloodstream and blood glucose levels decline.The ketones are very toxic to the ewe,resulting in death within 2-5 days.Occurs among ewes carrying multiple fetuses and usually only during the last 4-5 weeks of gestation.The ewe stops eating,which reduces her source of carbohydrate.She will seperate from the flock,often wanders aimlessly,may press her head against the barn or feedbunk.Unless the ewe is treated at the first signs,little can be done.Seperate her from the flock,drench her with 1/2 pint proylene glycol twice a day until she eats,and offer her grain.Drenching with glucose,honey,or molasses.To prevent pregnancy disease.Keep ewes gaining weight during the last 4 weeks of gestation.Increase the energy intake by feeding .5-1.0 pound (230 grams-454 grams) per ewe daily.Fat ewes may be more susceptible.
By: R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Caseous Lymphadenitis:
caseous lymphadenitis,which is caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis,is a widely spread disease of mature sheep and a major reason for condemnation of ewe carcasses.The abscesses occur in the lymph nodes and may affect the lungs,liver,kidneys and spleen.Shearing wounds are the major cause and means of spreading the disease.To minimize spreading the disease,shear lambs first and disinfect shearing clippers.
By: R.M. Jordan

[mikey]

Entropion:
entropion,or turned under eyelids,occurs most frequently in and is most damaging to lambs.It is an inherited condition and appears in most breeds.One treatment is to remove a small section of the skin about 3/8 inch below the bottom eyelid,which will draw down the eyelid when the skin heals.Failure to correct the condition will lead to an unthrifity lamb that may remain blind.
By: R.M. Jordan

[mikey]

Polyarthritis:
polyarthritis is arthritis involving one or more leg joints.it may or may not produce pus about the joint.Bacteria causing it are Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis,the same bacteria that cause caseous lymphadenitis in ewes and Erysipelothrix insisiosa,(swine erysipelas).The organism enters the body through the umbilicus or through docking or castrating wounds.To prevent polyarthritis,disinfect the navel cord and docking and castrating wounds.Treatment with antibiotics is only moderately successful.

[mikey]

Urinary Calculi:
urinary calculi,occurs in feedlot wether lambs and rams on high grain rations and in creep fed wether lambs.Mortality is 80-90% of those affected.The usual cause is an improper calicum:phosphorus ratio.High grain rations result in a Ca:P ratio of 1:2 or 1:3.The ratio of Ca:P should be 1.5:1 or 2:1,thus you must add limestone to fattening lamb ration.The addition of .5% ammonium chloride to the grain ration is an effective preventive measure.
By:R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Mastitis:
mastitis (acute pasteurella) is the major reason producers cull ewes.Mastitis is associated with lambs with sore mouth and incorrect drying up of the ewe at weaning.Minimize reinfection by isolating the infected ewe and her lambs.Cull ewes with indications of scar tissue.Mark infected ewes at lambing time.Avoid udder injury,and cull ewes with pendulous udders.Treatment includes giving sulfamethazine at 1 grain per pound of body weight or intramuscular injection of 8-10 cc of tetracycline.
By: R.M. Jordan

[mikey]

Footrot:
footrot ia a grievous disease that almost defies curing.For a small flock of grade ewes,selling out and starting over is the wisest decision.Footrot is caused by 2 bacteria.Foot abscesses may be caused by B.nodosus,but footrot requires the presence of both B.nodosus and F. necrophorum.Moist soil conditions contribute greatly to the cause and spread of footrot.
To control and treat footrot:
trim the hoof wall to the quick in all sheep.
soak affected hooves for 5 minutes in a foot bath containing 90% water and 10% formalin (37% formaldehyde) or 10% zinc sulfate.Zinc sulfate is as effective as formalin ans is safer to use.
isolate limpers and repeat 1 week later.Turn apparently cured sheep into an uncontaminated area.Doing so does create a problem,however,because some sheep thought to be clean actually still are infected.With time and moist conditions,they will reinfect other sheep.Reexamine all sheep and remove any limpers you initially thought were clean.Force sheep to move through a 10% zinc sulfate solution daily for 30 days.This has become the most successful treatment scheme.Sell persistent limpers.If you sell all sheep,wait 3 weeks before bringing in new sheep.
By:R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Sore Mouth:
sore mouth (contagious ecthyma) is caused by a virus.Herpes ulcers develop on the lip and tongue of the lamb and on the udder of the ewe.An abrasion on the lips seems to contribute to its incidence.It is more prevalant in lambs raised on rubber nipples.Vaccinate if you have infected sheep running with susceptible sheep (young lambs).If you show sheep,vaccination is a must.For most sheep it is of little concern.Other than with baby lambs,let it run its course.It is a virus,so antibiotics are ineffective.Vaccinate at 2-3 days if you have had previous problems and have brought in unexposed sheep.
By: R.M. Jordan

[mikey]

Scrapie:
scrapie (wasting disease) has a 2-5 years incubation peroid.Suffolk and North Country Cheviot appear to be most susceptible.An infected sheep rubs it head and rump against buildings or fences,becomes nervous, and develops muscular tremors and convulsions that result in death.Only a small percentage of flocks are afflicted with this rare disease.
By: R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Pinkeye:
about 15% of flockowners surveyed reported pinkeye as a problem.Use tender loving care that includes darkening loafing areas to minimize eye stress,and let it run its course.In 2-3 weeks it usually cures itself.
By:R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Lamb Starvation:
lamb starvation,the number 1 killer of lambs,often is associated with lack of good management.Causes are:
the lamb does not get started,gets no colostrum,75% of lambs that does not get colostrum die,for one reason or another.
the ewe will not claim the lamb.
mastitis.
the teat is too big or too near the ground and the lamb does not find it.
sore mouth.
the ewe cannot feed 2 lambs (mastitis,too little feed).
joint injury or illness.
pneumonia,often is associated with lambs that received no colostrum and thereby lack immune bodies.
difficult parturition.
a genetic will to die,actually,the majority of lambs die for no apparent reason.A genetically caused lack of vitality may well be the cause.
By:R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Pneumonia:
pneumonia,the number one lamb disease,occurs because of a lack of colostrum,because of mastitis milk,or because ewes are heavily infected with pasteurella.99% are infected,so the organism is always present.A lamb contracts pneumonia because it cannot stand such stresses as too little milk,draft,dampness and ammonia off a manure pack.

Diagnosis of sick,unthrifty lambs is relatively simple,because 90% of the time they are either starving or having pneumonia.Strive for early detection and start antibiotic treatment before the lungs have been permanently damaged.

Treatment for pneumonia is to inject the lamb with antibiotics tetracycline,pennicillin or streptomycin plus 1 grain sulfamethazine per pound of body weight.Adequate selenium and vitamin e help the lamb withstand pneumonia.Keep the lamb strong.
By.R.M.Jordan

[mikey]

Coccidiosis:
coccidiosis usually occurs in lambs 4 weeks or older.It is caused by protozoa.Treat with amprolin or sulfamethazine 1 grain per pound of body weight.Rumensin,15 grams/ton in feed prevents it.Rumensin is approved for cattle but not sheep.Bovatec,40g/ton of feed,is also effective.Electrolyte-baking soda or consomme soap are supportive treatments.Lambs usually show blackish,blood-tinged diarrhea and are reluctant to eat.
By:R.M.Jordan