Common diseases of
sheep
Foot and mouth
disease
It is a highly communicable viral disease
which affects animals. It is characterized with high fever vesicles and blister formation around the mouth teats
udders and the skin between toes and above hoofs. The vesicles later rupture
into uleer. The diseases spread through direct contact with the infected animal
or through indirect contact or infected
manure hay forages water rate birds and livestock attendants. There should be
proper sanitation rotational grazing and annual vaccination. The only control
measure is to bury and burn the infected animal.
Rinderpest
It
is very destructive among cattle buffaloes sheep goats and deer caused by
virus. Infected animals develop high temperature which reaches a peak in a day
or two and lasts for two to seven days.
The animal become dull with congested conjunctiva dry muzzles and loss of
appetite constipation and diarrhea. Lesions show on buccal mucous membrane on
the lip and gum on the seventh to ninth
day. The lesions later develop into ulcer resulting in a loss of appetite
servere dirarrhoea and later the animal
dies. The animal dies. The animal should
be vaccinated using tissue culture of Rinderpest. It must be noted that vaccination
against rinderpest in usually necessary in Africa.
Anthrax
It
is caused by bacillus antharac is (Bacteria). No symptom may be observed before
the death of infected animal but black tarry exudates from the various body
orifices after death. There is always an incubation period of about 1-2 weeks
after which the animal dies suddenly without any sign. The animals could be
treated with antibiotics. The infected animal should be burnt and buried while
the premises should be thoroughly disinfected.
Peste des petits ruminant
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a
highly contagious and infections viral disease of domestic and wild small
ruminants. It is characterized by the sudden onset of depression fever
discharges from the eyes and nose sores in the mouth disturbed breathing and
cough foul-smelling diarrhea and death.
The virus which causes PPR the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) belongs
to the rinderpest virus of cattle and buffaloes the measles virus of humans the distemper virus of dogs and
some wild carnivores and the morbilliviruses of aquatic mammals. To date genetic characterization
of PPR virus has allowed them to be organized into four groups three from
Africa and one from Asia. One of the African groups of PPRV is also found in Asia. The
epidemiological significance of these groupings is less clear at present than
that rinderpest virus groups.
Chlmydia or enzootic
abortion
This
affects two five percent of ewes. This discase has become more prevalent in the
Midwest since 1970. The ewe usually is sick and won’t cat for two or three
days. The placenta is retained and is
brown in colour. The ewe usually has a vaginal discharge Abortion occurs during
the last four weeks of gestation. There is now a vaccine killed bacterin). In
case of an outbreak antibioties help but the low incidence lessens its
practicability.
Pregnancy Disease
Pregnancy disease is an upset or
interference in the metabolism eycle of carbohydrates it is not related in any
way to the amount of exercise the ewe gets. In converting fatty acids and particularly body fat to glucose ketones
accumulate in the bloodstream and blood glucose levels deeline. The ketones are
very toxic to the ewe. Tesulting in death within two five days. Pregnancy disease
occurs only among ewes carrying multiple fetuses and usually only during the
last four-five weeks of gestation. The ewe stops eating which reduces her source of carbohydrate. She separates from the flock
often wanders aimlessly and may press her head against-the barn-or-feedbunk.
Unless a ewe is treated very soon after the first signs are noticed little can
be done. Separate her from the flock drench her with ½ pint propylene glycol twice a day until she
eats and offer her grain and hay. Drenching with glucose honey or molasses or
injecting 40-50cc of 5 10% glucose under the skin also may be used with
reasonable success. If the ewe is not treated the first day however the
prognosis is poor.
To prevent pregnancy disease keep ewes
gaining weight during the last four weeks of gestation. Increase the energy
intake by feeding in addition to hay 5 1.0 pound grain per ewe daily . fat ewes may be more susceptible because they have difficulty increasing in weight have limited feed capacity in
relation to their size and have an abundant amount of fat-to-convert-to-energy.
Mastitis
Mastitis
(acute pasteurella) is the major reason producers cull ewes. Mastitis is
associated with lambs with sore mouth and incurred “drying up” of the ewe at
weaning. The teat is too big or is near the ground and the lamb doesn’t find
it. Minimize re infection by isolating
the infected ewe and her lambs. Palpate udders in the fall and cull ewes with
indications of sear tissue. Mark infected ewes at lambing time. Avoid udder
injury and cull ewes with pendulous udders. Treatment includes giving sulfamethazine
at one grain per pound of body weight (two bolus) intramammary infusion of the
udder (by a teat tube) or intramuscular injection of 8 10cc of tetracycline.
Foot rot
Footrot is 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 eaused by two bacteria. Fusobacterium
necrophorum and Bacteroides nodosus that act synergistically. F necrophorum is
common in most manure it is very hardy and can live for years in manure. It
contributs to footrot in cattle and causes thrush in horses. B. nodosus-apparently
lives only in sheep hooves. It dies out in soil in two weeks it grows very
slowly so the incubation period may be long. Foot abscess 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 five minutes in a
foot bath containing 90% water and 10% formalin (37% formaldehyde) or 10% zine
sulfate. Zine sulfate is as effective as formalin and is safer to-use. Isolate
limpers and repeat one week later. Turn apparently cured sheep into an
uncontamainated area. Doing so does create a problem however because some sheep
thought to be clean actually still are finfected. With time and moist
conditions. They will reinfect other sheep. Re-examine all sheep and remove any
limpers you initially thought were clean. Force sheep to move through a 10%
zine sulfate solution daily for 30 days. This has become the
most-successful-treatment-scheme. Sell-persistent-limpers. If you sell all sheep
wait three weeks-before-bringing-in-new-sheep.
Sore-Mouth
Sore mouth (contagious ecthyma) is
caused by a virus. Herpes uleers 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 prevalent in lambs 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 antibioties are
ineffective. Vaccinate at two three days if you have had previous problems and have
brought in unexposed sheep.
Sore-Mouth
The
ewe can’t feed two lambs (mastitis too little feed etc). joint-injury-or-illness.
Pneumonia which often is associated with lambs that received no
colostrums-and-thereby-lack-immune-bodies.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia the number one lamb disease
occurs because of a lak of colostrums 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 can’t stand such
stresses as too little milk draft dampness and ammonia off a manure pack.
Diagnosis of sick unthrifty young lambs is relatively simple because 9% of the
time they are either starving or have 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 (tracycline penicillin or streptomycin)plus one grain
sultamethazine per pound of body weight. Adequate selenium and vitamin E help
the lamb withstand pneumonia. Keep the lamb strong.
Baby-Lamb Scours
Scours are due to one of many bacteria.
To minimize the problem an adequate intake of colostrum (eight to 12 ounces of
either ewe or cow colostrums) is absolutely essential. Scours may hit the lamb
the first day of life. The lamb succumbs due to added stress (draft ammonia
poor ventilation). Clostridium perfringens type C may be the cause of baby lamb
scours. Vaccinate the ewe four weeks prelambing to prevent it. Treat scours
with a 250 mg letracycline capsule orally injection of 1 cc penicillin or
tetracy line (IM) E coli salmonella often is the cause.
Coccidiosis
Coccidiosis
usually occurs in lambs four weeks or elder it is caused by protozoa. Treat it
with amprolin or sulfamethazine (one grain per pound of body weighty weight). Rmensin
isapproved for cattle but not sheep)Bovatee. 40g ton of feed is also effective.
I lectrolyt baking soda or consomine soup are supportive treatments. Lambs
usually show blacklist blood-tinged diarrhea and are reluctant to eat.
Tetanus: Tetanus is caused by
clostridium tetani which persists in the soil most farms.
Next to horses sheep are the most
suseeptible farm animal. The beteria are anacrobic so wounds in which air contact is
limited are most susceptible to tetanus. Docking and castrating with rubber
rings in tense the incidence of infection. Disinfecting docking and castrating
wounds will minimize it. Infected sheep
become stiff move with a straddled gait
and usually die. Vaccinating with tetanus toxoid and anti-toxin prior to
docking is effective.