SHEEP Lameness Explained Dr Giovanni Capuzzello DVM MRCVS CVP Farm Newsletter Long Stratton 01508 January 2020 www.chapelfieldvets.co.uk Sheep lameness represents a major welfare concern and causes large economic losses. For example, Foot root has been es;mated to cost to the sheep industry £24 million annually. Clinical signs As a clinical point of view persistent lameness can lead to reduced weight gain, metabolic disease in pregnant ewes, reduced birthweight of lambs, mis-mothering and poor colostrum produc9on by ewes. The most common causes…. Scald is the most common cause of lameness in lambs and occurs most commonly when underfoot condi9ons are wet, o<en in late spring. The skin between the claws is red and swollen and covered by a thin layer of white discharge. Footrot is an extremely painful disease and affected animals can lose weight rapidly. There is swelling and moistening of the skin between the claws with infec9on spreading to separate the horn 9ssue of the sole and extend up the wall in neglected cases. There is a characteris9c, foul-smelling discharge. CODD. The sheep show severe lameness typically affec9ng one claw of one foot with reluctance to bear weight. Ini9ally small ulcers develop at the coronary band (the junc9on of the hoof wall and haired skin of the pastern) which can become so severe that the whole hoof capsule detaches. Toe granulomas are painful, red swellings from the growing 9ssue caused by over-trimming or chronic irrita9on from untreated lesions or chemical irrita9on. Some sugges;ons to treat them…. 1- Yard the sheep 2- Separate all those showing signs of lameness 3- Iden9fy the lesion 4- Treat as appropriate 5- Mark the sheep and record ear tag 6- Repeat a<er 14 days and add another mark if lameness persists 7- Cull any sheep that become lame for a third 9me More informa9on can be found on nadis.org.uk/ If you wish to receive information about special offers, promotions, meetings and newsletters etc. directly by e-mail, please send an e-mail message to this effect to: [email protected]
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SHEEP Lameness Explained Dr Giovanni Capuzzello DVM MRCVS
Optimising Dry matter intake to reduce the risk of metabolic disorders in Transition period. DrymaSerintake(DMI)isthefirstlimi9ngfactorinmostdairyra9onsandthe“Keyfactor”toincreasingenergyandnutrientsintake.
• Feed transi9on ra9on 21 days before calving to gradually allow the rumen to adapt to higherenergyfeeds.Inthefirst7-21daysoflacta9ontheycanbeonafreshcowra9onofconcentrateandenoughlongfibreandforagetomaintainrumenstability.
MILKSURE - ARE YOU STILL MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS? There is a requirement for "top up", meaning that to be re-accredited for the year, the vet needs to re-evaluate the medicine use and risk assessment, and the farmers/farm workers need to complete an online assessment. The initial accreditation lasts for one year from the date of initial certificate of completion. So essentially, Dairy farmers need to be aware that there is an annual requirement by both vet and farmer to stay accredited, and this means a specific visit/meeting, or as an adjunct time allotment at a routine for this to be done.
Dr Olivia Turley’s Challenge…..
TEST YOUR CATTLE KNOWLEDGE AND/OR LEARN SOMETHING NEW! CAN YOU ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW? (answers at the bottom of page) Test Your Milk Parlour Testing Knowledge!
1. Lag;mereferstothe;mebetweenforestripping/manualcontactwiththeteatandaHachingtothemilkingcluster.Whatisaconsequenceofnotallowingappropriatelag;me? a) Thecowwillbetoostressedatfirstarrivingintheparlourtoletmilkdown b) ItmakesliSletonodifference;shewillstarttomilknormallywhenevertheclusterisaSached c) ShelikelywillgothroughbiphasicmilkingpaSern(le\ngdownmilkatfirst,thenstoppingforup to2minutes,thencommencingagain) d) Shewillbemoreatriskofdevelopingmas99s
2. Whatistheop;mallag;meforop;malletdownandefficiencyatmilking? a) 30seconds b) 90-120seconds c) 60seconds d) Asquicklyaspossible
