Mastitis in sheep: types and symptoms, home treatment and prevention

Breast disease (mastitis) in small cattle is widespread. As a rule, mastitis appears in sheep a month and a half after lambing. The damage from the disease is expressed in a decrease in milk, meat, wool productivity of animals. If timely treatment is not started, mastitis can lead to the death of lambs and females. To make an accurate diagnosis, a clinical examination of the mammary glands of the uterus, a laboratory study of milk is required.

Causes of disease

Mastitis usually peaks in May-July. The causes of the onset of the disease can be divided into two groups:

• infectious - mastitis is caused by microorganisms (mainly staphylococci, streptococci) that enter the body through the nipple canal in case of injuries to the mammary glands, nipples. Dirty bedding, unwashed hands of a milkmaid, dirty water used to wash the udder contribute to the appearance of infections;
• not infectious - the causes of mastitis are udder injuries (shots, bruises), nipple cracks, hypothermia, chemical factors (udder treatment with special means).

Massive mastitis in sheep is provoked by difficult weather conditions (cold snap, prolonged rains). In the event of the death of the lambs, it is likely that the ewe will stop lactating, which can also provoke mastitis.

Types and symptoms

The disease in ewes is predominantly acute. There are several forms of the disease:

• for catarrhal mastitis is characterized by a decrease in appetite, increased respiration, pulse, fever. Milk acquires a watery appearance, bluish or yellowish hues. If treatment is not started in time, mastitis becomes hemorrhagic;
• with serous mastitis, there is a lack of appetite, the animal does not move well (lameness on the hind legs may appear), females do not allow lambs to approach the udder. Without the provision of drug assistance in a day, mastitis turns into a purulent-catarrhal form;
• purulent-catarrhal mastitis is manifested by a lack of appetite, high body temperature, an increase in the size of the udder. The animal is predominantly lying down, lameness is observed when walking.

The hemorrhagic mastitis is the most severe, leading to udder gangrene and even death of the animal. Symptoms of the disease: the inflamed part of the udder swells, the skin becomes red-violet. Flakes are present in pinkish or red milk. The ewe usually dies after 2-4 days.

Diagnosis of mastitis

Examination of sheep begins with an assessment of the general condition: measure the pulse, body temperature, evaluate breathing.To make a diagnosis, the udder is carefully felt. During visual inspection, the appearance of the udder, the shape, color of the skin and the presence of skin diseases are assessed, traces of damage or injury are detected.

It is also recommended to visually assess the quality of milk - color, wateriness. To make sure there are no blood clots or any impurities, it is advisable to strain the milk.

How to treat mastitis in a sheep

The danger of mastitis is to provoke irreversible processes in the tissues. Early diagnosis, timely treatment significantly increase the effectiveness of treatment, reduce recovery time.

Medications

For the treatment of sick animals, mainly antimicrobial drugs (antibiotics, sulfonamides) are used. In this case, you need to take into account the nuances of each method of treatment:

• intramuscular administration of norsulfazole three times a day. Once a day, penicillin, streptomycin is injected into the affected part of the udder through the nipple. Cons of the method - the introduction of drugs is laborious, it is necessary to carry out manipulations several times a day;
• practice intramuscular injection of bicillin-3, characterized by prolonged action. The main disadvantage of treatment is that sometimes there is a weak effectiveness;
• a common way is to rub tylosin-based ointments into the diseased part of the udder. The negative side of the treatment is laboriousness (the animal must first be fixed, and then patiently rub the ointment into the nipples).

A good result is observed with complex treatment, when injections of various drugs are combined, rubbing ointments into the udder or nipples. It is also advisable to use physiotherapy - warming compresses, UV lamp irradiation, udder massage.

Folk methods

Home treatment of latent mastitis in sheep is possible in several ways. Medicinal herbs, fresh and baked vegetables, dairy products are used. Popular Options:

• cabbage leaf, grated carrot cake is applied to the affected area of the udder. Vegetables relieve pain, relieve swelling and eliminate inflammation;
• vodka compresses are used in the fight against abscesses;
• Grated beets mixed with honey are applied to cracks. Keep the mixture refrigerated and continue treatment for 14-20 days;
• a kind of ointment for the treatment of injuries, purulent inflammation, edema is made from lard. Dried calendula is added to the melted fat;
• popular recipe with baked onions. Milk, kombucha are added to gruel from mashed onions. The mixture of components is used in the form of a compress with antibacterial qualities.

The advantage of traditional medicine recipes is the absence of harm to the animal's body. But keep in mind that infectious mastitis cannot be cured in such ways.

Possible danger

It is impossible to leave individuals with chronic or purulent mastitis on the farm, since the disease can drag on for a long period. In this case, the infection will spread among he althy sheep.

It should also be taken into account that in case of recovery from infectious mastitis, the milk production of sheep is practically not restored.

We must not forget that during the period of treatment of sheep, milk should not be consumed, since it will contain not only an infection, but also antibiotics. This milk cannot be fed to lambs. Therefore, for the period of treatment, the cubs are not allowed to the uterus.

Prevention measures

First of all, prevention should be aimed at preventing the occurrence of diseases. Common measures:

• compliance with the standards of keeping and nutrition of animals, caring for them;
• for ewes, special boxes are fenced off, where places are provided for newborn lambs;
• sick sheep must be isolated in separate rooms, which are regularly disinfected;
• maintenance of milking hygiene.

Sick animals that do not respond to treatment are culled. Also, you can not leave ewes who have become ill with mastitis several times during the lactation period. In order not to develop severe forms of mastitis, treatment is started when the first signs appear. The main goals of the prevention and treatment of mastitis are the creation of conditions for animals aimed at increasing the protective abilities of the body. It is also important to eliminate the causes that contribute to the occurrence of infections.It is recommended that you check your ewes regularly for dangerous symptoms.

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