Sheep hoof rot: symptoms and home treatment, prevention

The development of foot rot in sheep occurs due to infection of the animal with a gram-negative bacterium. The disease is contagious and leads to serious complications. The course of the pathology is accompanied by decay and destruction of the tissues that make up the hooves. In the absence of adequate treatment, the disease leads to the death of the infected animal. Moreover, after the end of therapy, immunity in sheep to this bacterium does not develop.

Case history. Economic damage

The first cases of infection of domestic animals with hoof rot were registered more than 300 years ago.Initially, this pathology was not distinguished into a separate group, since the causes of the development of the disease were not established. Some researchers have suggested that foot rot is a symptom of necrobacteriosis. Officially, this pathology was isolated as a separate disease in 1938 by a British scientist. This happened due to the fact that the researcher identified the causative agent of foot rot.

The disease is considered highly contagious. In the Soviet Union, during the 50-70s of the last century, mass infection of livestock with hoof rot was recorded several times. Most cases of infection were detected in the southern regions of the country.

The disease causes significant economic damage because:

• reduces the amount of meat and wool obtained from sheep;
• makes offspring weak;
• breaks the normal reproduction of livestock;
• weakens the immunity of young animals to other pathologies.

In case of livestock infection, the volume of extracted meat is reduced by 20-40% compared to earlier indicators, milk - by 20-60%, wool - by 10-40%.

Causes of disease

The disease develops after infection with the anaerobic bacterium Bacteroides nodosus. Infection occurs mainly during grazing in open spaces. The pathogen remains viable in the grass for two weeks, in hooves - one year. Therefore, infection of animals is also possible in the corral.

The following factors can provoke the development of the disease in the herd:

• high humidity;
• unsanitary conditions;
• insufficient space in the corral, because of which the animals are constantly in contact with each other;
• lack of a solid surface in the walking area;
• rare bedding change;
• hoof damage;
• weakened immune defenses.

Infection is more common in autumn and spring when rainfall increases. Therefore, in order to avoid infection, it is recommended to treat the hooves after grazing with bleach, phenol or formalin, which destroy the pathogen.

Symptoms of the disease

Symptoms of the disease, depending on the nature of concomitant factors, appear 5-20 days after infection. Pathology at the initial stage is acute, but over time becomes chronic. This means that footrot symptoms may reappear months after the animal has recovered.

This pathology at the initial stage of development causes:

• reddening of tissues at the site of infection;
• puffiness;
• hair loss;
• formation of mucus in the interhoof gap;
• detachment of the horn shoe;
• the appearance of a fetid odor from the affected hoof;
• discharge of purulent masses.

The infected animal becomes restless and stops stepping on the affected leg. In some cases, the horn shoe falls off. Most often, these symptoms appear on one or two legs, less often on four.

Hoofrot develops in three stages: mild, moderate and severe. Often the disease is cured at the first or second stage. If the pathology can be cured, then the affected tissue is restored. However, after this, deformation of the hooves is noted. Among the characteristic features of this pathology is the fact that the body temperature of the animal does not rise, while the affected area remains hot.

Diagnosis

The primary diagnosis is made on the basis of an external examination of the animal and the collection of information about the symptoms. To confirm the preliminary conclusion, material is taken from the affected area and bacteriological examination of the scraping. The final diagnosis is made subject to the detection of pathogenic microflora in the samples taken.

At the same time, additional measures are being taken to exclude necrobacteriosis. This pathology is characterized by a clinical picture similar to foot rot.

Methods of treating foot rot

The above recommendation regarding the treatment of hooves with formalin and other substances concerns mainly the prevention of infection. But the same solutions are applicable to the treatment of pathology.

As part of the treatment of foot rot, the affected area is treated with 10% formalin or 5% paraform.At the same time, the affected areas are removed with a scalpel and other instruments. After each such procedure, baths with a 10% formalin solution are recommended. It is recommended to cut off the affected tissue with subsequent processing every 2 days until the symptoms disappear completely.

In order to prevent the spread of the disease and the addition of a secondary infection, these drugs must be combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics: Bicillin-5, Biomycin or Nitox 200. It is not recommended to carry out these manipulations at home. This is due to the fact that in order to completely heal the animal, it is necessary to completely remove the affected tissue.

Possible danger

In the absence of adequate and timely treatment, footrot leads to the following complications:

• necrosis of tissues of the affected limb;
• formation of fistulas in different parts of the body, including the oral cavity and udder;
• endometriosis;
• the exhaustion of the animal.

In advanced cases, rotting of the hoof provokes extensive sepsis, due to which the animal dies.

Prevention and immunity

In order to prevent infection of sheep with foot rot, it is recommended:

• Regularly remove manure and change padding in the pen;
• keep animals in well ventilated areas;
• keep the pen dry;
• ensure proper nutrition for sheep;
• hoof cleaning every 2 months;
• treat hooves every six months with a 10% formalin solution or 20% blue vitriol.

As noted, after curing, the animal's body does not develop a strong immunity to the pathogen. Therefore, re-infection is possible. An artificial vaccine given periodically by veterinarians works well for a limited period of time.

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