Common New Zealand Sheep Diseases

With NZ having about 8 sheep per person (as of 2008), it could be highly useful to know some of the common sheep diseases. That was my study for science today. I am only getting one point from this, so I don't have to write about it. I came across a great article by Dr Clive Dalton, and thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy!

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(FROM THE WEBSITE:)

Footrot

• Cause: Bacteria in the soil and in chronically infected feet.
• Signs: Lame sheep; Sheep grazing on their knees.
• Affects: All ages, and is worst in winter with wet ground.
• Treatment: Trim excess horn being careful not to cut into the quick and cause bleeding; Use antibiotic spray; Put through footbath of copper sulphate or formalin and let drain on concrete before returning to paddock; Cull severe cases.
• Prevention: Cull all persistently chronic cases.

Foot scald

• Cause: Bacteria on long wet spring pasture.
• Signs: Very lame lambs.
• Affects: Mainly young lambs between docking and weaning when pasture is long and wet.
• Treatment: Antibiotic spray or footbath is a lot of lambs are affected.
• Prevention; Graze on shorter pasture.

Internal parasites

• Cause: Different species of roundworms, tapeworms, lungworms, liver flukes.
• Signs: Scouring, poor growth, ill thrift, hollow looking and anaemic.
• Affects: All ages, but especially damaging in young growing sheep.
• Treatment: Anthelmintic worm drenches, and management options e.g. alternative grazing with other species.
• Prevention: Check with veterinarian to ensure correct diagnosis using Faecal Egg Counts (FEC) and correct product to use to avoid drench resistance in worms.

External parasites

Lice

• Cause: Lice & keds which suck blood.
• Signs: Wool on fences where sheep have been rubbing. Wool pulled out from rest of fleece.
• Affects: All ages, mainly those with long wool.
• Treatment: Use correct chemical pouron treatment, spray or dip;
• Prevention: Check regularly for lice on skin at base of wool staple on shoulder. Shear if wool is long.

Blowfly strike

• Cause: Maggots of different species of blowfly.
• Signs: Sheep biting areas of skin; Wool falling out and bare sores. Wet patches on wool.
• Affects: All ages but most often lambs when they are scouring. The Australian green blowfly will strike on any damp sweaty part of a lamb.
• Treatment: Use correct chemical spray; Dag and shear.
• Prevention: Check regularly when weather is hot and humid. Shear and treat with chemical as risks increase. 

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