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WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
11
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Veterinary surgeon
Adelle Isaacs
XLVets practice
Larkmead Veterinary
Group
Adelle and Andrew meet annually to review
the flock health plan – to go through what
has been happening and look where
improvements can be made. In March (2015),
Andrew asked for some advice on footbathing
solutions and whether he should start vaccinating
for footrot – the main cause of lameness on the
farm. Between them, a proactive campaign
has now been put together which has involved
some radical changes of practice.
Getting started
Andrew’s flock is largely made up of
North Country mules and a few Suffolk
replacements which he buys in to ‘calm them
down’. Ewes are put to Suffolk rams and lamb
down from March onwards, indoors.
Although sheep carry the EID tags, Andrew
has not (yet) invested in any computer
software to link to them and enable their
performance or health to be tracked.
Adelle says: ‘So on this farm it’s not possible
to look back through records and identify
animals which are more susceptible to
lameness. But this shouldn’t be a barrier to
improving animal health. We don’t need to
wait for everything to be perfect! Andrew
wanted to reduce the incidence of lameness,
and so we have developed a system that
works now.
‘We have created some farm-specific
measures to adopt using the 5-point plan
as a basis.’
(See opposite.)
Historically, Andrew has tackled lameness
with annual foot-trimming of all animals, and
then spot-treatment of lame sheep with a
long-acting antibiotic. Footbathing in zinc
sulphate solution has also been carried
out sporadically. The rams have been
particularly prone to lameness, as they tend
to group more closely together.
But last spring, Andrew embarked on a more
focussed and proactive campaign. He went
through the whole flock, inspecting their feet
and rigorously culled out any sheep with
mis-shapen feet or with a toe granuloma.
Then in August, the remaining sheep received
their first vaccination against footrot.
Adelle explains: ‘The footrot vaccine gives
cover for six months. So going forward, the
flock will be vaccinated prior to housing in
January and then again after shearing – this
means there isn’t the extra handling which is
one of the risk factors.
‘The January vaccination will allow enough
time for antibody levels to rise before the
ewes come indoors. If Andrew sees any
limping after this, he will catch them and
treat them separately.’
At Sheepstead Farm near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, farm manager
Andrew Isles runs 320 ewes. He receives help and advice from his
vet, Adelle Isaacs of Larkmead Veterinary Group, on issues as they
arise, and also has a flock health plan.
Adelle Isaacs,
Larkmead Veterinary Group
SHEEP LAMENESS
New strategies
to reduce
lameness in the flock
Adelle checking feet for the cause of lameness