Hoof Rx
September 16th, 2013 · 2 Comments · Posted in farming
I noticed one of our sheep limping recently and feared we might have a case of hoof rot. This is a terrible disease caused by two very specific bacteria that take up residence in overgrown hooves and eat at the soft tissue to the point that sheep can no longer walk and graze. Once one sheep has it, it can spread to the entire flock and it can be terribly difficult to get ride of.
I went online and ordered a pair of special hoof trimming shears. Next, I drove the eight miles to our local Tractor Supply for some disinfectant and hoof treatment solution. I wasn’t looking forward to wrangling this full-grown ewe and trying to get her in a position where I could work on the infected hoof. She weighs at least 100 pounds.
Sheep can be hard enough to catch. They’re normally very skittish. But since this one was only walking on three legs, I was able to grab her easily enough and then flip her on her backside. Sheep become incredibly docile once they’re in a seated position leaning backwards. It’s almost like they go into a trance.
But once I started trimming the hoof, I could see that the infection was not around the soft pad of the foot where I was expecting it to be. Instead, it was deep inside the area between the two digits. There were even maggots crawling around in there, a sure sign of infection. Further reading indicated this to be foot scald, a much less serious problem. It’s not contagious, and sometimes can be solved by just getting the affected sheep onto dry ground.
This ewe’s hooves were not badly overgrown, but since I had her in the correct position and she was cooperating, I went ahead and trimmed them anyway. It’s really just a pedicure for sheep, something that’s done a couple of times a year to avoid hoof problems. Apparently, sheep in the wild put enough wear on their hooves they don’t need human intervention.
I also applied the medicine I’d already purchased. The main ingredient is zinc sulphate, which also happens to be a cure for foot scale. Apply a generous squirt to the infected area and let is soak in. The directions call for doing this twice daily.
When I visited the sheep later in the day for the second application I noticed the maggots were gone and the ewe was already walking–tentatively, to be sure–on the affected leg.
I’m anxious to see how she’s doing this morning.
The internet is a wonderful resource for the novice farmer!
Cathy, you sure are right about that.