Transcript Sheep & Goat Production

Sheep & Goat Production
Flock Health
Diseases
Cause death, loss of condition and poor
utilization of feed.
 Methods of sanitation and disease control
are essential when maintaining a flock.
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Diseases of Lambs
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Non-infectious Diseases of the newborn to three weeks of
age lambs.
Infectious diseases of the newborn to three weeks of age
lambs.
Lamb diseases acquired after birth and during the first few
days of life
Diseases of lambs from three weeks of age to feeders
Respiratory diseases of lambs
Diseases of feeder lambs
Non-Infectious Diseases of the Newborn to
Three-Weeks-of-Age-Lamb
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Starvation-The major cause of lamb deaths in almost any type of
management system.
Causes:
– Lamb is born healthy but the ewe has no milk or teat canal is
plugged.
– Lamb is born healthy, the ewe has milk, but will not allow the lamb
to nurse. Common with twins, triplets.
– Ewes may not have enough milk for twin lambs.
– Ewes may develop mastitis, hard bag, contagious ecthyma
(soremouth), or injure her udder. These conditions may decrease
milk production or produce pain, causing the ewe to prohibit the
lamb from nursing.
Secondary Starvation from
Hypothermia
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The lamb is born healthy; however, due to cold or wet
weather and the newborn’s inability to control its body
temperature, the lamb loses body heat and becomes cold
(Hypothermia)
Clinical signs:
– Weak
– Losing condition or not gaining weight
– Will not get up and nurse
– Feel cold to the touch, particularly inside the mouth and
a very weak or inexistent suck reflex.
– A temperature under 100 degrees F indicates
Hypothermia
Secondary Starvation from
Hypothermia
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Treatment:
– Warm water bath or warm incubator made from a
cardboard box and hairdryer. Do not overheat.
– Monitor the temp. with a rectal thermometer. When
the temp. has reached 101 degrees F, the lamb is warm
enough.
– Warm colostrum can be force fed via tube or catheter
(16”, 18 gauge) on a 60cc syringe.
– 50 cc of a 10% Glucose solution inserted under the skin
of the rib cage
– Milk replacer for older lambs.
Secondary Starvation from
Hypothermia
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Prevention:
– Take a rectal temp. of all lambs exposed to cold or wet
weather conditions.
– Check the udder and remove teat plugs by milking a few
drops of milk from both halves of the udder at time of
birth.
– Observe lambs closely
– Look for lambs who appear hungry or tucked up.
– Check both twins closely to ensure a mother is not
unwilling to allow one of the twins to nurse. An
unwilling mother may require that a lamb be grafted to
another ewe or begin bottle feeding.
– Observe lambs daily after leaving the lambing barn.
Trauma
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Broken ribs, broken backs, ruptured livers, ruptured spleens
and suffocation are common.
Causes:
– May occur during the birthing process when a large
lamb is forcefully pulled.
– Impatient ewes may paw at their lambs to get them to
rise early
– Lambing pens may be too small causing the ewe to step
on or lie on the lamb.
– Lambs moved out of lambing pens with other ewes and
lambs may try to suck from the wrong ewe and are
injured by the offended ewe.
Trauma
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Prevention:
– Hobble ewes that paw at their lambs
– Enlarge lambing pens
– Shear ewes before lambing to reduce the size of the
ewe and pen required.
– Allow sufficient time in the lambing pens for bonding
before turning the ewe and her lamb(s) out with other
ewes and lambs.
Entropion
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A heritable trait in which the lower eyelid is inverted,
causing the eyelashes of the lower lid to brush against the
eye. The constant irritation results in profuse tearing,
corneal ulceration, scaring and blindness. Occurs in all
breeds and sexes.
Clinical Signs:
– Profuse tearing seen within the first few days of birth.
– If not seen within the first few days, the eye turns blue
indicating a corneal ulcer.
– If both eyes are affected, the lamb becomes unable to
see and its general condition begins to deteriorate.
Entropion
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Treatment:
– Inject 1 ml of procaine penicillin under the skin of the
lower lid causing a bleb, pushing the lid and lashes away
from the eye.
– In cases of reoccurrence, surgery or other approaches
may be required. However, in most cases, the problem
is resolved.
Prevention:
– Entropion is a genetic trait and the responsible parent
can be culled.
Infectious Diseases of the Newborn to ThreeWeeks-of-Age Lamb
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These diseases affect the lamb during its development in
the uterus and include:
– Toxoplasmosis
– Brucella ovis
– Border Disease (Hairy Shakers)
Toxoplasmosis
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Cause:
– Caused by a small coccidia-like organism which
infects the intestinal tract of young cats.
– Sheep ingest feed contaminated with the feces
of domestic, feral or wild cat species during
pregnancy.
– Organisms migrate to the placenta and fetus,
causing death and expulsion of the fetus.
Brucella ovis
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Cause:
– Infection of the breeding rams which may cause 1-5% of
lambs to be stillborn or weak.
– These lambs usually die, but if they do survive, grow up
to be normal
– This disease is more common in western range flocks
using multiple sire systems and that maintain a large
number of rams in a group.
Border Disease
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Also known as Hairy Shakers
Disease was first recognized in the United Kingdom
Cause:
– Caused by a virus closely related to the bovine viral diarrhea agent
– Disease does not seem to cause clinical disease unless infected in utero
(generally does not cause abortions)
– The term Hair Shaker describes the condition of the newborn lambs as they
have a hairy coat and possess a nervous condition causing uncontrolled
shaking.
– Incidence of the disease probably depends on prior exposure to the virus.
» If virus has recently been introduced and ewes are within the first 60
days of pregnancy, losses may be 10-20%.
» Flocks which have experienced the disease usually only experience a 12% loss.
Border Disease
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Clinical Signs:
– Depending on the time of pregnancy, early embryonic
deaths may be seen (open ewes) Small, live,
underdeveloped lambs, or hairy shaker lambs, normal
lambs which are immunodeficient, or a combination of
the above.
– All are usually born alive
– Can be saved with special care, with the exception of
the Hairy Shaker lambs whose central nervous system is
irreversibly affected.
– However, survivors usually do not do well or live to
breeding age.
Border Disease
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Treatment & Prevention:
1. Separate breeding ewes from cattle
2. Eliminate affected lambs and their placentas
from herd access and isolate affected ewes until
genital discharges cease.
3. Eliminate affected ewes that have produced
infected offspring more than once.
4. Consider a vaccination program with a killed
bovine virus diarrhea vaccine in flocks suffering
annual border disease outbreaks.
Lamb Diseases Acquired After Birth and
During The First Few Days of Life
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Navel ill
Pastuerella hemolytica
Erysipelas (Joint ill)
Colostrum
E. coli scours
Enterotoxemia type C
Tetanus (Lockjaw)
Soremouth
Diseases of Lambs From ThreeWeeks-of-Age to Feeders
 Enterotoxemia type D
 Polyarthritis
 White Muscle Disease
Respiratory Diseases of Lambs
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Causes and Disease Process:
– Bacteria, Chlamydia, mucoplasma, parasites, viruses and
combinations of any of these.
– Can be harbored by healthy sheep without showing clinical signs
– Occurs when sheep’s resistance and infectious agents are interfered
with. Lowered resistance is often due to management.
– Dust, high ammonia concentration, nutrient deficiency, crowding
can all affect resistance.
Clinical Signs:
– Severe depression, labored breathing, rapid death, coughing,
appetite reduction, more labored breathing during excercise.
Diseases of Feeder Lambs
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Acidosis (grain overload, founder, Ketosis)
Polio
Enterotoxemia of Fattening Lambs
Salmonellosis
Pneumonia
Rectal Prolapse
Internal Parasites
Coccidiosis
Copper Poisioning
Urolithiasis (Water Belly, Calculosis)
Acidosis
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Grain overload or founder.
Commonly occurs in feeder lambs changed from a
roughage diet to one of concentrates.
Caused by lambs engorging during a feeding, causing an
overload of concentrates.
Clinical signs:
– Depression
– Recumbency
– Comatose
– Dead lambs
(Diagnosis is determined by a necropsy which examines the rumen
for concentrates and testing the contents for an acid pH.)
Polio
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Polioencephalomalcia (PEM) Forage Poisoning
A disease of the central nervous system and is not of major importance
to the overall sheep industry although it can cause individual or flock
problems. The usual occurrence is in feeder lambs on high concentrate
diets or, it happens on forages but not necessarily poisonous forages.
Clinical Signs:
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Blindness
Follows behind
Staggers and appears disoriented and occasionally stares at the sky
Eventually animal is unable to rise, becomes comatose and dies in
convulsions
– Animal may appear dehydrated and empty due to its inability to eat or
drink.
Treat early with Thiamine hydrochloride I.V. and I.M.
Enterotoxemia of Fattening
Lambs
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Overeating disease, Pulpy Kidney disease
Condition that contributes to loss as much as any other disease entity.
Often appears in countries where concentrate feeding is practiced. A
disease of high performing animals. Caused by a toxin produced by
bacteria Clostridium perfringes type C or D.
The type C toxin is responsible for the condition known as hemorrhagic
enterotoxemia. Occurs in young lambs.
The type D toxin is responsible for the enterotoxemia causing sudden
death. Occurs in young lambs.
Prevented by vaccination at 4 weeks of age with C.perfringes C & D
toxoid administered twice about 2 weeks apart. The second shot
should be given approx. 2 weeks prior to changing to a concentration
ration.
Salmonellosis
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Paratyphoid dysentery
Characterized by gastroenteritis, diarrhea, septicemia and
death. Death rates are usually high. The disease is often
associated with the stress of weaning, shipping,
interruption of feed intake, crowded pens and
contamination of feed by a few animals shedding the
organism.
Treatment and prevention: Obtain a culture and sensitivity
to determine an effective antibiotic, provide electrolytes,
fresh feed and water. Avoid stressful conditions, long
periods of transport without proper feed, rest and water, as
well as unsanitary feeding conditions.
Pneumonia
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Caused by any of several organisms, particularly Pasteurella
Stress such as changes in the weather or feeding schedule
Proper management is important in reducing pneumonia
occurrences
Pneumonia Management Aids
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Add sulfamethazine to drinking water of pregnant ewes 2 weeks prior
to lambing
Mix one pound of 100% sulfamethazine with 1 gal. water for stock
solution. Then, 1 oz. (30 cc) is mixed with each gal. of water according
to the following schedule:
Days
1-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
Treatment
Medicated H2O
Regular H2O
Medicated H2O
Regular H2O
Medicated H2O
Can be administered to weaned lambs for a continuous 3-5 day period
to control pneumonia
Rectal Prolapse
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Associated with high concentrate feeding, short docking
and coughing caused by dusty conditions or virus
infections.
If unattended, the prolapsed rectum will become swollen,
inflamed and covered with crusted blood, fibrin and feces.
One method of treatment is to thoroughly clean the rectum
with a warm water enema and apply an elastrator band
near the anal sphincter. A piece of tubing can be inserted
to keep the tract open until the protruding rectum sloughs.
Administering a tetanus antitoxin is advised.
Coccidiosis
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Hemorrhagic diarrhea, Coccidial dysentery
Disease is characterized by diarrhea, dehydration, weight
loss, and weakness with a morbidity of up to 50% and a
mortality of up to 10%
Occurs in the early stages of the feeding program, damage
to the lower intestinal tract causes softening of the feces
which eventually becomes a fluid containing blood. Lamb
goes off feed, dehydrates, becomes weak, goes down and is
unable to rise. May result in rectal prolapse.
Treatment: Separate sick animals and treat with
electrolytes and sulfonamides. The remainder of the group
should be placed on sulfas and electrolytes in the water.
Coccidiostats are also available for sheep to aid in
prevention.
Copper Poisoning
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Often results from feeding improperly formulated mineral mixes. Cu is
closely related to Molybdenum & toxicity usually occurs when the
dietary ratio of copper to Molybdenum increases above 6-10:1.
Sheep are 10 times more susceptible to copper toxicity than cattle.
Cause: When consumed over a long period of time, excessive copper is
stored in the liver. When a toxic level is reached, the destruction of red
blood cells occurs.
Clinical Signs: Acute hemolytic crises (destruction of RBC’s), death
within 24-48 hrs. of first signs. Animal goes off feed & becomes weak.
Hemoglobin in the urine gives it a dark red-brown coloration.
Treatment & Prevention: If developed, locate the source and remove
immediately. Avoid stressful conditions. Consult with your veterinarian
to develop a regime for treatment and prevention.
Urolithiasis
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Water Belly, Calculosis
A metabolic disease in male sheep characterized by the formation of
calculi (stones) within the urinary tract. Blockage of the urethra by
calculi causes retention of urine, abdominal pain, distention, and
rupture of the urethra or bladder and death from uremia or secondary
septicemia.
Cause: Most common cases are seen in feeder lambs who are on a high
phosphorus ration or a nearly 1:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio. Early
castration alters the development of the penis and urethra. As calculi
form, some may pass, irritating the urethra lining causing inflammation
& muscle spasms, restricting the tract and causing others to lodge.
Obstruction by calculi usually occurs at the urethral process or the
sigmoid flexure.
Urolithiasis
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Clinical signs:
Inability to pass
urine causing abdominal discomfort and colic, restlessness, straining,
kicking at the belly, stretching and frequent attempts to urinate,
dribbling, frequent getting up and lying down, isolation from the flock,
refusal to eat, and death.
Diagnosis:
Easily diagnosed by the clinical signs. Examination of the urethral
process or palpation of the sigmoid flexure may identify the calculus
Treatment:
If the calculus is located in the urethral process, snip off the process
with scissors.
If discovered prior to complete obstruction, take animal off feed for 24
hours and administer ammonium chloride (7-10 mg per head per day
for a 30 kg lamb) orally to possibly dissolve the calculi.
Urolithiasis
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Prevention:
– Provide a 2:1 Calcium to Phosphorus ratio in the ration. Calcium
chloride is more effective than ground limestone.
– Provide additional common salt (1-4%) to increase water intake,
decreasing stone formation. (Salt blocks are beneficial)
– Provide plenty of clean, warm water
– Provide ammonium chloride (2% of the concentrate ration) to aid
in prevention. Be aware that Ammonium chloride may cause
coughing which may lead to rectal prolapsing.
– Provide a well balanced diet which includes adequate amounts of
Vitamin A.
Diseases of Ewes
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Open Ewes
Pregnant Ewes
Lactating Ewes
Open Ewes
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No diseases occur exclusively in open ewes.
Open ewes should be examined prior to breeding
for soundness, broken mouths, bad udders, bad
feet or legs, extreme emaciation, and other
features which would inhibit their reproductive
capabilities or efficiency.
Mastitis may affect ewes shortly after weaning
lambs.
Pregnant Ewes
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Abortion Diseases
Diseases which affect the lamb in the uterus prior to birth.
Some cause the fetus to be expelled prematurely, and in
some cases the birth time interrupts the normal course of
the disease and the infected lamb is born alive.
General Diseases
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Foot Rot
Bluetongue
Pinkeye
Scrapie
Bluetongue
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A viral disease capable of producing severe clinical signs in sheep.
Cause & Disease Process: Transmitted to sheep by infected biting “nosee-ums”, a night flying insect found throughout the U.S. during warm
weather. Occurs seasonally during the summer months. Rams which
are affected become temporarily sterile (60 days) and result in a
reduced or delayed lambing rate.
Clinical Signs: Increased temperature, skin around the lip, muzzle,
eyes, and ears may become reddened and within a day or two, swollen
lips, swollen & droopy ears as well as swelling beneath the jaw may be
observed. Eventually, lameness may become evident, ulcers may
appear on the dental pad and tongue, appetite loss and refusal to eat
or drink may also occur causing weight loss. Usually recover and return
to normal condition in 6 weeks.
Bluetongue
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Diagnosis:
– Epidemiology
– Clinical signs
– Lesions associated with the
disease
– Serological tests
 Prevention:
Routine repeated spraying of
the flock with insecticides
during bluetongue season.
House sheep at night in
unlighted barns every night 30
min. before sunset and until 30
min. after sunrise.
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Treatment:
– Provide food, water and
shade for the flock
– Affected sheep should
regain appetite in ~1 week
– Avoid intensive handling
and treatment of the entire
flock
– Best treatment is to
postpone all unnecessary
management practices that
may disturb the flock.
Pinkeye
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Infectious Keratoconjunctivitis (IKC)
A highly contagious disease affecting the eyes of sheep and goats. May
occur at any time of the year. Usually occur following the irritation of
eyes due to dusty conditions, hauling in open trucks, wind exposure and
introduction of new animals into a flock.
Cause: May result from infective agents such as Chlamydia, certain
viruses, rickettsea, Neisseria ovis, and acholeplasma.
Clinical Signs: Excessive tearing, animal tries to avoid bright light by
turning away, blinking, and squinting excessively. Tears become
thickened, yellowish, and form crusts on the hairs of the eyelid. An
opaque area may form on the cornea, causing impaired vision and
blindness.
Treatment: Provide food, water, and shade. An opthalmic ointment
with an antibiotic can be applied to the eye, but it is necessary to do so
on a daily basis since the tears can dilute the medication.
Scrapie
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A disease of the central nervous system of sheep and goats.
It is a slowly progressive disease becoming apparent in
sheep one year of age or older.
Requires quarantine measures with attempts made for
eradication.
Certain breeds of sheep are more susceptible than others,
but all breeds can be experimentally infected.
Cause and Disease Process: The scrapie agent is infectious,
much smaller and more resistant to conditions that are
normally lethal for viruses. Genetic composition of the host
animal is important in determining susceptability.
Scrapie
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Clinical Signs: Rubbing against objects as if itching, wool
rubbed off of side, back or rump, biting and nibbling at skin
and wool, incoordination, and may experience convulsions.
Death ultimately occurs in all cases.
Treatment: None
Prevention: Quarantine of infected premises and slaughter
of affected and contact sheep will be required by the state
veterinarian. Genetic testing of ewes and rams when
purchasing may help with control.
Parasitic Diseases
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Haemonchosis
Gastrointestinal
Roundworms
Tapeworms
Cysticercosis
Hydatidosis
Liver Flukes
Coccidiosis
Cryptosporidiosis
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Toxoplasmosis
Sarcocystosis
Haemonchosis
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Haemonchosis contortus, the barber-pole worm-A tiny
nematode approx. 1 inch long with a red belly. Feed on the
lining of the abomasum actively feeding on blood resulting
in the red gut and produce anemia.
Symptoms:
– Following period of late summer rains and lush green
grass, a few lambs may show signs of weakness, some
may fall to the ground with tremors or convulsions.
– In early cases no scours or edema occurs but mucous
membranes are pale and death usually occurs.
Haemonchosis
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Disease Process:
– Ingestion of larvae which hatched from eggs on pasture
– Eggs are passed by sheep contaminating the pasture. Survival of
larvae is enhanced by warmth and moisture.
– Clinical signs are seen within one week after ingestion of larvae
– Lambs having less previous exposure have a higher risk as well as
ewes preparing for fall lambing, nutritionally weakened, or aged
may also be at risk.
– Those not showing acute signs will be chronically infected, scouring
and edematous, and become carriers.
Treatment/Prevention:
Worming and pasture rotation. Seek advice from your veterinarian
about an effective program.
Gastrointestinal Roundworms
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Clinical Signs:
Scouring, loss of fleece condition, poor weight gain or
maintenance indicate effects of gastrointestinal parasitism
due to irritation of gut lining, possible hemorrhage,
competition for nutrients and interference with digestion
and water transport. Death may occur with continuing loss
of condition.
Diagnosis:
Clinical signs, seasonal performance, and fecal examination
may expose the appearance of eggs or even worms of ½ to
2” in length at postmortem examination.
Tapeworms
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Tapeworms are long, ribbonlike, segmented flatworms
which can be 1-2’ in length. Head is spherical w/4 muscular
suckers and is called a scolex. The scolex attaches to the
small intestinal lining but causes no damage or pathology.
They are carried by free-living mites on grass.
Appearance of segmented worms hanging from the anus or
on fecal pellets resembles infestation.
There is no prevention method. Consult your veterinarian
for treatment.
Cysticercosis
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A larval form of a tapeworm has encysted or embedded
itself in the tissue of its host. In Cysticercosis, sheep are the
intermediate host where the parasite is found embedded
within the sheep’s tissue or muscles. Evidence is usually not
seen until the animal is butchered causing condemnation of
the carcass.
The mature worm is commonly found in the dog, passed
through feces and is picked up via contaminated feed.
Another cause of Cysticercosis, Echinococcus granulosus,
usually encysts the the liver or brain of the sheep rather
than the muscle. It is also carried by the dog, wolf, coyote,
fox, etc.
Hydatidosis
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Hydatid cysts may be found in the body cavities of sheep,
especially abdominal cavities of ewes.
Baseball to softball sized, fluid filled, and contain many
white dots. This cyst represents the intermediate or larval
stage of a dog tapeworm. Little pathology occurs, but the
growth of the cyst presses on surrounding organs, pushing
them aside. Cysts not found until slaughter.
Treatment/Prevention- No treatment for sheep. Deworm
dogs annually. Do not feed sheep scraps to dogs and
pickup sheep carcasses.
Liver Flukes
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Small, leaf-shaped organisms that roll up like a scroll in the bile ducts or
parenchyma (liver tissue).
Two Types:
Fasciola-the sheep liver fluke
Fascioloides-the deer fluke
These usually occur in different geographical areas and have different
pathologic effects on sheep.
Pathologically, cause damage to the liver as immature flukes migrate to the
bile ducts. Heavy infection causes severe liver damage, profuse
hemorrhage, much of which into the body cavity during the 2 months of
migration.
Affected animals appear suddenly distressed, collapse and die.
Treatment/Prevention:
There is no approved flukecide for sheep. Only prevention measures should
be followed. Keep sheep away from irrigated pastures or on higher
ground.
Coccidiosis
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A major cause of poor feed efficiency and economic loss to
the sheep producer.
Transmission occurs when an oocyst (egg-like stage) is
picked up while grazing or drinking.
When it reaches the intestines, proliferation occurs causing
ulcerative lesions impeding absorption and normal gut
motility. May also cause alternating constipation and
scouring. Some hemorrhage may occur, but usually little.
Scouring is usually mucoid, and may cause permanent loss
of feed efficiency.
Coccidia are opportunistic parasites having their greatest
disease effect during times of stress.
Cryptosporidiosis
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Cryptosporidium proliferates in the small intestine and possibly
the cecum.
Affects all mammals and can transmit from one host species to
another. i.e. lambs to humans
Its susceptible targets include the very young or older animals
which have not been previously infected.
It resides on the surface of the gut and proliferates rather than
within the cells lining the gut. It interferes with water transport.
Clinical Signs: yellowish, watery scours and rapid dehydration.
Treatment/Prevention: No treatment or prevention measures.
Toxoplasmosis
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Toxoplasma is another coccidian, found in the gut of young
cats which contaminate hay, other feedstuffs and possibly
grass in small lots.
In sheep and humans, this organism infects the lining of
blood vessels and the tissues of all organs in which it
proliferates.
Sheep are infected by ingestion of oocysts or by
transmission of organisms from dam to the fetus.
Cause destruction of tissue by pressure produced by masses
of organisms.
A major problem with abortions.
Sarcocystosis
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Sarcocystis is a coccidian developing in the gut of dogs and
cats and is transmitted to sheep while grazing. Causes
damage to blood vessels and muscle. Dogs and cats
become infected by eating sheep scraps.
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Clinical Signs: Weakness, fever, anemia, loss of weight and
reproductivity. Abortion not proved. Proliferative masses
are seen as “white streaks” in muscle.
External Parasites
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Fly Strike
Bots
Keds
Mange Mites
Ticks
Fly Strike
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Occurs when flies are attracted to soiled wool, opened wounds,
and dying (necrotic) tissue. Blowflies may deposit eggs which
hatch almost immediately, the larvae feast on tissue fluids and
necrotic tissue resulting in myiasis (maggot infestation)
Diagnosis: Examine animals frequently such as under tail or tail
head, the flanks, fresh wet navels. If animal acts strangely,
maggots can often be found.
Treatment/Prevention: Thoroughly clean area to determine
extent of infestation, remove maggots and spray a wound
dressing containing 2-3% insecticide. Examine and clean
newborns and injured sheep, especially during fly season. Use fly
spray liberally.
Bots
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The adult fly darts at the sheep, depositing eggs around the
muzzle, driving lambs crazy.
Eggs immediately hatch and tiny larvae (bots) crawl into the
nasal passages feeding on mucous irritating the lining of
the nasal passages.
May develop into a large spiny bot during the summer.
Clinical Signs: Lambs hide heads, paw at their faces,
excessive mucus, sneezing, occasional circling.
Treatment/Prevention: Certain cattle drugs not approved
for sheep have proven effective. May be used with the
prescription of a veterinarian. Good spray program could
be beneficial as well.
Keds
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“Sheep Ticks” are often mistaken for real ticks but are
really wingless flies, reddish brown in color, have 6 legs
with claws and piercing-sucking mouthparts.
Females deposit larvae or maggots which attach to the
wool or skin. Adults emerge within a month.
Pierce the skin and cause irritation and blood loss.
Diagnosis: Appearance of Keds
Treatment/Prevention: Ectrin is effective and approved for
sheep. Shearing and use of Ectrin is a good preventive
measure.
Mange Mites
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There are several species of mites which may damage skin
and wool.
Psoroptic and Sarcoptic mange cause “scab” a leaking of
tissue fluid mixed with blood.
Highly contagious and must be reported to state officials
with quarantine required.
Clinical Signs: Constant rubbing, wool breaks, scab,
debilitation, death.
Treatment: Must contact state or USDA vet offices.
Prevention: Quarantine, treatment, slaughter
Ticks
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There are several species which may include the 6-legged
larva or seed tick, the 8-legged nymph or the 8-legged
adult. The latter stage is larger and prefers large mammals.
It also engorges blood necessary for egg production. The
adult eventually drops off to lay eggs in the soil.
Sheep become infested by brushing against long-stemmed
grass and brush where ticks await.
Clinical Signs: Weakness due to irritation and blood loss,
weight loss, heavy infestations may lead to death especially
in young, neglected animals.