Healthcare

Ram Epididymitis (RE) is the major cause of reduced fertility in rams from western range flocks. This disease is common and was found in 95% of Utah range flocks, affecting an average of 35% of the rams in a flock. Although the disease has been present for many years, some producers have only recently become…

Click here for Animal Health Fact Sheet Clell V. Bagley, DVM Extension VeterinarianUtah State University, Logan UT 84322-5600

Limping can be caused by injury or infection.  Infection can be located in the hoof or the joints. Infection in the joints is called arthritis.  Infection in the hoof can be several things.  Footrot, or foot abscess are two foot diseases. First determine which leg the lamb is limping on.  In a disease called polyarthritis,…

Coughing and snotty noses are diseases of the upper respiratory system. Pneumonia is a disease of the lower respiratory system. Although snotty noses and coughing can also be present when an animal had pneumonia, they usually aren’t a sign of pneumonia. Signs of pneumonia are droopiness, rapid breathing, and lack of appetite. If it is…

Foot Rot The foot of the leg that the lamb is limping on should be inspected and trimmed. If it is moist and has an extremely bad odor, it may be footrot, a very contagious disease caused by bacteria. The loose part of the foot should be carefully trimmed and the foot soaked in 10%…

Polio, polioencephalomalacia, is a disease caused by a deficiency of thiamine and is seen most commonly in lambs on high grain diets. The first sign of the disease is blindness. If your lamb bumps into things that it ordinarily would see and avoid, he may be showing signs of blindness. An injection of 3 cc…

The lamb will be reluctant to get up and move around.  It may act stiff.  If you force it to move around, it will gradually become less lame and stiff.  If you watch it closely, it will seem to limp on one leg and then another.  Its temperature will be over 104.  It will usually…

When you spend a few minutes at feeding time observing your lamb, be sure to observe his manure and watch to see how he urinates and how long it takes him.  Watch his breathing and be familiar with the ease and rate that he normally breathes when it is cold outside and when it is…

A snotty nose is caused by irritation of the nasal sinuses and passages. Nasal botts, a maggot of the bott fly, Oestrus ovis, is often the cause. If there is more than a month before sale time, use Ivermec drench to treat. Contact your leader or veterinarian to obtain the drug. If the Ivermec does…

This disease of young sheep and goats is usually not a serious disease but it is important because it is transmissible to humans.  In other words, if you aren’t careful when you handle a lamb with soremouth, YOU CAN GET IT! Other names for soremouth are Orf, Scabby Mouth and Contagious Ecthyma.  It is caused…