Basic Health Program Consideration for Shepherds
Goats & Sheep
Biosecurity, Quarantine, Drenching, Core Vaccines, Diseases to watch out for.
Biosecurity
When you buy animals – ask about:
*Parasite Control Program
--dewormer use history
--strategy used
--dewormer resistance profile
*FAMACHA score the animal
*Scrapie
*Foot rot, contagious abscesses, Johne’s disease, ovine progressive pneumonia “OPP” in sheep and CAE in goats
Pregnant Sheep
*Avoid mixing groups of pregnant ewes if possible to avoid mass abortions
*use isolation if at all possible
*mix groups when not pregnant
*Consider vaccines and feeding tetracycline for vibrio (campylobacter) and chlamydolphila
Quarantine procedure – preferred is 60 days isolation (30 days minimum)
*testing during quarantine
--OPP & CAE
don’t test if under 6 months of age – may get inaccurate results
--Brucella Ovis
bacteria that affects testicles and fertility in rams (not goats)
found mostly in western USA
*Foot rot – may be wise to assume you purchased it and foot trim and foot soak
foot rot is a bacteria – it is not caused by damp conditions or lack of hoof care
it is solely transmitted animal to animal
most common disease in sheep
there are 20 sub types of foot rot – some much worse than others
foot rot does NOT live in the soil for years – that is a serious myth at most it is there a
couple of days
--foot soak: 10% Zinc Sulfate
*Quarantine Drench – to help avoid introducing drug resistant worms
--isolate animals to barn, dry lot or a sacrifice pasture not used for other sheep
--use more than one dewormer class, one of which should be cydectin and the other
probably levamisole (Prohibit)
--manure sample worm egg counts should be negative prior to turnout with other animals
do sample 2-3 weeks after deworming
--release from quarantine onto YOUR INFECTED pastures
you want the animal to pick up your non selected worms
*Breeding soundness exam (BSE) for rams
-- 10-15% of unexamined rams may have some abnormality during the fall breeding
season; many more than that in hot weather (75%)
--it takes about 60 days from beginning of sperm production to availability in the
epididymus for breeding
Visitors
--control visitor access and provide foot covers and possibly coveralls in animal areas
Core Vaccines
Clostridium perfringens types C and D – overeating disease
*toxoid – vaccine
*antitoxin – temporary (14 day) protection
Non-Core Vaccines
Tetnus (may be core in some flocks / herds)
Campylocbacter and Chlamydolphila – for contagious abortions
Caseous Lymphadenitis – only if you have an infected animal along with clean animals
--common in sheep and goats
--draining abscesses are the primary source of the bacteria that causes the disease
manage these infected animals carefully – isolation and disinfection
--shear animals with suspected abscesses last
--ask shearers to disinfect equipment and provide your own shearing mat
--vaccine must be combined with sanitation and management
Foot Rot
--vaccine not currently available for unknown reasons in the USA
--only works if the serotype on your farm matches the vaccine serotype
--oil based and will cause a LARGE lump
--do not accidentally inject yourself – it will have the same large irritating lump in humans
Soremouth
--virus that is contagious to people
--virus will persist in the environment for a while (at least 6 months)
--vaccine is LIVE and capable of causing the disease in animals and people
--vaccine not recommended unless there is a history of the disease on the farm or in the
flock / herd or reasonable certainty of exposure (such as a show with a soremouth
animal)
Rabies
--vaccines for sheep but not labeled for goats (work with your vet)
--may be required for exhibition in some states
--may be justified in some flocks / herds to protect valuable genetics and humans
--a big concern for states Pennsylvania and East of PA due to raccoon rabies
Goats & Sheep
Biosecurity, Quarantine, Drenching, Core Vaccines, Diseases to watch out for.
Biosecurity
When you buy animals – ask about:
*Parasite Control Program
--dewormer use history
--strategy used
--dewormer resistance profile
*FAMACHA score the animal
*Scrapie
*Foot rot, contagious abscesses, Johne’s disease, ovine progressive pneumonia “OPP” in sheep and CAE in goats
Pregnant Sheep
*Avoid mixing groups of pregnant ewes if possible to avoid mass abortions
*use isolation if at all possible
*mix groups when not pregnant
*Consider vaccines and feeding tetracycline for vibrio (campylobacter) and chlamydolphila
Quarantine procedure – preferred is 60 days isolation (30 days minimum)
*testing during quarantine
--OPP & CAE
don’t test if under 6 months of age – may get inaccurate results
--Brucella Ovis
bacteria that affects testicles and fertility in rams (not goats)
found mostly in western USA
*Foot rot – may be wise to assume you purchased it and foot trim and foot soak
foot rot is a bacteria – it is not caused by damp conditions or lack of hoof care
it is solely transmitted animal to animal
most common disease in sheep
there are 20 sub types of foot rot – some much worse than others
foot rot does NOT live in the soil for years – that is a serious myth at most it is there a
couple of days
--foot soak: 10% Zinc Sulfate
*Quarantine Drench – to help avoid introducing drug resistant worms
--isolate animals to barn, dry lot or a sacrifice pasture not used for other sheep
--use more than one dewormer class, one of which should be cydectin and the other
probably levamisole (Prohibit)
--manure sample worm egg counts should be negative prior to turnout with other animals
do sample 2-3 weeks after deworming
--release from quarantine onto YOUR INFECTED pastures
you want the animal to pick up your non selected worms
*Breeding soundness exam (BSE) for rams
-- 10-15% of unexamined rams may have some abnormality during the fall breeding
season; many more than that in hot weather (75%)
--it takes about 60 days from beginning of sperm production to availability in the
epididymus for breeding
Visitors
--control visitor access and provide foot covers and possibly coveralls in animal areas
Core Vaccines
Clostridium perfringens types C and D – overeating disease
*toxoid – vaccine
*antitoxin – temporary (14 day) protection
Non-Core Vaccines
Tetnus (may be core in some flocks / herds)
Campylocbacter and Chlamydolphila – for contagious abortions
Caseous Lymphadenitis – only if you have an infected animal along with clean animals
--common in sheep and goats
--draining abscesses are the primary source of the bacteria that causes the disease
manage these infected animals carefully – isolation and disinfection
--shear animals with suspected abscesses last
--ask shearers to disinfect equipment and provide your own shearing mat
--vaccine must be combined with sanitation and management
Foot Rot
--vaccine not currently available for unknown reasons in the USA
--only works if the serotype on your farm matches the vaccine serotype
--oil based and will cause a LARGE lump
--do not accidentally inject yourself – it will have the same large irritating lump in humans
Soremouth
--virus that is contagious to people
--virus will persist in the environment for a while (at least 6 months)
--vaccine is LIVE and capable of causing the disease in animals and people
--vaccine not recommended unless there is a history of the disease on the farm or in the
flock / herd or reasonable certainty of exposure (such as a show with a soremouth
animal)
Rabies
--vaccines for sheep but not labeled for goats (work with your vet)
--may be required for exhibition in some states
--may be justified in some flocks / herds to protect valuable genetics and humans
--a big concern for states Pennsylvania and East of PA due to raccoon rabies