Help Foot problem

[Kune Kune Lover]

I was shearing my Southdown ram and checking feet at the same time. This picture is what I found. He had not been limping. We only have 2 sheep so I would have noticed if he was limping. What do I do?

 

[mysunwolf]

Looks like foot scald/foot rot to me. My vet still recommends trimming (though some vets don't anymore), thorough dry scraping of all the poop and crud out of there, and then spraying with Koppertox or using a Zinc Sulfate based footbath solution twice a day. Make sure there is no fever or hotness in the joints on that leg, which could indicate that the infection has spread and you would need to give antibiotics. We have a ewe who has mis-shaped hooves and who walks low in the pasterns which all just sets her up for this sort of problem. We have to trim her hooves almost every month to keep her issues at bay. It gets worse when the ground is wet as well. Good luck with him and let us know how he does!

 

[Kune Kune Lover]

Thank You

 

[purplequeenvt]

Looks like he ripped his toenail and then it grew funny. I'd trim it down really well and wash the foot off. Check it in a couple days. If it looks damp or sore, then he may need something for the foot scald, but I'm thinking that he'll be fine.

 

[bonbean01]

Kind of a bad feeling when you see this....had a beloved ewe who had foot problem right from the start of buying her has a lamb....trimmed her often...treated her often...wishing you the best!

 

[Sheepshape]

Does it smell bad? (foot rot smalls AWFUL).
If it is foot rot then this is the is the current advice from British vets.....isolate from other sheep as it is infectious, DON'T trim the hoof no matter how long. The hoof has only overgrown as the foot rot is too painful for the sheep to walk on and cutting will mean that the sore part of the hoof will be on the ground and could lead to permanent deformity. Wash the hoof well and spray with foot rot spray (we have several types over here,some contain iodine, some zinc, some topical antibiotics.Inject the ewe with a long acting tetracycline and repeat if the animal is not better after the first shot.
Our vet practice held a meeting last year at a local farm where a large group of ewes are 'out on the range' all summer and are bought down in the Autumn for tupping. All his 'limpers' were kept back (about 25) and the feet examined. A couple had injuries, a few CODD, most had scald/foot rot. Some had VERY overgrown hooves. All were treated as above, none were trimmed.
We returned to see the ewes three weeks later. All were better. The vast majority of the overgrowth had worn off as the ewe could put her weight on the hoof.
Most of the local farmers would have cut the hoof back until it bled up until this demonstration.