Sheep with orange scab on face

[skibunny]

Hi, I need some help identifying what is wrong with our sheep. This is my first post!
I am not sure how to upload a photo? Is it possible? I pressed the Img button but it just had an open and close tag.
Some of our sheep have a raised hard bit kind of like a scab by their nose, the top is covered with orange powder type stuff so it looks a bit like lichen but with darker lumpy bits underneath. It is an irregular shapebb. The hair has fallen out in the area, there doesn't seem to be any blood or wet stuff and they are not bothered if it is pressed. Some of them have little dots of the same stuff on their eyelids.
They are all behaving and eating normally and don't seem to have any itchy-ness or notice that anything is wrong. We haven't had new additions to the flock.
Grateful for any thoughts... I can email a photo if I cannot upload it here...

 

[alsea1]

Hmmm. I got no idea but since I have sheep I would love to know.

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I am sorry I am of not much help!
I have never experienced this before in my sheep, but have heard about something that sounds kinda like you are explaining!
'Sheep Scab', 'Sheep Scabies', or a type of 'Mange', are the different names I have heard it called. It is caused be little mites, and where they irritate the skin, there are orange or brownish discharge. The areas that are affected have a wool or hair lose, and scabs.
Here is write up about different types! Hope it helps!!
Good luck!
http://navajosheepproject.com/images/pdf/health/sheepscabies.pdf

 

[bonbean01]

Thanks for posting that Four Winds...I have sheep too and that article was interesting and also disturbing. I read too much and have to go running out to inspect my sheep

Hoping you have an easy treatment for any kind of insect Skibunny, that may be infecting your sheep. My first thought was an allergy, but then you'd expect it to be on only one of them?

Let us know what you find out...we could all learn something!!! After you have more posts on here, you can upload photos and that would be helpful.

 

[skibunny]

Someone has suggested a virus called Orf. It seems the dusty orange can be seen in the early stage. Be careful reading on the internet about it as there are some gross pictures! Apparently it is not as serious as some of the pictures might make you think - although clearly not nice.
We are continuing to monitor, clearly if it is something highly infectious we don't want to go to the vet. We treat them with invermectin - and something else I can't remember the name of - for parasites. Would that not kill mites?

 

[skibunny]

I tried to put a link to a page with a photo of the sheep, but I am not allowed to do that either until I have made a few more posts

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

I haven't seen any orange on orf (sore mouth) before, but that doesn't mean sometimes there isn't!
If you think it could be sore mouth, make sure you where gloves when handling them as it is contageous to humans!
How do you administer the ivermectin? It is possible you may have to use a pour on!
Other than that, I am not sure, as I haven't had to deal with mites (yet anyway).
Keep us posted!

 

[SheepGirl]

My lambs had something similar to what you are talking about earlier this year ....

Only the March lambs had it; the ewes and ram and the May born lamb never got anything like it.

I emailed their sire's breeder (a veterinarian) photos and my flock's health information/exposure history and he said it was probably bacterial or an injury and he didn't think it was soremouth.

 

[skibunny]

It does look quite like that - although a bit higher up the face and round the eyes. I was speaking to one of our friends yesterday who has goats and she said a couple of years ago the goats had something thst looked very like our sheep have round the nose and eyes. She described it as looking like clumps of pollen. The vet in this case said it was a reaction to something they had eaten - most likely a fungus of some kind. The goats recovered fine. There are quite a few mushrooms around at the moment so it sounds quite likely.

 

[skibunny]

Regarding the invectermin we inject it. So perhaps it wouldn't deal with skin things. I will check with the vet perhaps - good to know anyway.