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.

Diseases of Lambs • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 Three-Weeks-of-Age Lamb • These diseases affect the lamb during its development in the uterus and include: • Toxoplasmosis • Brucella ovis • Border Disease (Hairy Shakers)

Toxoplasmosis • 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 • 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 • 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 1-2% loss.

Border Disease • 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 • 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 • Navel ill • Pastuerella hemolytica • Erysipelas (Joint ill) • Colostrum • E. coli scours • Enterotoxemia type C • Tetanus (Lockjaw) • Soremouth

Diseases of Lambs From Three-Weeks-of-Age to Feeders • Enterotoxemia type D • Polyarthritis • White Muscle Disease

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. Respiratory Diseases of Lambs

Diseases of Feeder Lambs • Acidosis (grain overload, founder, Ketosis) • Polio • Enterotoxemia of Fattening Lambs • Salmonellosis • Pneumonia • Rectal Prolapse • Internal Parasites • Coccidiosis • Copper Poisioning • Urolithiasis (Water Belly, Calculosis)

Acidosis • 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 • 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: • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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: DaysTreatment 1-5 Medicated H2O 6-7 Regular H2O 8-9 Medicated H2O 10-11 Regular H2O 12-13 Medicated H2O Can be administered to weaned lambs for a continuous 3-5 day period to control pneumonia

Rectal Prolapse • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • Open Ewes • Pregnant Ewes • Lactating Ewes

Open Ewes • 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 • 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 • Foot Rot • Bluetongue • Pinkeye • Scrapie

Bluetongue • A viral disease capable of producing severe clinical signs in sheep. • Cause & Disease Process: Transmitted to sheep by infected biting “no-see-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.

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. 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. Bluetongue

Pinkeye • 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 • 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 • 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.

Haemonchosis Gastrointestinal Roundworms Tapeworms Cysticercosis Hydatidosis Liver Flukes Coccidiosis Cryptosporidiosis Toxoplasmosis Sarcocystosis Parasitic Diseases

Haemonchosis • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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.

Sheep & Goat Production