1. Common Diseases
& Health Issues of
Sheep & Goats
1

2. Economic Importance
 The economic
loss to the sheep
and goat industries
due to disease and
parasites through
death, loss of
condition, inefficient
utilization of feed and
carcass Image courtesy of Wipenn Hill Farms
condemnation is
extremely high.
2

3. What Should a healthy
sheep/goat look like?
 Relaxed, chewing
their cud
 Able to walk
without discomfort
Photo courtesy of Maple Hollow Farm
 Vocal sounds
 Ear placement
 Attentive and alert
Image # 1
3

4. Diseases associated with lambs
and kids
 Enterotoxemia
 Soremouth
 Epididymitis
 White Muscle Disease
 Urinary Calculi
Image courtesy of Wipenn Hill Farms
4

5. Enterotoxemia
 Enterotoxemia – Often seen with
lambs nursing heavy ewes or recently
weaned lambs on lush pasture or
excess amounts of feed. Disease will
often affect the largest and most
vigorous lamb in the flock.
 Control – Easily prevented with
vaccination
5

6. Soremouth
 Soremouth is a common skin disease affecting sheep and
goats. It is a highly contagious infection that can also produce
painful human infections.
 The virus causes scab formation on the skin, usually around
the mouth, nostrils, eyes, mammary gland and vulva.
 Treatment is usually unrewarding. The disease will usually run
its course in 1 to 4 weeks.
 Hard to vaccinate for unless specific type of soremouth is
known. Could cause a outbreak in your flock if you vaccinate.
 Usually you will get soremouth if you show animals at fairs.
6

7. Soremouth
Image # 2 Image # 3
7

8. Epididymitis
 Epididymitis means inflammation of the tubular portion of
the testical.
 Severely affected rams will often show discomfort and
could have swelling in the testes area.
 Epididymitis may cause infertility in rams and bucks. The
damage is usually permanent.
 It is the number one ram fertility problem seen in the sheep
and goat industry.
 Epididymitis is contagious and is transmitted during
breeding.
 Prevention is to buy virgin or disease-free rams and bucks.
8

9. White Muscle Disease
 White muscle disease is a degeneration of the
skeletal and muscle systems of lambs and kids.
 It is caused by a deficiency of selenium, vitamin E, or
both and can be a problem wherever selenium levels
in the soil are low or the diet is deficient in selenium.
 Symptoms are stiffness of the hind legs with an
arched back and tucked in flanks.
 If dietary levels of selenium are inadequate, lambs or
kids can be given an injection of selenium and
vitamin E shortly at birth. Dietary supplementation of
selenium is usually preferred to selenium injections.
9

10. White Muscle Disease
Image # 4
Dragging of hind legs, often an indicator
10

11. Urinary Calculi (Waterbelly)
 Urinary calculi or “water belly” is a disease of wethers and
intact males. It is characterized by the formation of calculi
(stones) within the urinary tract.
 This causes retention of urine, abdominal pain, distention
and rupture of the urethra or bladder.
 The most common cause of urinary calculi is feeding
rations with high phosphorus levels. The ratio of calcium
to phosphorus in the ration should be at least 2:1.
 The addition of ammonium chloride to the ration will aid in
preventing urinary calculi. It is also important that animals
have an ample supply of clean, potable water. The
addition of salt to the ration will increase water intake and
decrease stone formation.
11

12. Urinary Calculi or
“Waterbelly”
Image # 5
Notice the belly of the sheep is
ballooned
12

13. Diseases Associated with
Lambing and Kidding
 Pregnancy Toxemia
 Milk Fever
 Mastitis
 Prolapsing
 Abortion
Image # 6
13

14. Pregnancy Toxemia

(Ketosis) that affects
Pregnancy toxemia or “ketosis” is a disease
ewes and does during late gestation. It often afflicts ewes
or does that are thin, over fat, older, and/or carrying
multiple fetuses.
 It is caused by an inadequate intake of energy during late
pregnancy, when the majority of fetal growth is occurring.
 Treatment is to increase the blood sugar supply to the
body by administering glucose or propylene glycol or
molasses.
 Pregnancy toxemia can be prevented by providing
adequate energy to ewes during late gestation. Adequate
feeder space is also necessary to ensure all ewes are
able to consume enough feed.
14

15. Pregnancy Toxemia or “Ketosis”
Photo courtesy of Scott Meyers
Pregnancy Toxemia and Milk Fever have
the same symptoms
15

16. Milk Fever (Hypocalcemia)
 Milk fever or “hypocalcemia” is a disease affecting pregnant
ewes and does near birth when their calcium requirements are
the highest.
 It is most commonly caused by an inadequate intake of calcium,
but can also be caused by a ewes or does inability to mobilize
calcium reserves for lambing and kidding.
 Milk fever presents similar symptoms as pregnancy toxemia but
can be distinguished from it by the response to calcium therapy.
 Ewes and does in the early stages of milk fever can be
administered calcium. Milk fever can be prevented by providing
proper levels of calcium in the diets, especially during late
gestation.
16

17. Mastitis
 Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland (udder) which
is usually caused by a bacterial infection.
 There are two types of mastitis: Acute and Chronic.
 Acute mastitis often results in udders being discolored, dark,
swollen and very warm. The affected ewe or doe may be
reluctant to walk, may hold up one rear foot, and may not permit
her lambs or kids to nurse.
 Those with chronic mastitis often go undetected.
 Mastitis is treated with intramammary antibiotics and injection
antibiotics.
 There is no vaccine for mastitis. It is best prevented by good
management and sanitation.
17

18. Mastitis
Treatment (intramammary) Extreme Case of Mastitis
Images # 7-8
18

19. WARNING:
Graphic Content
The following images and or content may
be disturbing to some viewers.
Viewer discretion is advised
19

20. Prolapsing
Uterine prolapse
Vaginal
Rectal
prolapse
prolapse
Images # 9 – 12
Prolapse starting
20

21. Rectal Prolapse
 Rectal prolapse is the protrusion of the rectal tissue
through the exterior of the body.
 It usually begins as a small round area that sticks out
when the lamb or kid lays down or coughs. In extreme
cases, the intestines can pass through the opening and
the disease can be fatal.
 There are many factors that affect the occurrence of
rectal prolapses. This includes genetics, short tail
docking, coughing, weather, stress, and feeding
concentrate diets.
 Usually, lambs or kids with prolapsed rectums are
prematurely slaughtered or sent to market. It is possible to
repair a rectal prolapse by amputating the prolapsed part
of the rectum.
21

22. Uterine Prolapse
 Uterine prolapse is when the uterus is turned inside
out and pushed through the birth canal by the
strainings of the ewe or doe.
 It may occur immediately after lambing/kidding or
several days later. A uterine prolapse is a life-
threatening condition.
 The uterus should be cleaned with a warm, soapy,
disinfectant solution prior to replacement and should
be replaced before the tissues become dry or chilled.
Affected ewes should be given antibiotics.
 An animal should not be culled because of a uterine
prolapse.
22

23. Vaginal Prolapse
 Vaginal prolapses are most commonly observed during the last
month of pregnancy or shortly after lambing/kidding.
 Many factors have been linked in the cause of vaginal
prolapse, such as hormonal and metabolic
imbalances, overfat/overthin body condition, bulky feeds or lack
of exercise.
 Vaginal prolapses often reoccur in future pregnancies.
 The exposed vagina of affected ewes or does should be
washed with soapy disinfectant solution and forced back into
the ewe. A "spoon" can be inserted and secured in the animal to
prevent further prolapsing.
 Affected ewes and their offspring should probably not be kept in
the flock for breeding animals due to the possibility of passing
unwanted trait on to offspring.
23

24. Vaginal Prolapse Spoon
Image # 13 Image # 14
Strings are tied to the wool or hair towards
the top of the rear once spoon is inserted in
the vagina.
24

25. Abortion
 Abortion is when a pregnancy is terminated
and the mother loses her lambs/kids or
gives birth to weak or deformed animal that
dies shortly after birth.
 There are both infectious and non-
infectious causes of abortion.
 As a precaution, pregnant women should
not handle fetuses or placental fluids.
25

26. WARNING:
Graphic Content
The following images and or content may
be disturbing to some viewers.
Viewer discretion is advised
26

27. Abortion
Image # 15 Image # 16
27

28. Diseases Associated with
Production Sheep and Goats
 Abscesses
 Listeriosis
 Bloat
 Pneumonia
Images # 17 - 19
28

29. Abscesses
 Caseous lymphadenitis is the technical name for the
disease of sheep and goats that is often referred to
as CL or contagious abscesses.
 This disease is a very common infection in sheep
and goats in the USA.
 Large abscesses can be opened and drained
(collecting as much of the drainage as possible), but
the animal should be isolated in an area that can be
easily disinfected until there is no more drainage.
 Frequently, the abscess will reappear in a few weeks
to a few months. Selling of the animal may be
required.
29

30. Bloat
 Bloat occurs when rumen gas production exceeds
the rate of gas elimination.
 Gas then accumulates causing disruption in the
rumen. The skin on the left side of the animal behind
the last rib may appear swollen.
 Bloat can be a medical emergency, and timely
intervention may be necessary to prevent death.
 Bloat is a common cause of sudden death in
livestock. It usually results from nutritional causes.
30

31. Listeriosis (circling disease)
 Listeria monocytogenes, the bacteria that causes
listeriosis is widely distributed in nature and is found in
soil, feedstuffs, and feces from healthy animals.
 It is most commonly associated with the feeding of moldy
silage or spoiled hay, but because the organism lives
naturally in the environment, listeriosis may occur
sporadically.
 Sheep with the neurological form of the disease become
depressed and disoriented. They may walk in circles with
a head tilt and facial paralysis. Mortality is high and
treatment (high doses of antibiotics) is generally not
effective.
31

32. Pneumonia
 Pneumonia is a respiratory complex with no
single agent being solely responsible for the
disease.
 Affected animals become depressed and go
off feed. They may cough and show some
respiratory distress. Temperatures are usually
over 104°F.
 The disease may be acute with sudden deaths
or take a course of several days. Pneumonia
is treated with antibiotics.
32

33. Scrapies
Images # 20-21
33

34. Scrapies
 Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease
that affects the central nervous system (i.e.
brain and spinal cord) of sheep and goats.1
 Is caused by a prion protein which
accumulates and damages infected cells. 2
 Prions are resistant to normal
sterilization processes and does not
induce an immune response in affected
animals, which causes this disease to
be lethal. 2
34

35. History of Scrapies
 Scrapie is the oldest known TSE. First
recognized in Great Britain and Western
Europe over 250 years ago.
 It was first discovered in the US in 1947
in Michigan from a flock imported from
British Canada 2
35

36. Scrapies
 The most common method of
transmission is from ewe to lamb
through placental fluids.
 Other methods of exposure include oral
and ocular contact, milk from infected
ewes, and environmental contamination.
 The infective agent, prion protein, can
survive in the environment for years; the
longest reported duration was 16 years.
2
36

37. Scrapies
 Signs and symptoms appear between 2-5
years after infection. On average, infected
animals tend to show signs of onset at 3-4
years. 2
 Symptoms include:
○ Nervousness or aggression
○ Intense rubbing/scraping
○ Tremors
○ Star gazing
○ Weight loss without loss of appetite
○ Wool pulling
○ Biting of feet and limbs
○ Death 3
37

38. Program Status in the US
 A Scrapie eradication program was first
developed in 1952
 In 2001, the National Scrapie
Eradication Program (NSEP) was
created by the USDA to cause a
substantial reduction in Scrapie by 2010
and the complete eradication by 2017.
 This program has worked with state,
industry and producer involvement. 5
38

39. Hoof and foot care
 Foot rot, foot scald
Images # 22 -24
39

40. Foot Rot
 Footrot is one of the most economically devastating diseases in
the sheep and goat industry. It is caused by bacteria that can
only live in the animal's hoof and with bacteria that is a normal
inhabitant of soil and sheep manure.
 Lameness in one or more feet is the most common symptom of
footrot, though not all lame sheep have footrot. Footrot has a
characteristic foul odor.
 Footrot can be controlled and/or eradicated by a combination of
hoof trimming, vaccination, foot bathing, soaking and culling.
 Zinc sulfate is considered to be the most effective foot rot
treatment. Footrot is highly contagious.
40

41. Foot Scald
 Foot scald causes the tissues between the sheep's
toes to become blanched or white, or red and swelled.
 It is caused by a soil bacteria that is present in most
environments and manifests itself during wet
conditions.
 It is easier to treat than foot rot. Placing sheep in a dry
area away from mud may clear the condition.
 Individual animals can be treated with Koppertox.
Groups of animals may be treated with a zinc sulfate
foot bath.
41

42. Image # 25
Image courtesy of Poverty Point Farm
A trimmed hoof on the right and an
A tilt table
untrimmed hoof on the left
Image # 26
Common type of
hoof trimmers
Image courtesy of Mount Ascot
Alley way set up for foot
baths 42

43. Management is key!
 Use foot baths, avoid muddy areas and
lots, allow plenty of exercise, treat and
trim hooves often
 Avoid foot baths with copper solutions
 Isolate infected animals/cull
 Bad feet can ruin a flock or herd!
43

44. Management of Internal and
External Parasites
 Parasites problems are found throughout the
entire U.S.
 Parasites can affect goats and sheep at all
ages
 Damage is most severe to the young and old
 The key is to have sheep in healthy condition
so they can have natural resistance to parasite
loads
44

45. Internal Parasites
 Roundworms, tapeworms and coccidia
 Many different types of internal parasites that affect
sheep and goats
 As a producer it is important to focus on IPM –
Integrated pest management
 Good Management, Pasture Rest and Rotation,
Multi-species Grazing, Proper Anthelmintic Use
45

46. Internal Parasites
Image # 27 Image # 29
Tapeworm
Round worm
Image # 28
46

47. Clinical Signs
Images # 30-32
47

48. Parasite Cycle
Image # 33
48

49. FAMACHA
 The FAMACHA
system was
developed due to the
emergence of drug-
resistant worms.
 The system utilizes
an eye anemia guide
to evaluate the eyelid
color of a sheep or
goat to determine the
severity of parasite
infection and the
Image # 34
need for deworming.
49

50. External Parasites
 Flies, ticks, lice
 Ticks and lice can be effectively
controlled by dipping, spraying or jetting
with approved insecticide, normally one
application will be effective.
 Flies can also be controlled with jetting
and other measures taken to reduce fly
populations
50

51. Spraying or “Jetting” for
External Parasites
Photo courtesy of Mount Ascot
51

52. External Parasites
Fly
Tick
Sheep Lice
Images # 35-37
52

53. Copper Toxicity
 Sheep are unique in that they accumulate
copper in the liver more readily than other farm
animals.
 As a result, they are very susceptible to Cu
toxicity (poisoning).
 Affected sheep are lethargic and anemic. They
may grind their teeth incessantly and
experience extreme thirst.
 Urine is a bloody color. Death usually occurs 1
to 2 days after the onset of clinical symptoms.
53

54. Copper Toxicity
 Don’t feed goat rations to sheep. Sheep
rations can be fed to goats however.
 Watch the copper levels in mineral blocks
or salt mixes.
 Avoid foot baths with copper due to toxicity
issue.
 Also avoid copper because of it being hard
on equipment and disposal of it can be
difficult.
54

55. Biosecurity Measures
 Inspect for soundness
 Isolate new sheep or goats for at least 2 weeks before
putting them in with other animals on your farm or before
being turned out to pasture. This period will provide you
with an opportunity to detect a disease problem.
 Limit access to your farm and flock since some disease
can be spread by contaminated footwear and vehicles. By
limiting access to your farm and animals you can limit the
risk of introducing and spreading diseases.
 Preventative health management can be very useful if you
use vaccination programs along with good management.
55

56. Management is key
 Adequate clean water
supply
 Planned facilities that
allow for frequent
cleaning
 Disease and health
problems of sheep
Photo courtesy of Maple Hollow Farm cannot be controlled or
prevented if they are not
identified
56

57. Management is key
 Avoid stress! Many diseases often appear
as a result of stress.
 Every effort should be made to maintain
sheep and goats in a thrifty, healthy
condition
 Biosecurity
 Seek professional help and advice before
major problems develop
57

58. Common Diseases & Health
Issues of Sheep & Goats
Phil Wise, Jimmy Lowe, Ethan Hull,
Sydney Warshaw
Photo courtesy of Mount Ascot 58

59. References
 Image # 1 - "ARS Image Gallery." ARS : Home. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/animalsimages.new.htm>.
 Image # 14 - "Always Learning New Tricks « On the Shores of Carpenter Creek." On
the Shores of Carpenter Creek. Web. 15 Apr. 2011.
<http://carpentercreek.wordpress.com/2008/02/20/always-learning-new-tricks/>.
 Image # 6 - "ARS Image Gallery." ARS : Home. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/animalsimages.new.htm>.
 Image # 25 - "ASC-129 SHEEP FOOT CARE AND DISEASES." Learning, Discovery,
Service | in the College of Agriculture. Web. 15 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/asc/asc129/asc129.htm>.
 Image # 27 - Buy Tapeworm Eggs. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.tapewormeggs.com/>.
 Image # 33 - Dalton, Dr Clive. "January 2009." Woolshed 1. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
<http://woolshed1.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html>.
 Image # 28 - "Microscopes." Able Oaks Ranch Alpacas. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.ableoaks.com/books/fecals.html>.
59

60. References
 Image # 13 - "Prolapse Spoon." Farm and Smallholding Supplies -. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.homesteadfarmsupplies.co.uk/prolapse-spoon-p-746.html>.
 Image # 29 - "Raccoon Roundworm: Infections, Symptoms, & Prevention." The Inquisitr
| News. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://www.inquisitr.com/23338/raccoon-roundworm/>.
 Images # 20,21 - "The Rationale for Ridding U.S. of Scrapie - May 1, 2002." American
Veterinary Medical Association. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/may02/s050102g.asp>.
 Images # 2-4,7-12,17-19, 22-24, 30-32, 34-37 - "Sheep 201: Sheep Diseases A-Z."
Sheep 101 Home Page. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.sheep101.info/201/diseasesa-
z.html>.
 Image # 15, 16 - "Sheep Diseases." IOL. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.iol.ie/~yjhnstn/sheep_diseases.htm>.
 Image # 26 - "Sheep Show Supplies II." SCOTTDALE SUPPLY. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.scottdalesupplyonline.com/sheep_show_supplies1.htm>.
 Image # 5 - "Urinary Calculi." Home Page. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.danekeclublambs.com/urinarycalculi.html>.
60