D Strickland Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 I am new to owning my own sheep and I have a sheep that has a bum leg. I was working a small group of sheep yesterday when I noticed that one was limping. I separated him from the rest and put him up. There were no cuts, scrapes, or anything visible. This front left leg is now swelled-up at the joint above the hoof. I can't feel anything like broken bones. Any ideas on what I can or should do ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 When was the last time the feet were trimmed? Are the hooves overgrown? Any sign of infection in the foot, such as inflammation between the toes, drainage, or soft, porous tissue on the pad of the foot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCStarkey Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hi Dave, Could the scent gland just above the hoof be infected and impacted? If this is infected, it would cause swelling above the hoof and lameness. Check the gland and see if you can express pus from the gland. Good luck! nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Strickland Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 When was the last time the feet were trimmed? Are the hooves overgrown? Any sign of infection in the foot, such as inflammation between the toes, drainage, or soft, porous tissue on the pad of the foot? Hi Bill, I've only had these guys for 2 weeks and it was entirely too cold for trimming until today. Hooves were overgrown a little but not extreme. This happened when I was working them pretty hard. A lot of sudden stops, cutting back, and such. I couldn't get the stinkin' llama and horses out of the field so the sheep kept wanting to go back to them for safety. Needless to say that my dog got quite a workout. BTW my dog pulled a muscle today so she's limping around on 3 legs !!!! Geezzz ... when it rains it pours !!!!! LOL Thanks for the reply, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Strickland Posted February 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hi Dave, Could the scent gland just above the hoof be infected and impacted? If this is infected, it would cause swelling above the hoof and lameness. Check the gland and see if you can express pus from the gland. Good luck! nancy Hi Nancy, I will admit that I had never heard of this scent gland until about 5 minutes ago. I ran a quick Google search and I now understand it better. I will check him out tomorrow and see if this is what we are dealing with. When I was checking his leg and foot today , and trimming hooves, I did not notice any kind of inflammation in that area - only inflammation around that ankle. A good article on this scent gland thing is : http://www.sheepmagazine.com/issues/27/27-...Ball-Gisch.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCStarkey Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 Hi Nancy, I will admit that I had never heard of this scent gland until about 5 minutes ago. I ran a quick Google search and I now understand it better. I will check him out tomorrow and see if this is what we are dealing with. When I was checking his leg and foot today , and trimming hooves, I did not notice any kind of inflammation in that area - only inflammation around that ankle. A good article on this scent gland thing is : http://www.sheepmagazine.com/issues/27/27-...Ball-Gisch.html Hi Dave, Glad to possibly be of help, and I hope that the problem is as simple as an infected gland. Usually, you don't notice anything on the surface, but the underlying swelling in the leg just above the hoof (coronet band area) is quite noticeable. If the gland is impacted, it will be quite painful when you apply pressure to express the "gunk". But, the relief for the sheep will be immediate when you do. Good luck, and I hope that your dog's injury will be as quickly resolved! nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted February 2, 2009 Report Share Posted February 2, 2009 You should bear in mind that it is perfectly normal to be able to expel some greasy or waxy material from this gland and that doesn't mean there's an infection or impaction. Take everything in Sheep! Magazine with a grain of salt. There's little or no editorial review as far as I can tell. That article strikes me as giving newbies a list of ways to hide their heads in the sand when they have lame sheep. The condition described in the 1920s as "False Footrot" by an anonymous "Doctor A.X.A." (Doctor of what isn't stated, you'll notice) sounds very much to me like either scald (interdigital dermatitis) or laminitis. Yes, there are plenty of reasons why sheep limp that aren't related to infections of the foot and claws themselves, but that is where to start. It's possible that your sheep simply wrenched its pastern and will need some time to recover, but do check for heat, swelling, and other signs of infection. Penicillin is probably a better choice of antibiotics than oxytetracycline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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