Production animal lameness 3 - PORCINE AND OVINE

Question 1

Aetiology - porcine arthritis

Answer 1

• rarer in outdoor pigs
• sporadic opportunist infection in individuals (E.coli, Staphs, Streps) through wounds
• Group outbreaks (Strep suis type 14 - via tonsils)

Question 2

Presentation - arthritis in piglets

Answer 2

• 2d weaning
• can’t stand, dog sitting
• enlarged joints
• death, starved, lai dupon
• may have meningitis CS

Question 3

Dx - arthritis in piglets

Answer 3

Bacteriology - from discharge or PME

Question 4

Tx - arthritis in iglets

Answer 4

• Lincomycin
• penicillin
• ampicillin
• ketoprogen
• euthanasia (if no respnse)
• all ABs above are licensed

Question 5

Causes - lameness in growers

Answer 5

• injury, fractures
• osteochondrosis dessicans
• patothenic acid def (rare)
• ionophore toxiticity (rare)
• infectious: Mycoplasma hyosynoviae, Mycoplasma hypopnuemoniae or Hyorrhinis polyarthritis (and pneumonia), Erysipelas (zoonosis, skin lesions)

Question 6

Dx - lameness in growers

Answer 6

• hx
• PE
• PM
• paired serology

Question 7

Tx - lameness in gorwers

Answer 7

Infectious causes: tiamulin, lincomysin, tylosin

Question 8

What % of sow culls are d/t lameness?

Answer 8

30%

Question 9

Types of lameness in adults

Answer 9

• Physical
• infectious
• Septic laminitis

Question 10

Outline physical lameness in adult pigs

Answer 10

• Cartilaginous pathlogy (osteochondrosis, osteochondritis, dyschondroplasia, or DJD)
• bony pathology –> weakness and fracture (osteomalacia)

Question 11

Outline infectious arthritis in adult pigs

Answer 11

• Erysipelas

- Mycoplasma sp

Question 12

What is septic laminitis in adult pigs?

Answer 12

= ‘bush foot’ d/t bacterial infection. treat with lincomycin and NSAIDs. Similar to white line abscess in cattle.

Question 13

What are the 6 main lesions causing lamenes in sheep?

Answer 13

• scald/ strip
• footrot
• Contagious ovine digital dermaititis (CODD)
• shelly hoof
• toe granuloma
• abscess

Question 14

What is CODD?

Answer 14

= Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis

- similar to DD in cattle

Question 15

How many sheep are lame?

Answer 15

10% UK flock

Question 16

What is scald caused by?

Answer 16

primarily caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum which is in faeces i.e. ubiquitus and usually Dichelobacter nodosus

Question 17

What is essential to cause footrot?

Answer 17

Dichelobacter nodosus

Question 18

What causes CODD?

Answer 18

The same treponemes (bacteria) that cause bovine DD

Question 19

Aetiology - shelly hoof and toe abscess

Answer 19

Poorly understood

Question 20

Aetiology - toe granuloma

Answer 20

Largely caused by farmers and vets (overtrimming)

Question 21

Footrot - control

Answer 21

• manage footrot and scald as one disease
• most important: early action, PN ABs and topical spray, NO trimming
• if possible, separate sheep lame with footrot or scald

Question 22

Outline routine foot trimming for sheep

Answer 22

• probably unnecessary on many farms
• shouldn’t be art of footrot control programme
• can lead to permanent damage to the shape of the foot
• even sheep with overgrown feet don’t need foot trimming unless it is affecting their ability to walk

Question 23

What determines whether scald will progress to footrot?

Answer 23

• whether D. nodosus is on the farm
• virulence and dose of D. nodosus
• sheep susceptibility
• whether sheep are tx promptly before separation of hoof horn occurs

Question 24

Describe D. nodosus

Answer 24

• present on >90% sheep farms
• lives for 7-10d on pasture (warm, moist)
• lives up to 6 wks in hoof clippings
• main reservoir = infected sheep

Question 25

Outline approach to a group of sheep with some lame

Answer 25

- watch 2x week - trim just enough for diagnosis - dispose of clippings - treat - record (for culling/selection)

Question 26

Tx - footrot

Answer 26

- OTC spray (clean foot) - Long-acting PN AB (OTC or amoxicillin) - allow sheep to stand on clean concrete - clean up area - ideally isolate sheep for 14d

Question 27

Prognosis - footrot

Answer 27

- 90% recover in 5d - if recovered after 14d, return to flock - in not then retreat

Question 28

Tx - scald (ewes, lambs, group outbreaks)

Answer 28

- ewes - as footrot - lambs (OTC spray, stand in clean area, re-spray in 5d if necessary) - group outbreaks: footbath, turnout to clean field, re-treat sheep still lame after 5d

Question 29

Presentation - scald - 2

Answer 29

- pale white skin | - characteristic smell

Question 30

When should you cull lame sheep?

Answer 30

- if still lame after 2 AB tx - if 2 episodes of lameness - if mishaped claws

Question 31

What chemicals are used for footbathing?

Answer 31

- 10% ZnSo4 - 3% formalin (most common) - NOT CuSO4 (risk of toxicity if sheep drink it)

Question 32

Method - footbathing

Answer 32

- stand sheep in Zn for > 2 minutes - stand sheep for 1 hour after - turn into a field rested for >15 d

Question 33

What is footvax?

Answer 33

= vaccine containing inactivated Bacteroides nodosus - vaccinate before high risk periods (usually Autumn/ Spring) - primary = twice, 6 wks apart - boost 6 monthly (could use every 4-5 months) - include all sheep (incl. rams) - CARE: risk of self-injection (MAY loose finger)

Question 34

Tx - CODD

Answer 34

- Tilmicosin (Micotil) = a macrolide AB - vet administration only - footbath with lincomycin (lincosamide) or tylosin (macrolide) (only instance to use AB footbath)