What Are the Common Diseases of Sheep in Summer? Detailed Explanation of Prevention and Treatment Methods
Summer has arrived, and it is also the best season for sheep to put on weight. Many farmer friends choose to take their sheep out to graze in summer, letting them forage on their own. Although the grass outside is at its most nutritious, if you are not careful it can cause the sheep to fall ill, which is extremely troublesome. So what are the common diseases of sheep in summer? What are the causes? And how should they be prevented and treated? Let's take a look.
1. Foot rot
Causes: Summer is a season of high temperatures and frequent rain, and the weather is changeable, which makes the sheep shed damp and makes the sheep prone to this disease. The main reasons are an imbalance of substances such as calcium and phosphorus in the feed, loose hoof horn that softens after being soaked in rainwater, and the hooves being pierced by stones, glass and other objects during grazing. All of these causes can trigger foot rot.
Symptoms: The sick sheep walks unsteadily with a limp, has a poor appetite, and lies on the ground most of the time unwilling to move. After the affected hoof is cut open with a knife, a hole will be found, and a black, foul-smelling liquid will flow out of the hole. In severe cases it can lead to systemic septicemia.
Prevention and treatment: Add some minerals to the feed, promptly remove manure and urine from the shed, and keep it clean and hygienic. For sick sheep, trim the affected hoof in time. If it has already rotted, potassium permanganate can be applied and used to wash it. If the soft tissue has rotted, clean the affected hoof thoroughly, then fill it with salicylic acid powder and bandage it.
2. Heatstroke
Causes: Heatstroke is mainly caused by grazing for long periods when the sun is extremely strong, as well as by the extremely poor ventilation of the sheep shed, which cannot be ventilated in time and becomes stuffy and hot inside. These conditions are the most likely to cause heatstroke in sheep.
Symptoms: In the early stage of heatstroke, the sheep is listless and lethargic, walks in circles with its head lowered, walks unsteadily, and its limbs tremble. The color of the eyes gradually turns blue-purple, the body temperature rises above forty degrees, and breathing becomes rapid. In severe cases it will collapse directly, and without timely treatment it will die very quickly.
Prevention and treatment: Immediately move the sick sheep to a cool place to cool down, pour cold water over its head or infuse cool water into the sheep's intestines, then inject caffeine sodium benzoate for adult sheep, and let it drink salt water to replenish water and salt. Bleed about 90 ml from the jugular vein, and immediately replenish fluids after bleeding. Note that grazing should not be done under the hot sun; before ten in the morning and after five in the evening are the most suitable times. Keep the sheep shed well ventilated, let the sheep drink more water, and provide more cool feed.
3. Bluetongue
Causes: Bluetongue is a common disease of all ruminants and is a highly contagious infectious disease, mainly caused by invasion through damage to the dermis of the sheep's hoof. The source is infected animals, and the virus is spread by mosquitoes and insects. It occurs mostly in summer and autumn.
Symptoms: This disease has an incubation period of about one week. In the early stage it is the same as heatstroke: the body temperature rises above forty degrees, the sheep is listless and lethargic, breathing is rapid, and the heartbeat speeds up. In the later stage there is difficulty breathing, hoof pain and inability to stand up, and complications of pneumonia and gastroenteritis lead to death.
Prevention and treatment: There is currently no specific treatment for bluetongue. It is necessary to strengthen the nutrition and management of sheep and treat the symptoms accordingly. The main approach is still prevention: inject vaccines regularly every year, protect the sheep's hooves, and immediately treat the hooves of any sheep found to be lame. If sick sheep appear, they should be culled immediately to eliminate the source of infection.
The three diseases above are the ones most likely to occur when raising sheep in summer. Many friends do not understand or know about bluetongue, and when they see the symptoms they think it is heatstroke. This leads to large-scale infection in the end, seriously affecting their own economic interests. Therefore, you must examine the symptoms of sick sheep clearly so as to treat them accordingly. In fact, there are more than the three above; for example, there are also eye diseases. All the causes are brought about by the daily environment such as temperature and hygiene, so you must ensure a suitable living environment for the sheep.