Detailed Explanation of Common Disease Prevention and Treatment Methods for Small-Tailed Han Sheep

The common sheep diseases of Small-Tailed Han sheep mainly include: sheep anthrax, sheep enterotoxemia, lamb dysentery, sheep liver fluke disease, sheep mange mite disease, sheep pox and stomatitis, etc. The prevention and treatment methods are described in detail below.

Sheep Anthrax

Sheep anthrax is an acute infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis that affects both humans and animals. Affected sheep run and jump for a short period, then sway and fall to the ground, with the head tilting backward and the limbs making involuntary swimming motions, and die within a few minutes. The disease has the highest incidence from May to September. An anthrax preventive injection can be given once in spring and autumn; in areas where anthrax has occurred, give one preventive injection each year, with each sheep receiving a subcutaneous injection of 0.5 ml of anthrax spore vaccine in the neck, which provides immunity for one year.

Sheep Enterotoxemia

Sheep enterotoxemia presents with sudden onset; before falling dead, the limbs show strong paddling motions, muscles tremble, eyeballs roll, teeth grind, excessive salivation, followed by marked twitching of the head and neck, and death usually occurs within 2-4 hours.

[Treatment] (1) Use 18-20 g of sulfaguanidine, administered by drench once on the first day, and divided into 2 doses on the second day, until recovery. (2) A 10% lime solution can be administered by drench, 200 ml per adult sheep and 50-80 ml per lamb.

Lamb Dysentery

Lamb dysentery presents as diarrhea in lambs. The feces are foul-smelling, sometimes as thick as paste, sometimes as thin as water, and in the later stage contain blood; death usually occurs within 1-2 days.

[Treatment] (1) Oxytetracycline 0.2-0.3 g, or additionally pepsin 0.2-0.3 g, mixed with water and administered by drench, twice daily. (2) Lamb dysentery hyperimmune serum can be used for treatment, injected intramuscularly at 0.8-1.4 ml.

Sheep Liver Fluke Disease

In the acute form, affected sheep show listlessness, elevated body temperature, loss of appetite, and occasional diarrhea. Severe anemia, enlargement of the abdominal circumference, filled with a large amount of ascites, and death often occurs within 3-5 days. In the chronic form, affected sheep show a longer course of disease, anemia, emaciation, alternating constipation and diarrhea, and death from exhaustion with rough, dull coat.

[Treatment] (1) Use bithionol at 0.08-0.1 g per kg of body weight, prepared as a suspension and given orally once. (2) Use niclofolan at 3-5 ml per kg of body weight, given orally once. Prevention: regular deworming, once each in spring and autumn.

Sheep Mange Mite Disease

There are two types parasitic on the body surface of sheep: sarcoptic mites and psoroptic mites. Sarcoptic mites mostly parasitize the lips, nose, around the eyes, ears, head, inner sides of the legs and tail base of sheep. Psoroptic mites mostly occur on the densely haired rump and back, then spread to the whole body. This is a relatively common sheep disease and causes great harm to sheep production. Treatment and prevention: a 0.25% solution of mange-killing agent can be used for medicated bathing, once each in spring and autumn every year.

Sheep Pox

In the early stage of onset, there is fever (41°C - 42°C), congestion of the ocular and nasal mucosa, and serous and purulent discharge from the nostrils. Pox appears after 1 to 2 days. Red spots appear on areas of skin with little or no hair, such as around the eyes, lips, corners of the mouth, nasal wings, limbs, inner side of the tail, labia, udder, scrotum and prepuce, and quickly form firm round papules 3 mm to 5 mm in diameter. After about 6 days, the papules enlarge and form vesicles, and the body temperature drops slightly. After 2 to 5 days, the vesicles become pustules, and the body temperature rises again, generally lasting about 2 days. Finally, the pustules dry up and become dark brown scabs. Some affected sheep also show lameness, blindness, coughing, diarrhea, etc.

Stomatitis

Stomatitis, namely mouth ulcer, is inflammation of the oral mucosa. Stomatitis includes glossitis, palatitis and gingivitis.

[Causes] Mechanical injury to the oral cavity causes catarrhal stomatitis; irritation or corrosion by chemical substances causes stomatitis; accidental ingestion of moldy feed causes vesicular stomatitis; bacterial invasion of the oral cavity causes ulcerative stomatitis; sheep pox and sheep necrobacillosis are complicated by stomatitis.

[Symptoms] The oral mucosa of Small-Tailed Han sheep shows increased sensitivity; they eat only soft forage, and the parts of coarse, hard fibrous forage that are difficult to chew are often spit out from the mouth in clumps. When chewing, foamy saliva hangs at the corners of the mouth or flows out in strings. Examination of the oral cavity shows congestion and swelling of the mucosa, with a grayish-white tongue coating. The mouth is hot and has a foul odor (note the distinction from foot-and-mouth disease), and oral wounds or foreign bodies, or erosions, ulcers, vesicles, etc., may be seen in Small-Tailed Han sheep.

[Treatment] First remove the foreign body causing the injury, stop feeding moldy feed, and feed easily digestible feed and clean drinking water.

(1) First rinse the oral cavity with disinfectant astringents such as 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, 0.2% rivanol solution, or 2% boric acid solution, then apply 1% gentian violet solution, or chloramphenicol ointment, or iodine glycerin.

(2) Sprinkle Qingdai powder into the mouth: equal parts of indigo naturalis, Coptis chinensis, Phellodendron chinense, mint, Platycodon grandiflorus and catechu, ground together into fine powder for later use. Or use 9 g of borax, 12 g of indigo naturalis and 3 g of borneol, ground together into powder and apply to the inflamed areas of the oral cavity.

(3) Administration by drench: sulfadiazine tablets 0.5 g X 8 tablets, baking soda 0.3 g X 12 tablets, vitamin B 0.1 g X 4 tablets, soft capsules 2.5 g X 2 capsules, ground together into powder and administered by drench once, 2-3 times a day.