Infectious limping of sheep

02.07.2026

What is infectious lameness in sheep?

An infectious disease of sheep and goat hooves is widespread worldwide and for this reason presents a significant health and economic problem in sheep farming. In our conditions, this disease causes a reduction in the live weight of sheep, losses in milk production, decreased fertility, etc.

The infectious hoof disease is a typical representative of diseases that are associated with soil infection. The infection of this disease spreads quickly in pastures or barns, especially when there is moisture (wet bedding, muddy shelter, rainy weather). It should be emphasized that this disease intensifies during early spring and late autumn.

What are the factors that influence the spread of the disease?

The factors that influence the spread of infectious disease in sheep and goat hooves are:

Wet bedding;
Rainy weather (wet and soft soil);
Irregular and uneven trimming of hooves and
Mechanical damage.

What causes the disease?

The cause of this disease is the bacterium 'Dichelobacter nodosus', which has a rod-like form and develops without the presence of oxygen. This bacterium settles in the hooves of the infected animal and is the greatest source of further infection spread.

There are three types of manifestations of this disease:

Benign (mild);
Moderately virulent (moderately risky) and
Virulent (dangerous).

If the infection occurs with the virulent type, the disease ends with "hoof dislocation," whereas if it develops with the moderate virulent type, then interdigital dermatitis (inflammation of the skin between the fingers) develops, whereas with the benign type there are no pronounced clinical cases in the form of severe limping.

How does this disease manifest?

The symptoms of this disease are massive lameness of sheep, on one or more legs, as a result of internal infection of the hoof and its destruction. At first, only lameness and lag behind the flock are observed, while later, depending on the extent of the infection, the animal moves much more difficultly, so if both front legs are covered, the animal moves on its knees.

Sheep can limp on one leg, two legs, and more rarely three legs, where they then remain in the flock, mostly old animals getting sick. During hoof cutting, an unpleasant smell of pus spreads.

Treatment

Cross-checking all sheep in the flock and separating sick sheep from healthy ones;
Surgical processing of the hooves of sick sheep and complete removal of parts affected by the disease;
Treatment of cut hooves with disinfectant (10% solution in formalin or 10-20% solution in copper sulfate);
Administration of 0.5 g of zinc sulfate per day through concentrated food;
In more severe cases, antibiotics (Oxytetracycline, penicillin, etc.) should be given in consultation with a veterinarian.
After individual cleaning of the hooves, the sheep should pass through the canal with disinfectant (10% gurkal, or formalin) for 2-3 consecutive days;
The procedure should be repeated at monthly intervals until the largest number of sheep have healed;
Sheep that do not recover must be sent to the slaughterhouse;

Prevention is enabled by implementing several actions in common practice:

All animals that arrive must be examined for signs of this disease before being allowed to enter the farm;

After treatment, the sheep are sent to pastures where no other sheep or cattle have grazed for a period of 14 days;

Cleaning and disinfecting the facilities where the sheep are kept;

When changing the location of sheep in different seasons, special care must be taken not to transport them with vehicles that have not been disinfected beforehand;

During treatment, hooves should be cut in one place, waste should be burned, and the workplace should be disinfected thoroughly. When purchasing sheep, care must be taken regarding the health condition of the flock offered, while newly arrived sheep, even if healthy, should not be mixed with the flock for at least 30 days. Barriers with disinfectants must also be provided, which every farm visitor must pass through.

Is there vaccination against this disease?

Many types of vaccines have been developed worldwide. So far, they have produced various effects, while the biggest problem for the animal's immune protection has proven to be the nature of the pathogen itself, which has a complex antigenic structure that is subject to mutations, so it is necessary to work on creating native (local) types of vaccines.

How is copper sulfate and formalin applied?

The percentage of solution as well as the disinfection time of hooves varies greatly (different experiences); for copper sulfate, a solution of 10-15% is recommended, while for formalin, a solution of 5-7%. Primarily, bathing is recommended after processing the hooves (2-5 minutes); the use of formalin is shorter. Then, it is repeated 2 to 4 weeks later (30 days after the second treatment)

What are the advantages of using zinc sulfate?

The advantage of zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) is that it has good penetration into tissues, between the fingers, but it also causes a positive effect on the surface of the hoof itself

Zinc is a constituent part of many enzymes and is considered a "trigger" for many oxidation-reducing processes in cells. It is an element distributed in nature.