Sheep and ram farmers may face the problem of the animal not being able to stand on its hind legs. In the article you will read about the possible causes of this phenomenon, descriptions of diseases that can cause paralysis of the legs, as well as how to cure the animal and what preventive measures must be observed.
Why do sheep, rams or lambs fail their hind legs: possible causes
When the hind legs fail in sheep, rams or lambs, the animals prefer to lie down and have difficulty getting up.
The first step is to pay attention to the alleged causes of this phenomenon:
- Stopping the stomach from indigestion. It is necessary to exclude wheat from the diet of animals or minimize its amount. Instead of wheat, you can use barley or oats.
- Swallowed sharp or hard object. It can be a nail, glass or stone.
- Ingestion of polyethylene in the stomach of a sheep. This can happen if the animal finds and eats a plastic bag that is not digested in the stomach.
Diseases
Also, the reason why the hind legs fail in animals can be various diseases. They have all sorts of manifestations, and are also associated with a violation of some functions of the body of livestock. The causative agents are a variety of infections and viruses. Let’s talk about these ailments in more detail.
White muscle disease of sheep
This disease most often affects young animals aged 3 to 5 months. It is a metabolic disorder at the cellular level.
Among its symptoms are:
- heart weakness, expressed in lethargy, inactivity and loss of strength;
- skeletal muscle disorders, characterized by lameness, unsteady gait;
- muscle tremor;
- convulsions;
- paralysis, including failure of the hind legs.
Treatment for lambs is as follows:
- improving their conditions of detention;
- subcutaneous injection of a 0,5% solution of sodium selenate and vitamin E preparations;
- intramuscular injection of vitamin B 300-500 ml per day for 3-4 days.
After a month, the procedure can be repeated. If there are complications, antibiotic treatment should be carried out.
Important! To determine white muscle disease, you need to raise the lamb by 50–60 cm from the ground and lower back. A healthy animal will immediately rise to its feet, and a sick one will have difficulty with this.
Preventive measures to avoid this disease are:
- inclusion in the diet of animal silage, needles and bone meal;
- introduction to pregnant ewes, 3-4 weeks before lambing, 0,5% solution of sodium selenite subcutaneously.
Hoof diseases
Among the diseases that affect the hooves of sheep, the following can be distinguished:
- Footrot. In the case of this disease, redness between the fingers, exfoliation of the hard layer of the hoof from the skin, lameness, and an unpleasant odor are observed. In this case, it is painful for the animal to stand up. This is an infectious disease, therefore sick sheep should be isolated and treated with a 10% formalin solution and a 5% aqueous paraform solution. For limbs, it is necessary to do baths every 2-3 days using a 10% formalin solution. To prevent the appearance of foot rot, it is necessary to inspect the hooves of sheep every 2 weeks in order to identify the disease at an early stage, and also treat the hooves with 2% paraform twice a year.
- Interdigital dermatitis. It looks like a burn lesion of soft tissues on the hoof. Occurs in warm, humid weather and damp pasture. It is characterized by redness between the fingers, sometimes with the release of fluid. To rid sheep and rams of this disease, it is necessary not to graze cattle on a damp pasture, to transfer it to a room with a hard floor and keep it in a dry paddock. To prevent disease, at high humidity, choose the driest places in the pasture for grazing.
Listeriosis
The causative agent of this infectious disease is the listeria bacterium, which is resistant to the external environment and can be stored for a long time in soil, water and on plants. Infection occurs through damaged skin and mucous membranes of the genital organs.
Did you know? In 1996, a sheep became the first mammal to be cloned and lived for 6,5 years.
The symptoms of listeriosis are:
- the animal becomes weak;
- there is a refusal to feed;
- there is a depressed state;
- increased body temperature;
- convulsions and limb failure;
- neck curvature.
For the treatment of listeriosis, it is necessary to use chlortetracycline or tetracycline orally 2-3 times a day until recovery and 3 days after, at the rate of 25-30 mg per 1 kg of sheep weight. Prevention of the disease are measures to prevent the appearance of bacteria in the herd and control over the quality of the feed.
If there are sheep with listeriosis in the herd, it is necessary to impose a strict restriction on the import and export of animals and carefully monitor the herd so as not to miss the first signs of the disease.
Important! Sheep and rams with listeriosis that have signs of damage to the nervous system must be immediately sent for slaughter so as not to infect the herd.
Brucellosis
This is an infectious disease that is transmitted by direct contact of animals, through contaminated care items, inventory, products of animal origin. Monthly lambs are resistant to this disease, but susceptibility to infection increases with age. Rodents are often carriers of brucellosis.
The manifestation of the disease is characterized by the following symptoms:
- abortions and developing infertility in sheep;
- orchitis and epidermitis in sheep;
- elevated temperature;
- oppression;
- decreased appetite;
- lethargy and weakness of the limbs 2-3 days before the abortion.
Having discovered a disease, a restriction on the movement of livestock is immediately imposed on the herd. Sick animals should be sent for slaughter, the rest of the herd is periodically examined, at least 2 times in six months.
Preventive measures for the appearance of brucellosis in the herd are the isolated cultivation of healthy young animals and vaccination from various strains of brucella.
Did you know? Sheep are comfortable in the herd. Alone, the animal experiences anxious depression, which negatively affects its health.
Injuries
Another good reason why sheep, rams and lambs do not stand on their hind legs is the injuries they have received.
The main injuries in these animals are:
- Chemical injury. Arise due to the possible impact on the body of sheep acids, alkalis and toxic substances. As a result, livestock can get burns and general poisoning of the body. As a result, the animal may fall and not have the strength to get up.
- Physical injury. Occur due to exposure to high or low temperatures, electric current or ultraviolet radiation on the body of livestock. Usually they can manifest themselves in the form of burns, frostbite and radiation sickness. As a result of such an impact, the animal becomes weaker, it becomes difficult for him to rise and sit down.
- Mechanical injury. Occur when exposed to organs of mechanical force during falls, collisions with vehicles, damage by sharp objects. Such injuries are characterized by bruises, fractures, sprains and wounds. In this case, it is necessary to carefully examine the animal and, if necessary, apply a fixing or plaster bandage to the limb of the sheep.
If the sheep does not stand on its hind legs, the farmer must identify the reason for this and take the necessary measures. Using all the recommendations in practice, you will be able to cure the animal, and also, observing prevention, prevent the appearance of paralysis of the legs in sheep in the future.
