FOOTROT IN SHEEP.

Otago Witness, Issue 1920, 4 December 1890, Page 8

FOOTROT IN SHEEP.

Footrot in sheep was disoussed at a repent meeting of the Council of.the Royal Agricultural Society. Although not mortal, the disease is. provokingly widespread, oauses serious loss of condition, and entails much labour and expense in holding it in obeok, and still more in effeqtually curing it. FJookmastera, not only in this country but in the colonies, are believed to be generally of the opinion that the complaint is contagious; although the veterinarians who have studied it are understood to consider it non-contagious, The fact seems to be that of the several forms and stages of the disease, or rather of the several diseases grouped under the title of footrot, a few ara non-contagious. Bruising and laceration of the horn of the crust and sole, and consequent lameness, occurring in travelled sheep, and coming under the oategory of footrot,' in the first instance, is devoid of contagious characters. The hoof is sound and strong when exposed to the natural tear and wear which it has on the upland pastures, which are the native habitat of sheep ; but when such flocks are plaoed upon soft lowland grazinga the horn grows more rapidly, is of a more soft and spongy texture, little travel being requisite in pursuit of food, it is not duly worn down, it accordingly cracks and splits, dirt insinuates, inflammation of subjacent sensitive parts supervenes, leading to aorid discharges which are liable to induce .irritation and inflammation when brought into contact with the overgrown soft cracked hoofs common amongst Buch flooks. The form of footrot commencing with irritation ' and discharge in the interdigital space is, we believe, equally contagious. Fortunately the infeofciveness of the> several footrot discharges is not very great, provided the feet of the flook be kept in a fairly sound state by removing,' as required, all redundancy of horn at. intervals, say, of six or eight weeks, and ' dressing any abrasions with an antiseptic. At the meeting of the Royal Agricultural Sooiety Mr Rawlance, who has under his care some 10,000 sheep, stated that he succeeded in keeping their feet Bound by paring them when required and tunning them onoe or twice a week through a shallow tank containing an antiseptic mixture. Many flookmasters, both in this country and in the colonies, by such preventive treatment keep their sheep free from footrot. Solution of copper sulphate in water, or of arsenic- in diluted alkaline carbonate solutions are the foot baths generally ÜB6d. Suoh measures might with advantage be more generally adopted. — Home paper.