LEG LESIONS IN RAM HOGGETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3773, 6 July 1926, Page 19

LEG LESIONS IN RAM HOGGETS.

In October of last year an interesting condition, which it seems desirable to place on record, was recorded in a flock of purebred Romney ram hoggets in the Wairarapa district. The sheepowner first noticed that some of the animals showed a bleeding patch between the accessory claws of the hind legs, and as a number of the rams in a flock of 550 were affected he called in Mr T. A. Blake, Government Veterinarian, Masterton. Mr Blake, later, brought a ram alive by motor car to the laboratory for experimental work. In the majority of cases the two hind legs were affected, but several had the fore legs more or less acutely affected, and an odd animal the corners of the lips. The condition commenced as a small raised area of skin, which soon sloughed off, leaving a raw bleeding patch about the size of a threepenny piece. Some days later this had grown to the size of a half-crown, and was in some cases dry and scabby, but usually broken and bleeding from the driving of the sheep for. examination. Occasionally the lesions had progressed down to the heels and round the coronets, but this was unusual. Each sore was a surface condition, and did not produce lameness in any one case—in fact, the rams fed well and lost no condition, being large forward animils. At the laboratory a lesion was easily dissected off under a local anaesthetic, leaving smooth, healthy subcutaneous tissue which quickly healed over. The time between the sheep becoming affected and the natural healingup of the lesions was in the vicinity of from three to four weeks. Only ram hoggets were affected. The country upon which the sheep were running was excellent old-standing sheep land. Much of the area was flat, and very well watered, bordering a lake. The remainder was hill country, where there was plenty of good grass. It will be realised that the weather during thewinter had been exceedingly wet, and feed was growing in abundance, but was still soft. The rams had been running on turnips for a fortnight in August, and had then been distributed in small lots over a number of paddocks to get full benefit of the excellent pasture. Once the trouble was noticed a number were placed on the hill country, but these also became affected. The ram to the laboratory gave material for experimental work, and sections from the lesions, the organisms present, and the development of the lesions were all carefully examined. By scarifying the surface of the skin of the pastern or of the thigh, and introducing a small amount of the infected material from the affected ram, one was able to show that the organisms present would cause similar lesions on rams, lambs, wethers, or ewes anywhere on the skin, but that before the lesions developed there had to be some injury to allow the inference of the infective organism. This was considered to be Bacillus necrophorus, an inhabitant of many soils where animals have been pasturing for any length of time. In December, as two lots of rams which had not previously been noticed affected were commencing to show lesions, it was decided to thoroughly examine the state of the run, the condition appearing to be of the nature of a contagious disease. Mr Blake and the writer spent some time going over the run and the infected animals. The following possibilities presented themselves:— (1) Result of feeding on turnips: As it was some time after coming off turnips that the sheep were noticed to be affected, and although they were together for the last time on these roots, it did not seem possible to implicate turnip feeding. (2) Thistles: There were a few thistles with the turnips, but, as ewes were also run on the same land and were ndt affected, one could not blame thistles for causing the original injury whereby the necrosis bacillus gained entrance. (3) Ergot: This was not present to any extent on seeding heads of the grasses, nor did the lesions resemble known ergot lesions in cattle. (4) Bruising of posterior surface of fetlock on rough paddocks made boggy by cattle, and later hardened by the sun: The paddocks were in splendid order, and had few cattle running on them, thus ruling out bruising. (5) Inbreeding and lack of stamina: This was not a factor, because of the constant new blood brought into the flock As none of these possibilities could he considered causative a thorough examination of two paddocks of rams was undertaken, each animal being caught and thoroughly examined for fore-leg;, mouth, and hind-leg lesions. While examining the mouths it grew more and more noticeable that only rams with their two teeth erupting were showing lesions. Where teeth had come through early no lesions had developed nor healed, and where teeth were commencing to erupt the lesions were only commencing. This fact became so striking that one could tell from the teeth what to expect on the legs. The explanation of the whole trouble appears to he as follows: The pasturage had been so soft throughout the earlier part of the season, when the rams should have been teething, that no help had been given the teething process. Teething was therefore exceptionally late in the whole flock, and to a large extent throughout the locality. Ewes on rougher feed had commenced teething somewhat earlier. The rams were in forward condition, and had been so well flushed that they undoubtedly had a mild fatty infiltration of the liver, which would prevent that organ dealing thoroughly with poisons developed as a result of teething. Further, the kidneys of young sheep fed exceaively often fail to act in eliminating these poisonous materials of the blood (the extreme condition being pulpy kidney of lambs), to that the skin is called upon to act in place of the kidneys. A rash will then develop. As supporting this theory it was noticed that many of the rams had a pustular rash over the scrotum and down the thighs whert it could

be noticed, and even beneath the hair of the legs when these were carefully examined. A rash indicated an injured skin surface where the necrosis bacillus could attack. The country having run sheep for many years, necrosis bacilli were present everywhere, and accepted the opportunity given them for attack. It therefore seems to be quite feasible that late teethr'ng had led to the appearance of the leg lesions in these rams. —-(C. S. M. Hopkirk, B.V.Sc., Journal of Agriculture.) CANTERBURY CRAIN AND PRO DUCE MARKET. CHRISTCHURCH, July 2. The potato market continues to be extraordinarily sensitive. Yesterday £6 15s was the basis of a few sales for July, but this morning £6 17s 6d and this afternoon £7 was the current rate. Wet weather, which will hold up digging for a few days, may be the cause of the firming, but any prompt potatoes wanted are not very easily obtained. Farmers are hot selling at the prices quoted —£s 5s for prompt and £5 10s for later in the month. “Paper” potatoes are plentiful enough, hut the real article cannot be got In any quantity at a moment's notice. Inquiries cdhtinue to come from Sydney for a later shipment, and a sale or two was made at £7 10s for this month, but merchants are ssklng for more. Mid-week advices from Auckland state that, including the Katoa’s shipment, supplies there aggregate about 8000 sacks—a little over a week's supply. The Walpahl will leave Lyttelton this week with possibly 4000 eaeks. June shipments from Lyttelton to all ports represented 70,000 sacks —about twice the quantity of the corresponding month, last year—but the figures to May (Inclusive) showed s decrease this ysar. Lack of Inquiry Is spparsntly the cause or the shipping of A Oartons. Market quotations are now down to 4s Id, f.0.b., 5.1..

for prompt, and B’s 3s lOd at South Island ports. Chaff Is a shade firmer at £7 15s, f.0.b., 5.1., or £5 12s 6d to £5 15s on trucks. Cowgrass Is easier at 7d to 8d a lb. A few sales of perennial ryegrass have taken place at 5a 3d, f.0.b., 5.1., a bushel, equal to about 3s 6d on trucks for farmers’ seed. There Is a lot of ryegrass in southern merchants’ hands. _ __ Italian ryegrass is worth 2s 3d to 2s 6a on trucks, sales being hard to make at 3s fid for dressed stuff. , _ - Linseed Is In a little more demand at. £ls 108, f.0.b., 5.1., or £l3 10s on trucks. The decision of one or two of the mills to close down is not stimulating offers from farmers, and there are no reports of sales at millers’ prices since Wednesday. There has been some speculation in buying at 7s a bushel, and whatever wheat Is still in the farmers’ hands appears to be firmly held for this price, or at all events more than the millers offer.