Small ruminant internal medicine Flashcards
What’s the diff between sheep and goats?
wool vs hair
but in the southern hemisphere or in the tropics sheep may not be woolly.
goats have narrow faces, beards, are more inquisitive, less skittish.
sheep glandula infraorbitalis - goats don’t.
sheep have a interdigialis gland, goats don’t.
goats have a scent gland between the horns, sheep don’t.
Normal temp in small ru
38.5-40’C
lambs and kids can be up to 40.5’C and still be normal.
Normal mm in small ru
conjunctiva should be dark pink (almost red looking)
Normal HR in small ru
Heart beats per min 70-80 (goats up to 90)
(lamb 80-130) (goat kid 90-150)
Normal RR in small ru
Breathing rate 12-20/min (adult goat 15-30/min)
(lamb 20-40)
Normal rumen contractions in small ru
Rumen contractions 1-2x/min
Over the fence exam can include:
Body condition (not by eye if they’re in WOOL)
General look
Breathing rate/type
Everything else seems fine (body shape? any kind of drooling etc?)
Lameness
Behavior
Activity
Rumination
Most common sheep ectoparasite
sheep ked
BCS on sheep
Score 1-5. Below to 2.5 is thin, above 3.5 is ready for slaughter or too fat. Ideal is 3.
ALWAYS touch the sheep, otherwise it’ll be inaccurate.
palpate the area between lumbar vertebrae the spinous processes and transverse processes
BCS on goats
Score 1-5
sheep scab caused by mites
treated by dipping
Normal wool should be…
Normal skin should be…
Wool must be slightly greasy, moist.
Lanolin is the substance that makes the wool greasy. 1 month = 1 cm of lanolin
Skin should be pinkish, not dry.
3 most common skin/wool problems:
ORF (viral)
Solar dermatitis
External parasites - sheep ked, lice, flies etc.
ORF pox virus, Contagious Pustular Dermatitis
lips, udder, hooves etc.
normally self-limiting and clears without treatment within 3 to 4 weeks
zoonosis
A sheep with edema under the jaw indicates
fasciolosis (Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica) or nematode Haemonchosis (aemonchus contortus)
“bottle-jaw”
strawberry foot rot or lumpy wool disease which is dermatophilus congolensis bacteria in sheep (sometimes combined with ORF virus).
very difficult to treat because the bacteria doesnt respond well to AB
what disease can cause unilateral facial nerve paralysis in sheep?
listeriosis
Joint-ill is
a bacterial joint infection of young lambs that occurs in the first four weeks of life, that enters via the navel and thus may be called navel ill.
Prevention is the best bet.
What body part of sheep is very susceptible to solar dermatitis?
the ears
photosensitization via feed also occurs in sheep
Pupil reflex in sheep is
very slow compared to other animals. Goats are slightly faster than sheep.
If you have a few sheep with one or both eyes turning grey, it could be a sign of
keratoconjunctivitis (pink eye)
treat with systemic oxytetracycline
Entropion - mainly lambs
is a congenital disorder, meaning it is often present at birth. With the eyelid turned in, the eyelashes or hairs can rub against the cornea and cause secondary infections such as ulceration, blindness, etc.
Manually turn back out.
Or inject a small amount of AB and it will swell enough it will keep the eyelid turned out.
Or pinch the lower lid hard enough to cause swelling that will keep the eyelid turned out.
The preferable option is to use one or more Michel suture clips, applied with fine-nosed pliers perpendicular to the lower eyelid and 2-5mm below the eyelid to clip the eyelid into place and prevent reversion.
Exudate from one nostril: ?
Both sided: ?
Exudate from one nostril: one sided (Oestrus ovis parasite, foreign body, tumour).
Both sided (rhinitis)
Examining sheep teeth.
Use jaw openers - incisors you can see also without. Don’t put your fingers between the teeth!
Premolars ja molars can be palpated through the cheek skin.
sheep teeth change is complete after 4 years.
When adding pressure on the larynx a healthy animal should
not start coughing.
Lung auscultation of sheep.
They have louder lung sounds since the bronchi have narrower angles making the turbulence is stronger.
Breathing in - strong sound
Breathing out - light sound
viral lung tumor in sheep
jaagsiekte / Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA)
wheelbarrow test is basically 98% sensitivityt
Testing for lung parasites
fecal samples
Testing for mycoplasma
pleural cavity punctate
Lung biopsy in sheep requires
the use of ultrasound always
famacha for haemonchus contortus
There are two different kind of rumen contractions:
Primary and secondary.
Primary, two phases: First the contraction of the reticulum, then the contraction of the rumen.
Secondary, one phase: only the rumen, normally to burp.
Normally there are two primary contractions and then one secondary contraction.
The whole cycle takes about 2 minutes.
Describe Maedi-Visna virus disease.
found all over the world, goats and sheep
causes encephalitis and chronic pneumonitis in sheep.
It is known as visna when found in the brain, and maedi when infecting the lungs.
Sheep and goat breathing sounds compared to larger ruminants?
They have louder sounds in the lungs since bronchi go on narrower angles so the turbulence is stronger.
Breathing in - strong sound
Breathing out - light sound
When would you drench with antiparasitic?
Consider drenching when conjunctiva pink.
Definitely drench when conjunctiva light pink.
Don’t bother drenching when pale/beige because prognosis is poor anyway, the animal would need a blood transfusion. (and this isn’t really done in practice)
If you feel no ruminal contractions with your fist in the left flank within 2 min, then?
the sheep is in trouble and something should be done.
Methods for evaluation of sheep repro organs? (3)
Vaginoscopy
Ultrasound
Laparoscopy
Describe Sheep breeding (4)
Seasonal breeders, usually come into heat when the days shorten (Sept->) but there are always exceptions!
spontaneous ovulators every 17 days when in season, heat lasts 18-72 h (average 36h)
sexual maturity by 7-18 months
Sheep gestation in days
147 days (5-5.5 months)
lambs wean at what age in days
120 days (approx. 4 months old)
How long is a ram kept in a ewe herd?
for 2 heat cycles so approx. 34 days minimum (17 x 2)
CMT in goats and sheeps
some goats have a the CMT physiologically over 1M/l, there might some differences between the udder sides.
sheep can also have lots of somatic cells without real mastitis so compare results with clinical signs.
How are sheep preggo checks performed?
right flank sheep U/S, between udder and right leg.
in dairy sheep, a rectal transducer may be used (only transducer is introduced, not hand like in cows)
Sheep heat signs
are quite vague so instead vasectomized ram with crayon on its chest is used in order to mark ewes in heat after the ram mounts them.
then e.g. AI can be used on the ewes.
2 methods of AI in sheep:
precervical (you cannot get through sheep cervixes even when they’re in heat) and needs double concentrated semen. 50-60% ish success rate.
and
transabdominal/laparoscopic insemination, semen injected straight into the fallopian tube. the ewes are prepared hormonally for this one. 70-90% success rate.
slang/industry term for sheep breeding season
tupping season
“Tups have a raddle filled with dye strapped to their chest so that when they mate, they leave a coloured mark on the ewe’s backside. Different colours may be used so the farmer knows which ewe will lamb when, and which tups are being most effective. An experienced tup may sere up 50 ewes. Mating is known as tupping.”
What should you check on ewes before tupping (breeding)?
always feel the udder, if its very knotted or hard then it may have been damaged due to previous mastitis and she will be unlikely to be able to nurse future lambs adequately.
check the teats as well. if it feels like there’s a straw inside then the ewe will no longer be able to nurse.
sheep and goat have a unique feature of penile anatomy
urethral process which has a tendency to get urinary sediment or stones stuck in it
if its already dead due to obstruction, you can cut the process off in order to open the obstruction.
Hoof problems in sheep (6)
Interdigital dermatitis
Interdigital hyperplasia (Fibroom)
Foot rot
Abscesses
Fractures
Laminitis
Wool sheep hooves need to trimmed more often.
10% Zinc sulphate is the best for hoof baths! (duration of bath 15min) It goes through the hoof layers and gets deeper to the bacteria that might harm the hooves.
Why can’t sheep hoof abscesses be lanced and opened like cow ones?
Because sheep hooves are so much more vascular and delicate.
The hoof wall is thinner, and the tissues are more prone to damage. Opening a sheep hoof abscess can cause extensive tissue trauma, leading to severe lameness or even permanent damage.
In sheep, systemic antibiotics, foot soaks (e.g., in a zinc sulfate solution), and hoof trimming are preferred approaches.
trick to get newborn lambs to breathe
blow in their ear
rub their thorax vigorously with a fist full of straw
last alternative is swinging them by their backlegs but only in last case scenario.
What temp. is the cut off for giving sick lambs milk?
37.5’C
if their temp. is lower then the milk will sour inside their stomach and this is detrimental.
