Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Sheep Health and Disease

Diseases

Preventing disease reduces economic losses and improves animal welfare. For information on common sheep diseases check out the links below.

• Epididymitis in Sheep
• Pizzle Rot in Sheep
• Pneumonia in Sheep
• Johne's Disease in Sheep
• Chronic Copper Poisoning in Sheep
• Urinary Calculi in Growing Lambs

Health

Sheep producers have moved to a model that tries to maintain sheep and lamb health rather than treat sick animals. You can learn more here.

• Animal Health: Should I try copper oxide wire particles to control parasites in my lambs and sheep?
• Sheep Tail Length
• Biosecurity in the Sheep Flock
• Biosecurity - Health Protection and Sanitation Strategies for Cattle and General Guidelines for Other Livestock (Order No. 09-079)
• Pregnancy Disorders (Metabolic) in Transition Ewes (Order No. 03-017)

Deadstock Disposal

Producers have many options for disposal of deadstock, both on-farm and off-farm.

• On-Farm Euthanasia of Sheep and Goats
• Deadstock Disposal

Learn More

If you haven't found what you're looking for here, please check these external sites.

• Antibiotics For Sheep (And Other Livestock)
  A list of major antibiotics for all animals and reasons for using them.
• Control of Chlamydial Abortion in Sheep
  In depth description on how to control Chlamydial abortion in sheep. Site talks about vaccines available in the United Kingdom.
• Enterotoxemia in Lambs
  Vaccinations for enterotoxemia in lambs. Includes information about and signs of the disease.
• Infectious Causes of Abortion in Sheep
  Reasons for abortion in sheep and tests to discover which infectious agents are in the sheep. Includes general precautions for infectious abortions in sheep.
• Internal Parasite Issues Impacting Grazing Flocks
  Reasons for deworming lambs and ewes and information about parasites that can cause problems in the flock.
• Johnes Disease
  Excellent site by University of Wisconsin covering all aspects of this disease.
• Mastitis
  Causes as well as actions for treating mastitis in sheep.
• Milk Fever - Hypocalcemia
  One person's experience with milk fever.
• Scrapie Canada
  Information on the national voluntary scrapie certification program. Includes information on the disease.
• Spider Syndrome
  Oklahoma state factsheet on basics of spider syndrome.
• Tail Dock Length
  Picture of ideal tail dock length.