Sheep and sheep farmers may encounter the problem of the animal being unable to stand on its hind legs. In the article you will read about the possible causes of this phenomenon, a description of the diseases that can cause paralysis of the legs, as well as how to cure the animal and what preventive measures must be followed.
Why do hind legs fail in sheep, rams or lambs: possible causes
In case of failure of the hind legs of sheep, rams or lambs, animals prefer to lie down and have difficulty lifting.
The first step is to pay attention to the alleged causes of this phenomenon:
- Stomach stop from indigestion. It is necessary to exclude wheat from the diet of animals or minimize its quantity. Instead of wheat, barley or oats can be used.
- Swallowed sharp or hard object. It can be a nail, glass or stone.
- Ingestion of sheep polyethylene. This can happen if the animal finds and eats a plastic bag that is not digested in the stomach.
Disease
Also, various diseases can be the reason why animals hind legs fail. They have all kinds of manifestations, and are also associated with a violation of some functions of the livestock organism. The causative agents are a variety of infections and viruses. Let's talk about these ailments in more detail.
Sheep white muscle disease
This disease most often affects young animals aged 3 to 5 months. It is a metabolic disorder at the cellular level.
Among its symptoms can be identified:
- heart weakness, expressed in lethargy, inactivity and loss of strength;
- skeletal muscle disorders characterized by lameness, unsteady gait;
- muscle tremors;
- cramps
- paralysis, including hind legs failure.
The treatment for lambs is as follows:
- improvement of their conditions;
- subcutaneous administration of a 0.5% solution of sodium selenate and vitamin E preparations;
- intramuscular administration of vitamin B at 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 the patient will have difficulty with this.
Preventive measures to prevent this disease are:
- the inclusion in the diet of animal silage, needles and bone meal;
- administration to coyote ewes, 3-4 weeks before lambing, a 0.5% solution of sodium selenite subcutaneously.
Hoof disease
Among the diseases affecting the hooves of sheep, one can distinguish the following:
- Footrot. In case of damage to this disease, redness between the fingers, peeling of the hard layer of the hoof from the skin, lameness, unpleasant odor are observed. In this case, the animal is painfully getting on its feet. This is an infectious disease, therefore sick sheep must 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 hoof rot, it is necessary to examine the hooves of sheep once every 2 weeks to identify the disease at an early stage, and also treat the hooves with 5% paraform 2 times a year.
- Interdigital dermatitis. It looks like a burn lesion of soft tissues on the hoof. Occurs in warm, humid weather and damp in the pasture. It is characterized by redness between the fingers, sometimes with the release of fluid. To get rid of sheep and sheep from this disease, it is necessary not to graze cattle on a raw pasture, transfer it to a room with a hard floor and keep it in a dry paddock. To prevent disease, with increased 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 in soil, water and plants for a long time. Infection occurs through damaged skin and mucous membranes of the genitals.
Did you know? In 1996, the sheep became the first cloned mammal, she lived 6.5 years.
Symptoms of listeriosis are as follows:
- the animal becomes weak;
- refusal of feed occurs;
- depression is observed;
- increase in body temperature;
- cramps and limb failure;
- neck curvature.
For the treatment of listeriosis, it is necessary to use chlortetracycline or tetracycline orally 2-3 times a day before recovery and 3 days after, at the rate of 25-30 mg per 1 kg of lamb mass. Prevention of the disease are measures to prevent the appearance of bacteria in the herd and quality control of feed.
If there are sheep in the herd of patients with listeriosis, it is necessary to introduce 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 sheep infected with listeriosis, with 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 through direct contact of animals, through contaminated care items, equipment, animal products. Monthly lambs are resistant to this disease, but with age, susceptibility to infection increases. Often rodents are carriers of brucellosis.
The manifestation of the disease is characterized by the following symptoms:
- abortion and developing sheep infertility;
- orchitis and epidermitis in sheep;
- fever;
- oppression;
- decreased appetite;
- lethargy and weakness of the limbs 2-3 days before the abortion.
Having discovered the disease, the herd is immediately subject to a restriction on the movement of livestock. Ill 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 in the herd of brucellosis are the isolated cultivation of healthy young animals and vaccination from various strains of brucellosis.
Did you know? Sheep is 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 their injuries.
The main injuries in these animals are:
- Chemical injuries. Occur due to the possible effects 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 rise.
- Physical injuries. Occur due to exposure to livestock at high or low temperatures, electric current or ultraviolet radiation. They can usually manifest in the form of burns, frostbite and radiation sickness. Due to this effect, the animal weakens, it becomes difficult for him to rise and sit down.
- Mechanical injuries. Occur when exposed to organs of mechanical force during falls, collisions with vehicles, damage with 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 sheep’s limb.
If the sheep does not stand on its hind legs, the farmer must identify the cause of this and take the necessary measures. Using in practice all the recommendations, you will be able to cure the animal, and also, observing the prevention, to prevent the appearance of paralysis of the legs in sheep in the future.
