ARTHRITIS IN LAMBS

Hokitika Guardian, 8 April 1929, Page 7

ARTHRITIS IN LAMBS

PR.KV EXTJViB MEASURES

(By the Department of Agriculture.)

During the docking and tailing of lambs, the occurrence of sickness and a. coincident retardation of condition of the lambs has been noted. Research work ar the Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Laboratory at Wallaceville lias shown that the swollen joints which occur commonly on some cl the farms in the North Island, but more commonly in the older sheep country of the south, and which iesult in many quarters of otherwise excellent lamb having to bo condemned for export at the freezing works, is caused by a spec-lie bacillus belonging to the same group as that causing diptheria in man. It is, however, found only in association with inflammation of the joints of lambs. In an effort to find the way by which lambs became infected, a variety of experiments have been carried out, as follows: Ewes in lamb have had cultures injected into the blood stream, hut the lambs when born were normal. The genital passages of ewes were Kept washed out with cultures of the organism for some days before lambing, hut the lambs did not become affected.

Lambs liad the- freshly broken navel dipped in a culture of the germ, but no lameness resulted. When, however, the organism was actually inoculated into the blood stream or well up the recently severed navel, then the lamps showed acute infection, and not only suffered from severe anthritis but also did badly. The only parts affected apparently as shown by a post-modern examination are the joints, and these may he so acutely invaded that the animal not only is unable to fee i p"o----perly. but is to some extent poisoned by the organisms causative of the disease.

Further experiments are under way this season, and show that it is usual for the organism to gain entrance at the time of docking. On the (iith day after docking, when the experimental organism had been sprayed into the lambs’ cut tails or purse, lameness was commencing. It is yet too eariy to give final results, but the experiment docs show that the usual time for infection of the lambs is at dock ing and tailing. PREVENTIVE MEASURES.

Treatment is of no avail once the organism has entered; therefore, preventive measures arc required, these consist in:—

O) Setting up of temporary yards for docking in clean paddocks away from sheep camps. This practice is already adopted by many "beep farmers. Docking in the sheep yards is dangerous not only from the pent of view of arthritis (big pint), hut also because of the possibility of malignant oedema (blood poisoning) or of caseous lymphadenitis (nseudo tuberculosis).

(9) Keeping knives and s'cel in n jug or tin of disinfectant solution (not. sheep dip, but any of the beiterknown and reliable disinfectants).

(3) Turning out lambs on to clean, fresh paddocks after marking. There is another form of arthritis prevalent in lambs following do.-V:• np and usually seen about nine days aftei the operation. In this condition the lambs show marked stiffness in front or hind logs, or in all foil”. 'lhere is little to show or feel except at a postmortem examination, when the joints are found to he over-full of fluid aim this fluid often contains pus. The germs causing this stiffness aie very mixed, but they come from die docking wound. Therefore, emphasis must be laid on the necessity for clear flocking yards and clean paddocks Occasionally lameness is noticed before docking, and this is found to b<due to pus-producing organisms, which enter the navel at time of birth. They frequently settle in the spine, thereby producing paralysis, or else may settle in joints and produce lameness,