Foot-Rot.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 104, 22 October 1908, Page 3

Foot-Rot.

This autumn there has been more foot-rot than usual, and in some flocks it has been troublesome. In the very old days, when the sheep were mostly merino, the trouble was incessant; and men used to be turned on to cut the long hoofs off, with a mallet and chissel. The story is told that one Irishman, who said he knew all about it, was given the job, but the shepherd watched him with suspicion, and before he could be stopped he had the whole of one foot off. It need scarcely be added that the subsequent proceedings interested him no more. Troughs to run sheep through—bluestone and arsenic were then used; but since the longwool breeds came into vogue these have been discarded, and only a very occasional paring is necessary. So long as only a few sheep are affected paring their hoofs with a sharp knife, and cutting the hoof away where there is rot, and a dressing of bluestone, is enough, though it should be noted that the hoof should be pared as nearly parallel as possible to the coronet; so that when it grows down it will do so evenly and form an even foot. Where a number of sheep are affected, it will become necessaryto run them through a trough of some kind, and if the dip is so arranged, or a staging filling up sufficient of the dip to enable the sheep to walk in it, all that is required is a solution of bluestone or arsenic, or a mixture of both, sufficiently high to cover their hoofs, and, after taking off the long toes, if the sheep are again run through, the rotten parts are soon dried up. Arsenic is very easily dissolved in almost any quantity by boiling it with an alkali, such as soda or potash. Bluestone, if put in a bag and suspended in water, will dissolve quite easily over night; but it must not be mixed in an iron vessel, or the vessel will be ruined. The easiest way to treat rams, which are worst of all sheep to deal with, is to have a saturated solutoin of blustone in a pickle bottle, and a brush or rag tied on a stick, like a miniature mop. After paring the sheep with a knife, some of the solution is then rubbed on with this stick, and between the clefts of the foot will generally make a speedy cure; though it may, if it is a bad case, have to be looked to once every few days. In all cases the sheep should be turned out after dressing on to clean grass, and not into the yard.