FOOTROT PREVENTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 June 1939, Page 3

FOOTROT PREVENTION

INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION NEEDED. EARLY-LAMBING EWES. The rain which recently brought relief to New Zealand farmers will promote an increase in foot-rot among the sheep on the heavier country. Although sheep which have had regular trough treatment during the drought may not be severely affected, it must be remembered that among earlylambing flocks handling will be unsafe after next month, and as a lame ewe cannot do justice to her lamb, the prevention of foot-rot should be an important May occupation for sheepmen (writes R. J. D. S. in the “Auckland Weekly News”). While the foot-rot trough is valuable as a preventive measure, it cannot be relied upon to cure lame sheep, which must be treated by hand. The trouble is often so deep-seated that the liquid in the trough fails to reach all the affected parts of the hoof. Each lame sheep should be caflght, and the diseased hoof carefully pared with a knife —no other tool will make such a satisfactory job. _ When this has been done, the affected parts should be painted with a strong disinfectant. The most popu-lar-remedy is mixture of Stockholm tar and bluestone, which remains on the hoof longer than ordinary antiseptics. A week after the first treatment each sheep should be inspected for a second time, when it will be easy to tell whether further treatment is necessary. Sheep whose feet are recovering will benefit from being put through the foot-rot trough, which will help to harden the new tissue. Many farmers, when paring feet, use the same knife throughout. If a knife which has been used on a bad hoof is used to pare a fairly sound hoof, the sound hoof may easily be infected. If the same knife is used, it should be dipped into a tin of strong disinfectant after each hoof is finish ed.