Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Foot rot is a severe claw disease which occurs among sheep and goats in most parts of the world, with outbreaks in hot and humid weather. It is a contagious bacterial infection caused by Dichelobacter nodosus in association with Fusobacterium necrophorum. Foot rot has a negative impact on both animal welfare and economy.

This thesis presents how Australia, Nepal, Norway, Switzerland, Great Britain, Sweden and Uruguay handle foot rot. In the selection of countries the focus was on countries that have control- or eradication programs against foot rot. There are differences in the climate, animal husbandry practices, animal welfare and economic resources in the countries that are presented. This means countries have different conditions in which to conduct control- or eradication programs.

Australia, Nepal, Switzerland and Uruguay have or have had some form of control- or eradication program. Norway and Sweden carry out sanitation on the herd level, but aims to develop a control- or eradication program. Great Britain is an example of how serious the consequences become, if the sheep industry does not take foot rot very seriously.

Control and eradication of foot rot is carried out by various combinations of treatment and preventive measures such as footbaths, general antibiotic therapy, foot-paring, vaccinations, culling chronically infected individuals, moving to new pastures and new bedding, purchase of stock from herds free from foot rot and quarantine.