Having a plan to manage sporadic outbreaks of diseases or health problems should they occur is critical. Ensure you can recognise problems early and take corrective action to prevent welfare issues and production losses.
Steps to manage disease outbreaks include:
- Complete a risk assessment of diseases likely to occur in your locality.
- Monitor your flock for disease and health problems.
- Act quickly to prevent production losses and welfare problems from sporadic outbreaks of diseases.
- Seek professional help in managing diseases and health problems on-farm.
Recognise and investigate poor sheep health and take early action
Recognise common diseases and know how to manage them. See the Common sheep diseases and their causes tool for a list of common sheep diseases. Early recognition is crucial for minimising production and economic losses from sporadic disease problems. Ask a local veterinarian or sheep health advisor for advice in developing a list local to an area.
Record disease problems, deaths and instances where sheep fail to meet production targets. Record class of stock, area of farm affected, animal treatments, pasture assessment, stock condition score and grazing management.
Set trigger points for action to avoid delays in investigation and remedial treatment.
Take action when:
- the tail in a mob increases
- abnormal behaviour is observed, such as staggering, standing alone, etc.
- symptoms of disease, such as lameness, scouring, coughing, etc., appear
- feedback from abattoirs indicates a disease problem (e.g., liver fluke, cheesy gland, etc.)
- sheep fail to achieve expected production targets.
Danger to humans
Some common sheep diseases are transmissible to people (zoonoses). These include Q-fever, campylobacter, scabby mouth, yersiniosis, salmonellosis, listeriosis, anthrax and hydatids (via dogs). Conduct a risk assessment for people likely to come in contact with sheep that may have any of these diseases.
Toxic plants
Some plants may be toxic or affect livestock performance. Even desirable pasture species can be toxic or have harmful effects in certain instances. Examples include as phalaris (phalaris poisoning and staggers), perennial ryegrass (perennial ryegrass staggers) and annual ryegrass (annual ryegrass toxicity).
Be aware of plants that can be toxic to sheep in your area. Consult your veterinarian, agronomist or sheep advisor to help identify dangerous plants and develop a risk management plan in the face of an outbreak.