Talking to sheep farmers over the last two weeks, a common theme for discussion has been joint ill in lambs. This is where a bacterial infection occurs in the joint, causing swelling and damage to the surface of the joint.

Depending on how severe this is, it can leave lambs chronically lame and in pain. Outdoors, it can lead to lambs lying down and not sucking their mothers.

Lambs that are badly lame often need to be put down. So this is a significant disease that costs money and is a big welfare issue in our flocks.

The bacteria most commonly isolated where there are flock problems is Streptococcus Dysgalactiae.

This bacteria is often shed by a number of carrier ewes in the flock, in their vaginal discharges and colostrum.

It can be a difficult disease to control and we often spread the disease ourselves on our hands and through equipment. The bug even survives well in straw, which is another reason why you should make sure to clean lambing pens between ewes. Flockowners report that between 10% and 30% of lambs are infected during outbreaks.

Most farmers who have had problems have found that injecting antibiotics to all young lambs at 24 to 48 hours helps the problem.

This is true but with regulations changing, it is a practice we cannot continue to adopt.

We need to go back to management and husbandry first and only use antibiotics where necessary.

I have also met lots of sheep farmers who started this practice of injecting all lambs and are now afraid to stop. We must look at ways we can limit the spread of this very tricky disease.

How is it spread?

To understand how it is spread is very important. Carrier ewes spread it in vaginal discharges and colostrum/milk.

The bug usually enters the lamb through the tonsils at the top of the airway and occasionally through the navel. It then gets into the bloodstream and ends up in the joints causing the infections.

I always used steroids at the start of treatment to reduce the amount of damage done in the joint

It can also be spread whenever we break the skin such as by ear-tagging, tail-docking or rings for castrating lambs.

Ordinary, straight penicillin is effective against the bug but must be given for a five-day course.

Also, I always used steroids at the start of treatment to reduce the amount of damage done in the joint.

These are prescription drugs which you can get from your vet. Lots of vets also like using long-acting amoxicillins which work well for treatments. We must also consider using anti-inflammatories to relieve pain.

It is often the inflammation and joint damage done, not the infection, that keeps lambs lame and sore.

So more often than not, the treatment works – that is why prevention is so important.

Colostrum is important for every disease in lambs. However, even where colostrum is well-managed, we can still get cases of joint ill.

Control

Like any disease problem in our flock, we need to look at getting ewe nutrition right and ensuring good-quality colostrum through feeding in the last three weeks of pregnancy and getting body condition score (BCS) right.

The bug itself can survive on straw but all bugs prefer wet and damp conditions. Keeping bedding clean and changing bedding between lambings is critical.

Farmers can spread the disease themselves, so ensure excellent hygiene at lambing time.

Whenever we break the skin, we can introduce infection

When controlling joint ill, it is vital to wear gloves and at the very minimum wash and disinfect hands between handling lambs.

This strep bug survives well on hands and skin, so always clean in between. All stomach tubes, bottles and teats can spread infections from lamb to lamb, so it is important to sterilise them in something like Milton between uses.

Whenever we break the skin, we can introduce infection.

Washing all rubber rings and tags in alcohol an hour before use can help somewhat.

This may seem like extra work but it can reduce the chances of infection and the likelihood of joint ill problems in the flock.

Antibiotics

At a recent meeting, I was discussing the idea of antibiotics for young lambs with some sheep farmers. Human nature suggests that if an antibiotic to every young lamb works, then why not use it?

This is simply not a sustainable practice and it won’t be allowed in the long term.

It is perfectly fine to use antibiotics where a need arises, but the continued blanket use must stop.

Steps to help wean down usage include:

  • Focusing on colostrum.
  • Keeping pens clean and changing them between lambings.
  • Wearing gloves and washing hands between lambings using something like Spirigel, which is easy to use.
  • Dipping the navel early with chlorhexidine 0.5 or iodine 8% solutions.
  • Disinfecting rings and tags before use or at least wash your own hands and wear gloves.
  • Lambing outdoors if weather allows is thought to reduce risks but brings management challenges.
  • Monitor for joint ill and, if cases occur, begin lamb treatments. This will allow farmers to limit their antibiotic usage. As a rule, sheep farmers use minimal antibiotics, but this happens to be an area we can improve on in some flocks. Recommendations on antibiotic usage are changing and regulations will follow.