Sheep
The rule is still ‘buyer beware’ - Retired veterinary surgeon Chris Lewis says the adage is as true today as it has even been
IT is vital that buying replacement or foundation stock for a farming enterprise that you are aware of the health status of the animals you may purchase.
Even the finest looking pen of sheep or ram may bring with them new infections then will threaten the health of your entire flock - something that so many found to their cost after restocking after FMD.
When purchasing any new stock the first step is to identify a suitable vendor. If you have animals with a particular health status on your own farm (e.g. MV accredited or EAE free) then consider purchasing stock of a similar health status.
If you intend to purchase animals direct from farm then make sure you visit the vendors farm in advance and look not only at the sheep you are interested in purchasing but also at other stock on the farm. Do not be afraid to ask pertinent questions about the general health status of the farm and the performance of the sector in which you are interested. It could be argued that you might ask to see the medicine book for the previous 12 months. Be certain to ascertain the vaccine procedures which are carried out as a routine; this will alert you to any problems but also suggest what will need to be done to maintain the status of the animals if you decide to buy them.
If an abortion vaccine has been used in vendor's sheep then ask for details of the last outbreak and when it occurred. In some cases the vendor may volunteer that his veterinary surgeon will be able to help with details of his knowledge of the farm and its disease status. Veterinary surgeons are of course not permitted to divulge this information without the vendor's explicit approval.
When buying through market the checks are less easy to make, but try and talk to the vendor and ask the same questions. Make sure that you look at all his sheep for sale not just the pen you fancy!
Only when you are satisfied that the sheep you intend to purchase are healthy and come from a reputable background do you agree a price and make the purchase. If you are unhappy with the health status of the animals offered for sale - walk away!
Some animals will come with health warranties. These may or may not be all they are made out to be. A common one is the treatment for sheep scab. You do not know if the vendor injected at the correct dose rate. Similarly, if the sheep were reported to have been recently plunged dipped, you have no guarantee that the concentration of the dip bath was correct or that the sheep was held in the dip bath for sufficient length of time.
Despite any health warranties that may be supplied by the vendor, all new sheep must go into strict isolation/quarantine for at least 21 days. It is accepted that this can be difficult in the case of newly-purchased tups as some of the autumn sales are so close to tupping dates. However ignoring quarantine for these important animals is done at your peril!!
During this quarantine period certain diseases such as orf and contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) may manifest themselves. The stress of movement may be enough to trigger a latent disease, which can be an advantage, as it appears before the new arrivals are mixed with the resident animals. It is much easier (and cheaper) to treat a few animals in quarantine that an entire flock!
During the quarantine period there are some basic steps which must be taken to safeguard against sheep scab, resistant internal parasites, footrot and where appropriate lice and fluke.
There is no way to know if sheep coming onto a farm are carrying resistant internal parasites (worms). It is also very difficult to detect the early stages of a sheep scab infection if there are only a few mites present. Thus on arrival all sheep should be treated sequentially with both a levamisole based (yellow) and ivermectin based (clear) drench. This should clear any resistant internal parasites. Treatment for scab can be either by plunge dipping in an organophosphorus (OP) dip, (not showered or sprayed) or by using one of the approved injectable products. These will of course also act as the equivalent of the clear drench in internal parasite control.
Finally, all quarantined sheep should be footbathed three times at five days interval in either 3% formalin or 10% zinc sulphate to prevent the introduction of footrot and scald. At the same time vaccination programs can be instituted to match the status of the home flock.
Be aware when buying sheep that although sheep may be fit and healthy on leaving the vendors farm they can, in theory, conceivably contract disease either in the market or in the transporter on their way to your farm - so again quarantine is essential.
Chris Lewis MRCVS is a retired veterinary practitioner and director of the Moredun Foundation, Edinburgh. Moredun runs a membership scheme which aims to keep farmers and their vets up to date with the latest developments in animal health research. If you would like a copy of a free eight-page news-sheet on protecting the health of your flock or are interested in becoming a member of Moredun, contact Margaret Bennett at The Moredun Foundation, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, EH26 0PZ or phone 0131 4455111 or log on to www.moredun.org.uk.
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