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Sheep:  Most frequent diseases.   Vet Dr. Tiger gives information and advice.

Only very rarely the unassuming and very robust sheep are a       vet's patients. With good hygienic conditions in the stable and       if the animals are kept appropriate to their species most       diseases can be avoided.       The following table shows a summary of the most frequently       occuring diseases and their causes.

Disease	Causes	Symptoms	Visit veterinarian?
Claw diseases	Bad claw care, infections (deformities)	Lameness, pastures on the knees, lack of appetite, general weakness	Regular claw care, possibly consult vet
(Intestinal) parasites	Various worms	Emaciation, diarrhoea, weakness	Regular dehelminthization or faecal screening
Sheep mange	Mites	Skin damage itching, fleece loss, (back, flank)	Consult vet
Diarrhoea	Parasites, tainted food, infections, quick change in feed	Watery to bloody diarrhoea, weakness, lack of appetite, emaciation	Regular dehelminthization, high-quality food with a lot of crude fibre content, slow change in feed, consult vet
Mastitis	Infections	Lameness, swollen hot udder, pain, fever, lack of appetite, changed milk	Consult vet
Injuries	Diverse causes	Injuries of the skin, the muscular system, the bones, the blood vessels, the articulations, the tendons	Wash superficial wounds with disinfecting solution, consult vet

Self-Medication

It is always very difficult to detect and judge by oneself the seriousness of a situation in the case of ruminants. First aid can, of course, be given without the assistance of a vet in claw care, in regular dehelminthitzation, in changing the feed in case of diarrhoea and in comabatting external parasites. If, however, lameness comes about or swollen udder, hair loss or even a pest, the vet must be consulted.

Emergency situations

If it comes to emergency cases, it is of utmost importance to remain calm and to call a vet at once. A conflagration, a traffic accident, buried animals in the snow, poisoning and colics, all these things may happen.