Footvax

Croft Wifie · Jul 25, 2022

I want to ask folk about the Footvax results on my sheep. My small Shetland sheep suffered

horribly with very swollen lesions, with some bursting and some losing the wool on the surface of the skin, with the smallest one being worst affected. The dose is 1 ml standard.

The reaction caused by the Footvax was very intense and although it does stipulate in the information with the bottle of vaccine that it is possible that the lesions can very bad and last for up to 12 weeks, I was not prepared for how badly the sites were affected.

Furthermore, and perhaps worse, is that my Angora goats who had pristine feet, (and no bad reaction to the vaccine) have since the vaccine developed really bad footrot!

I had to get the vet out to lance and treat the pus filled vaccination sites.

Taking into account the fact that I did not change the needle with every sheep, but with every other one and could have contaminated the site, it is still quite appalling, and I have to say that most farmers do not change the needle of their vaccine gun at all.

Has anyone had any good results with this stuff?

neilo · Jul 25, 2022

Croft Wifie said:
I want to ask folk about the Footvax results on my sheep. My small Shetland sheep suffered View attachment 1051918horribly with very swollen lesions, with some bursting and some losing the wool on the surface of the skin, with the smallest one being worst affected. The dose is 1 ml standard.

The reaction caused by the Footvax was very intense and although it does stipulate in the information with the bottle of vaccine that it is possible that the lesions can very bad and last for up to 12 weeks, I was not prepared for how badly the sites were affected.

Furthermore, and perhaps worse, is that my Angora goats who had pristine feet, (and no bad reaction to the vaccine) have since the vaccine developed really bad footrot!

I had to get the vet out to lance and treat the pus filled vaccination sites.

Taking into account the fact that I did not change the needle with every sheep, but with every other one and could have contaminated the site, it is still quite appalling, and I have to say that most farmers do not change the needle of their vaccine gun at all.

Has anyone had any good results with this stuff?

That looks a lot worse than any footvax lump I've ever seen (not used it for several years though), and I don't change needles unless they're blunt/damaged.

It does look very much like introduced infection from somewhere, rather than the common swelling caused by footax. I assume the sheep were dry & clean when you jagged them? That's the only time I've ever seen bad injection abscesses, but even then, not like that.

Croft Wifie · Jul 25, 2022

Clean sheep, not sure about that. I think if i'd known how bad it would it would be i would have disinfected each site first. But would it have made any difference, I don't know. The vet asked me to check expiry date, was 2024.
A good day of hot (!) sunshine, the first for weeks, or was it months, 25th May. Anyway, thanks for your reply. It's hearening to know that you're not struggling alone.

Al R · Jul 25, 2022

Footvax everything left on farm in September, jabbed near 2,000 last September over a few days and none were like that. Probably get 1/25 with a lump half the size of a golf ball come shearing in June. Some ewes have several lumps so they must be bad reactors.
We’ve Been using it since 2003-4?

Croft Wifie · Jul 25, 2022

thanks Neilo and AI R.
Some more pics attached. Yes, did them in May, found the abscesses at shearing.I'm wondering if it's something to do with the breed????? Nar, Can't be.

The stuff vet and me took out wasn't your usual toothpaste/putty/yellow gunk but almost like jelly, semi solid.
Sorry about pics!
Thanks guys.

Al R · Jul 25, 2022

Audrey and Finn look the worst to be fair, most people I know do them in the autumn so the lumps have gone down as the weather gets colder etc so whether the recent temperatures have made it worse? Never heard of anyone doing it this time of year. Usually it’s done in the autumn to give some protection against the sheep standing with wet feet all winter

Croft Wifie · Jul 25, 2022

Well, up with us in Bernera it's been cool and raining and hard to get them sheared in the 1 dry week. We don't get to see the sun much. But the week i did them in May was nice...not like hot, as you know it.

Croft Wifie · Aug 1, 2022

I meant to ask..Have folk had good worthwhile results with the Footvax? Like no more footrot???

Jonp · Aug 1, 2022

Used it about 5 years ago but it didn't stop footrot in flock. Went to a closed flock and golden hoof. Haven't had any footrot or codd or noticeable scald for last three years.

Aspiring Peasants · Aug 2, 2022

Croft Wifie said:
I meant to ask..Have folk had good worthwhile results with the Footvax? Like no more footrot???

I first used it about 7 years ago, it was very effective. Stopped using it because we didn't have many foot problems. Last year foot problems came back and so vaccinated them before tupping and at housing, result, hardly any problems this year, including no scald in the lambs. (I know the dry weather this year makes scald less likely). Definitely going to keep using it, has slashed antibiotic use and meant a lot of good sheep that otherwise would have been culled are fine to keep. We get lumps, some of which are still there at clipping, but seldom anything as bad as your pictures.

The vaccine contains an oil adjuvant which is rather viscous and I understand this is what causes the reaction. It helps if the vaccine is gently warmed for 3 - 4 minutes before use so it runs better. Possibly if it wasn't running well it didn't disperse as quick as it should? (just guessing) This would mean it is more concentrated in the injection site.

It may also be worth looking at an injection gun that sterilises the needle between jabs to reduce infection risk.

twizzel · Aug 2, 2022

Only problem with the sterimatic gun like above is they’ve stopped making the refill packs. So not much point buying the gun now.

Aspiring Peasants · Aug 2, 2022

twizzel said:
Only problem with the sterimatic gun like above is they’ve stopped making the refill packs. So not much point buying the gun now.

They are still shown on the farmacy web site

Product Description

The sterimatic automatic needle sanitisation system reduces cross infection, reduces bacterial build-up on the needle so preventing abcessing and infection at the injection site and reduces the risk of self injection.

To find out more, inculding videos & guides click here

The system is proven to:

Reduce infection and abscessing
Reduce disease transmission
Reduce needle-stick injuries
Reduces needle damage

Pack includes 2ml bottle mounted Vaccinator Gun, 3 x Needles (sub-cutaneous), 3 x Sterimatic caps.

Each cap covers 100 injections within 3 days.

Refill packs and sleeve kits for Intra-muscular and Sub-cutaneous injections also available.

Top Tip. · Aug 2, 2022

twizzel said:
Only problem with the sterimatic gun like above is they’ve stopped making the refill packs. So not much point buying the gun now.

Why??

Al R · Aug 2, 2022

twizzel said:
Only problem with the sterimatic gun like above is they’ve stopped making the refill packs. So not much point buying the gun now.

There was a huge shortage of them but I havnt been told they’ve been stopped altogether, in Apri/May I couldn’t buy anymore but I have a few in stock, only change them at the start of each vaccinating period

twizzel · Aug 2, 2022

I was told the foamy bits that hold the disinfectant liquid weren’t available and no alternative was found, and the stock that is still available is residual stock

So I bought several packs to tide me over for a year or 2.

Aspiring Peasants · Aug 2, 2022

Probably like a lot of things nowadays, they haven't stopped them but there are are supply problems. You'd have to check before you got one and get a few refill packs at the same time

ladycrofter · Aug 2, 2022

Never seen any injection site that bad. Not even cool ivomec which is quite thick. First impression is crap like wool fibre shoved in the site. Can you flush out with a syringe of saline?

You're better running them thru golden hoof fairly regularly for a season. Its not toxic, basically zinc, stops the bacteria (scald, scat)that damages and opens up the interdigital skin to the footrot bug.

The vaccine just . . . helps . . . Makes them immune-ish. But keep in mind you'll never get 100% kill. Resistant bugs will always survive and/or mutate, and you will always have foot rot on your farm through vaccinating. Vaccines don't kill.

It's not a particularly hardy bug and will die out over time on pasture if you make their feet unattractive thru regular bathing.

Ditto orf. I never had it until I stupidly bought 4 vacc'd hoggs. Then it went thru the flock like a dose of salts until they built up immunity. Lambs after that got it a wee bitty but not bad.

Aspiring Peasants · Aug 2, 2022

ladycrofter said:
You're better running them thru golden hoof fairly regularly for a season. Its not toxic, basically zinc, stops the bacteria (scald, scat)that damages and opens up the interdigital skin to the footrot bug.

I'm not doubting your experience in any way, but that didn't work for us. There are many different strains of footrot bacteria so probably some are more susceptible than others

Jonp · Aug 2, 2022

ladycrofter said:
Never seen any injection site that bad. Not even cool ivomec which is quite thick. First impression is crap like wool fibre shoved in the site. Can you flush out with a syringe of saline?

You're better running them thru golden hoof fairly regularly for a season. Its not toxic, basically zinc, stops the bacteria (scald, scat)that damages and opens up the interdigital skin to the footrot bug.

The vaccine just . . . helps . . . Makes them immune-ish. But keep in mind you'll never get 100% kill. Resistant bugs will always survive and/or mutate, and you will always have foot rot on your farm through vaccinating. Vaccines don't kill.

It's not a particularly hardy bug and will die out over time on pasture if you make their feet unattractive thru regular bathing.

Ditto orf. I never had it until I stupidly bought 4 vacc'd hoggs. Then it went thru the flock like a dose of salts until they built up immunity. Lambs after that got it a wee bitty but not bad.

If you run a closed flock in a field system (rather than open hills etc) it is possible to remove the footrot bacteria from your fields. I treated individuals in the flock in one field, then moved fields never returning to that field within four weeks. I believe the bacteria are only viable in the pasture for about 3 weeks.
Took one season of religious hard work catching individual sheep and treating but it worked....golden hoof and a cut off Welly. No antibiotic use no vaccine.

Wood field · Aug 2, 2022

The ground around the farmhouse was a sod for foot rot, old chap we bought the place from said, you must footvax and footbath religiously!
That’s fine with his 30 ewes but sod that with 600.
We culled the few sheep we bought from him with the place , and put 100 shearlings on, within weeks we could see limpers, so treated with zactran.
Only thing that has sorted the job was to remove all stock and rest the place up , now the hay is done and we have warm rain the grass is coming on, I will bring a group of ewes with lambs on ( mostly to rest another piece)
I am fairly confident there shouldn’t be a massive outbreak of lameness
Is footvax just masking a problem

Footvax

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