Footvax ruined flock for 1 week!

Robin2020 · Sep 24, 2022

I've used it for 2yrs previous. This year the ewes were broken. Nearly all of them lame in numerous feet and thoroughly unhappy. Now a week on, and several still slightly lame. Crazy strong stuff.
I wonder if it's due to the flock getting slightly older. On ewe lambs I had few problems. Perhaps the older ewes all have slight niggles you don't normally see until the footvax takes hold...
I may give it a rest next year. Not a pretty sight!! I must also say...very few problems with feet after they have recovered from the injection.

Woolless · Sep 24, 2022

A friend of mine had trouble with footvax abscesses tracking in from the neck to the spinal cord. I think I'll stick with culling sheep with poor feet.

ritchiekirkland · Sep 24, 2022

Used it the last few years . Do notice sheep limping a week or two after they get it , but then come right . Wouldn’t describe them as broken though !
Done it last three years and culled anything that has had bad feet so will likely give it a miss next year and see what happens.
Must be a sore jag right enough

Troward · Sep 25, 2022

Robin2020 said:
I've used it for 2yrs previous. This year the ewes were broken. Nearly all of them lame in numerous feet and thoroughly unhappy. Now a week on, and several still slightly lame. Crazy strong stuff.
I wonder if it's due to the flock getting slightly older. On ewe lambs I had few problems. Perhaps the older ewes all have slight niggles you don't normally see until the footvax takes hold...
I may give it a rest next year. Not a pretty sight!! I must also say...very few problems with feet after they have recovered from the injection.

I've used for the first time this year in an attempt to get on top of CODD which we bought in last year (no it doesn't fix it, but hoping it'll reduce cases that follow scald/footrot, so far it seems to be working). Have a predominantly older flock and they seem largely OK post injection. Have heard people mention a sudden rush of lameness in the past, could it be dosage, injection site issues or something similar?

Datasheet says you should reinject after a few weeks and then once annually. I think I read on here that the datasheet used to say just inject once per year and had no mention of a top up after a few weeks. Does anyone know whether I should be able to get away with just one injection when it's the first time using (bit bitter about spending that much money and time again a few weeks later....!)

ritchiekirkland · Sep 25, 2022

We found in the first year it didn’t work that well with one injection, most were fine but still more sore feet than would have liked.
We did them in September before tupping then did them again in the May at lamb marking . After that have just been once a year.
We carried it in because the place we bought them from as gimmers had already put them in the system but it turned out he had only given them the one jab !!!
I think it depends on how heavy your ground is stocked and how big a problem you have as to whether you will get away with the one jab.
I do think it’s great stuff though , amazing how it keeps the ground clean and you won’t get any problems with lambs taking scald either

Troward · Sep 25, 2022

ritchiekirkland said:
We found in the first year it didn’t work that well with one injection, most were fine but still more sore feet than would have liked.
We did them in September before tupping then did them again in the May at lamb marking . After that have just been once a year.
We carried it in because the place we bought them from as gimmers had already put them in the system but it turned out he had only given them the one jab !!!
I think it depends on how heavy your ground is stocked and how big a problem you have as to whether you will get away with the one jab.
I do think it’s great stuff though , amazing how it keeps the ground clean and you won’t get any problems with lambs taking scald either

Thanks

may have to fork out for the 2nd jab then! We're not overstocked as a farm but we run them quite tightly as a group...also very wet/acidic ground so we do tend to be pretty horrific for feet.

Since tightening up the groups scald and footrot seems to have reduced but the codd has still just ripped through them, especially the lambs.

Troward · Sep 25, 2022

Woolless said:
A friend of mine had trouble with footvax abscesses tracking in from the neck to the spinal cord. I think I'll stick with culling sheep with poor feet.

Not personally in a position to do that as still growing flock numbers....I'd have to be harsh the point of culling far more than I could afford sadly

now trying to buy in genetics from places that have culled hard....although even then they seem to go lame when they get to ours!

Out of interest - as someone that has culled hard for a prolonged period, do you still get an annual break out of scald in lambs or can you get to the point where its reduced in lambs to the point of being negligible?

neilo · Sep 25, 2022

Troward said:
I've used for the first time this year in an attempt to get on top of CODD which we bought in last year (no it doesn't fix it, but hoping it'll reduce cases that follow scald/footrot, so far it seems to be working). Have a predominantly older flock and they seem largely OK post injection. Have heard people mention a sudden rush of lameness in the past, could it be dosage, injection site issues or something similar?

Datasheet says you should reinject after a few weeks and then once annually. I think I read on here that the datasheet used to say just inject once per year and had no mention of a top up after a few weeks. Does anyone know whether I should be able to get away with just one injection when it's the first time using (bit bitter about spending that much money and time again a few weeks later....!)

It used to be on the sheet that one dose would help reduce footrot, but to give 2 doses to aid treatment of lame sheep. A cynic might think it was changed to increase sales?

As it’s a vaccine, it only has to initiate an antibody response for it to be effective. Some have been known to illicit that response by giving half a ml, which must be even more tempting if you’re giving it twice…

As above, some sheep will get a transient lameness (in the joints, not the feet) for a while after injection, and a few will get injection site abscesses from the oil adjuvant. It has no long term effect on their health and I certainly wouldn’t describe them as broken in any way.
I’d certainly use it as a tool to get on top of a big footrot problem, but I wouldn’t use it as a long term preventative in a closed flock. Culling and selection works very well in that scenario.

Aspiring Peasants · Sep 25, 2022

Troward said:
now trying to buy in genetics from places that have culled hard....although even then they seem to go lame when they get to ours!

They will do because the strain of foot rot on your farm will be different to where they have come from.

ringi · Sep 25, 2022

neilo said:
I’d certainly use it as a tool to get on top of a big footrot problem, but I wouldn’t use it as a long term preventative in a closed flock. Culling and selection works very well in that scenario.

Is that not culling the sheep that are not protected by the vaccine so they don't infect lambs rather then selecting for resistance?

Troward · Sep 25, 2022

Aspiring Peasants said:
They will do because the strain of foot rot on your farm will be different to where they have come from.

Thankfully having previously been a x mule flock, I'm sure we must have bought in every strain by now....the only way is up.

Aspiring Peasants · Sep 25, 2022

In your situation I wouldn't hesitate to use footvax

Troward · Sep 25, 2022

Aspiring Peasants said:
In your situation I wouldn't hesitate to use footvax

It's only my butter fingers and the risk of losing them that has made me hesitate in the past

Aspiring Peasants · Sep 25, 2022

Troward said:
It's only my butter fingers and the risk of losing them that has made me hesitate in the past

I've never heard of anyone losing any, and I use it most years with no losses - so far

You'll get some lumps which don't look good but doesn't seem to actually harm them. Just be careful not to inject yourself because I believe that can be nasty

Pan mixer · Sep 25, 2022

A mate of mine injected himself with it and he was a while in hospital whilst they tried to save his finger.

Downtrodden Dad · Sep 25, 2022

All our local suppliers have none in stock, with promises of delivery moving further away each week.

Al R · Sep 25, 2022

Downtrodden Dad said:
All our local suppliers have none in stock, with promises of delivery moving further away each week.

Ordered 8 bottles end of august and was told October delivery which suits me fine as it happens. Been on footvax around 17-18 years now, 2-3 lame sheep a year which get cull tag. At the stage now where although the feet with me are fantastic I don’t want to skip a year? Maybe just doing ewe lambs and yearlings in the future and hoping it lasts 7 years?

Aspiring Peasants · Sep 26, 2022

Al R said:
Ordered 8 bottles end of august and was told October delivery which suits me fine as it happens. Been on footvax around 17-18 years now, 2-3 lame sheep a year which get cull tag. At the stage now where although the feet with me are fantastic I don’t want to skip a year? Maybe just doing ewe lambs and yearlings in the future and hoping it lasts 7 years?

Did ours every year for quite a few years. Two years ago decided they didn't need it as minimal lameness. Big mistake, lot of lame ewes and lot of scald in lambs. Did the ewes again last year and back to minimal lameness. A good vaccine in my opinion which avoids a lot of unnecessary culling

HarryB97 · Sep 26, 2022

Never seen the point in footvax. Apart from being horrible to use why spend money to treat lameness when offenders should be culled and their lambs sold fat and not bread from. All you are doing is lining your vets pockets and not improving your flock.

Troward · Sep 26, 2022

HarryB97 said:
Never seen the point in footvax. Apart from being horrible to use why spend money to treat lameness when offenders should be culled and their lambs sold fat and not bread from. All you are doing is lining your vets pockets and not improving your flock.

If you're a closed flock and can do something about genetics then yes, if you're very open as many flocks in the UK are then I can definitely see a point. Obviously whether any of us should be as open as we are is another debate but currently that's the majority of the UK flock.

Footvax ruined flock for 1 week!

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