Best treatment for Orf?

[Jerry]

Got a mid if Feb/Mar born lambs that some gave fairly nasty Orf.

I went though them last week with Terramycin spray and that’s dried a lot up but some are worse. Just gone through th again.

They have Orf buckets and rock salt kicking around but some of the scabs have spread up over the bridge of the nose.

Is Terramycin the best option still?

 

[GrannyAching]

Dennis Brinnicomb orf buckets to cure then some nice big, cheap blocks of Himalayan rock salt. At this stage keep a really close eye out for secondary infections which might need antibiotics.

 

[copse]

Sun !

 

[Longlowdog]

They will be cured in 14 days if you treat them or a fortnight if you don't. A jab of P+S salves the soul (please don't shoot me Bovine, read on) and may help with secondary infections but it is doubtful if one jab of a treatment usually given over 5 days is actually beneficial. I'd be more worried about the ewes bags. The lambs once over the virus seldom show any sign of having had it no matter how awful it looks at the time.

 

[Jerry]

Dennis Brinnicomb orf buckets to cure then some nice big, cheap blocks of Himalayan rock salt. At this stage keep a really close eye out for secondary infections which might need antibiotics.

Yes they gave tubbies and rock salt. I put them out from 3 weeks old as see it every year. Just some scabs are up over the nose where the salt won’t reach.

 

[Jerry]

They will be cured in 14 days if you treat them or a fortnight if you don't. A jab of P+S salves the soul (please don't shoot me Bovine, read on) and may help with secondary infections but it is doubtful if one jab of a treatment usually given over 5 days is actually beneficial. I'd be more worried about the ewes bags. The lambs once over the virus seldom show any sign of having had it no matter how awful it looks at the time.

Yes, ewes are one of my concerns but so far ok.

I don’t scratch lambs but thinking more and more I need to.

More research needed.

 

[cattleman123]

Brush on some creosote...work a treat...

 

[dunk999]

Last year I had orf tubbys out with lambs from birth and never seen a single scab. This year they were 2weeks old before I received my delivery “my own fault for ordering late” and I have a few lambs with some orf scabs which look to be on the turn and healing up now after a fortnight of the tubbys being out.

 

[Jerry]

Brush on some creosote...work a treat...

The real stuff or the more common watery stuff?

Though I have to admit I hate working either!

 

[dogjon]

WD 40. Why not? It solves so many other problems.
https://askavetsheep.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/sore-mouth/

 

[Al R]

We use nettex septiclense, had 70 young twin lambs in yesterday and they all went back to the field purple
When their back in in 14 days time i’ll re do any that are still bad, usually good after that!

 

[cattleman123]

The real stuff or the more common watery stuff?

Though I have to admit I hate working either!

Old type stuff..gloves

 

[primmiemoo]

Finding that a soft, clean rag soaked in neat Dettol and dabbed on the sores to wet them is as good as anything.
Engemycin/Terramycin spray makes the skin hard and seems slower to work.

When still at school, I'd walk to Boot's the Chemist during lunch times at Off season for a bottle of blue gentian to paint onto sores with a very soft watercolour brush. They used to dispense of animal remedies from the Pharmacy.
It worked, but was withdrawn from sale. Carcinogenic, apparently.

 

[spin cycle]

blue spray is a placebo for the shepherd IMO.....tubbys and time...jag the worst?......trying 'sweet lick' tubs at mo....fiver less and half as big again...got the sulphur which is what you need for orf....plus oregano....lambs seem to like them so far

 

[rancher]

Finding that a soft, clean rag soaked in neat Dettol and dabbed on the sores to wet them is as good as anything.
Engemycin/Terramycin spray makes the skin hard and seems slower to work.

When still at school, I'd walk to Boot's the Chemist during lunch times at Off season for a bottle of blue gentian to paint onto sores with a very soft watercolour brush. They used to dispense of animal remedies from the Pharmacy.
It worked, but was withdrawn from sale. Carcinogenic, apparently.

Most medics and vets will tell you that antiseptics inhibit healing unless put on very diluted,
salty water is better to clean and heal

 

[GrannyAching]

Yes they gave tubbies and rock salt. I put them out from 3 weeks old as see it every year. Just some scabs are up over the nose where the salt won’t reach.

Most medics and vets will tell you that antiseptics inhibit healing unless put on very diluted,
salty water is better to clean and heal

Yes - agree with @rancher , I'd be inclined to say make up a salt solution and spray it on once a week/fortnight which is a huge amount of work but better than the purple spray (which specifically says keep out of airways) or an antibiotic treatment you don't need.

@Longlowdog Bovine is apparently no longer with us to keep us on track.

 

[Bones]

Yes - agree with @rancher , I'd be inclined to say make up a salt solution and spray it on once a week/fortnight which is a huge amount of work but better than the purple spray (which specifically says keep out of airways) or an antibiotic treatment you don't need.

@Longlowdog Bovine is apparently no longer with us to keep us on track.

What happened?

 

[GrannyAching]

What happened?

What happened?

If you search for @bovine 's posts you will see that there was a heated exchange over drug pricing https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/medicine-costs.211388/page-5#post-4921930. I don't know anything other than that and a couple of comments by other members to the effect that he has "left the building".

 

[Longlowdog]

That is a great shame. Bovine was a forthright person but I liked that. Knowledge gained both in the halls of academia and in the field is invaluable and should not be dismissed.

 

[primmiemoo]

Yes - agree with @rancher , I'd be inclined to say make up a salt solution and spray it on once a week/fortnight which is a huge amount of work but better than the purple spray (which specifically says keep out of airways) or an antibiotic treatment you don't need.

Interesting and simple solutions, thanks both. I use salty water to bathe cuts and grazes, but thought orf sores would need more oomph.
Using neat Dettol on the wet sort of orf, so it does dilute a little, but will see if saltwater makes a difference.

Agree that orf hardly ever needs antibiotics. I wouldn't take them for cold sores, after all.