Best treatment for Orf?

rancher

Member
Location
Ireland
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.

Antibiotics wouldn't be as hard on the lambs as antiseptics, I woulld use antibiotic spray first and if they needed repeated treatment it'd be just salty water to keep it moist and help it heal.....the antibiotic spray usually works thought, but nothing is used if the skin isn;t broken, some farmers actually use a toothbrush on it and jeyes fluid, burnt oil. parafin or some other snake oil
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Primary infection you have nothing to worry about. Let it run its course over the fortnight and the lambs will develope immunity through exposure and it will clear up.

BUT

Secondary infection is very serious and will need treatment.









It sounds harsh but best thing I found to cure it is a liberal spraying of the muzzle with Osmond's Bactakill55.
It is a disinfectant which kills the bacteria, and the Formalyn also dries out the skin.
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
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.

+1.

I was surprised and sad to hear he has left.

Some on here were pretty sh!t towards him at times, when he only ever gave the industrys Professional opinion of matters. An outlet we all benefitted from - especially as he took a lot of time out of his own life to help answer questions and find soloutions to problems on here FOC.

It is an asset lost.
 

Macsky

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Highland
Anyone used these?

IMG_1461.JPG


I’ve seen a couple of these administered with a liberal spray of Baktakil seem to do the job. I think they used to be called Orfoids
 

primmiemoo

Member
Location
Devon
Anyone used these?

View attachment 670008

I’ve seen a couple of these administered with a liberal spray of Baktakil seem to do the job. I think they used to be called Orfoids

I used to use Orfoids and found they cleared up many cases at the time. Iirc, they had a sulphur paste in them.
Can't remember why, but the formulation had to be changed and there were changes to rules about homeopathic remedies, hence Ovaloids.

I'd be interested to know if they're as effective as the predecessor treatment.

In reply to @rancher up the thread, I only use antibiotics if the sore is infected and hasn't responded to some dabs of the antiseptic.
Can't understand the mindsets behind some of the harsh treatments meted out. I mean, muzzles are sensitive!

Maybe not enough sheep keepers have had cold sores, chicken pox, or shingles ... .
 

Al R

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

A friend/neighbour is a GP in London but goes to third world countries a lot too, he has cans of septiclense in his bag and car at all times since he’s seen some of the cuts/wounds we’ve had and they’ve healed great and far quicker than he thought they would!


The last 3 years the only cases of orf we have is with the lambs off the ewe lambs, they are in 3 fields which they are in most years and another 60 ewe lambs are in a field which hasn’t had sheep for 10years yet they have it too - genetics are totally different with the 60 compared to the rest.

Does anyone else find their ewe lambs are worse than mature ewes?
 

texelburger

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Herefordshire
Dont think anything cures orf you have to let it run its course,antibiotics and spray may help ease the pain .Remember Orf is a virus so antibiotics and spray is only treating the secondary infection.
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
I’ve got a second lamb of the year currently which has melted and is now covered in what looks like Orf/scabs but it’s all over his whole head/ears and his whole body feels like pointy scabs? He was showing no signs of orf and none of the others in the field are.


The picture below shows a lamb that was similar in February and died a few weeks later.
62E1B00C-C8FC-4848-BDE2-E938B8636F69.jpeg



Any idea what this is?
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales

Bones

Member
Location
n Ireland
I’ve got a second lamb of the year currently which has melted and is now covered in what looks like Orf/scabs but it’s all over his whole head/ears and his whole body feels like pointy scabs? He was showing no signs of orf and none of the others in the field are.


The picture below shows a lamb that was similar in February and died a few weeks later.
View attachment 671442


Any idea what this is?
I get 3,4_cases of this every year, can't pin it down to what causing it,
 

Bones

Member
Location
n Ireland
Don't think so, the ears go down, the head Swell's and bursts the skin, they get antibiotic but are pure crap afterwards, the ground here gets a lot of hen's dung , on less that's causing it,
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Don't think so, the ears go down, the head Swell's and bursts the skin, they get antibiotic but are pure crap afterwards, the ground here gets a lot of hen's dung , on less that's causing it,
No dung spread at all on either field I’ve had a case this year, the lamb in the photo was January born and was infected in February and died. The one I’ve found today was 20th ish of March born.
 

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