Catching orf

[PhilipB]

Anyone ever caught orf?

I'm injecting lambs and making the assumption that if I've had moderate exposure to it for about fifteen years and it's never got me yet, so I'm assuming I've got enough immunity to deal with what infection risk there is.

How about small children and my dirty boots/trousers etc?

 

[Estate fencing.]

I caught orf in my late 20’s after been round sheep all my life. My mum caught it in here late 50’s after forever rearing pet lambs that always had it. Neither of us where ill but the pain is pretty bad.

 

[milkloss]

Always a risk of catching it if there's any scratches, cuts or anything. Nasty virus to get. I've had it twice and both times ended up on antibiotics. One time my hands and feet went all red and inflamed with nettle rash. Skin all peeled of a few days later. Doc was mystified and took pictures but it cleared up after a week or two.

you don't want kids getting it so try and be as clean as possible.

 

[Wolds Beef]

I had Orf years ago. We had it in the Pedigree lambs and needed to dose with little black pills called orfoids. We started in gloves but could not do it properly and get them down there throats. Went to see the doctor a few days later, He said it is either you or it and he did not have anything to treat it directly. Antibiotics were given.!! We had to cull several good ewes because of udder problems.
WB

 

[Lili]

I've had it through a cut on a finger. Antibiotics against any secondary infection and advice to keep it covered until the blisters stopped weeping. Please be careful with children it can be very painful.

 

[yellowbelly]

Anyone ever caught orf?

I've had it once - caught it off a cade lamb.
Had a scab on the back of my hand that took ages to heal.

Mrs YB also got it off a cade lamb. Hers went wrong and was very painful.


Took ages to clear up.
She went to the doctors and they'd never heard of it

She finished up on antibiotics but, as it's a virus, they don't touch it, they only help with any secondary infection.

As said above, don't take any risks with it, especially with youngsters.

 

[Estate fencing.]

Lecturer at college always said “wash your hands before you go for a pee, somethings take some explaining to girls and doctors”

 

[Pistonbroke]

Lecturer at college always said “wash your hands before you go for a pee, somethings take some explaining to girls and doctors”

One bloke near here had it on his tackle . No joking,he was very ill for weeks. Years later he joked that he asked the doctor to take the pain but leave the swelling

 

[texelburger]

Had it,years ago, on the back of my hand after a Ram bunted me.It wasn't particularly painful just very itchy.Local GP turned up at our house with his camera to take photos and send them to Birmingham medical school as he said they wouldn't know what it was.

 

[Pistonbroke]

I've had it once - caught it off a cade lamb.
Had a scab on the back of my hand that took ages to heal.

Mrs YB also got it off a cade lamb. Hers went wrong and was very painful.


Took ages to clear up.
She went to the doctors and they'd never heard of it

She finished up on antibiotics but, as it's a virus, they don't touch it, they only help with any secondary infection.

As said above, don't take any risks with it, especially with youngsters.

I had it on my face from a scratch when away at college .Went to the doctor there and he looked it up and decided to put antiviral cream on it. Kept getting worse, came home for holidays and saw our local doc who threw the cream in the bin. Get it dry and it will fade, keep it moist and it will keep spreading

 

[hendrebc]

I had it when I was a kid. My fingernail came off and grew back weird and I had to hit myself with a hammer and the nail come off for it to grow back normally but I wouldn't recommend that
Dad has it now after catching it off some pet lambs he's been around sheep forever and had it before so you must be able to catch it more than once. My sister has caught it as well but she has never really been around sheep till this spring when she helped with pets while mum was getting over a wrist operation. She's been a bit ill with it feeling a bit sh!t and a temperature mostly.
A mate got it into his blood and was very ill with it but thats quite rare apparently.

 

[Optimus]

I've had it once - caught it off a cade lamb.
Had a scab on the back of my hand that took ages to heal.

Mrs YB also got it off a cade lamb. Hers went wrong and was very painful.


Took ages to clear up.
She went to the doctors and they'd never heard of it

She finished up on antibiotics but, as it's a virus, they don't touch it, they only help with any secondary infection.

As said above, don't take any risks with it, especially with youngsters.

Mine looked something like that.

 

[ford4000]

Scratched my thumb with needle when vaccinating lambs about a month ago, about a week later it turned into orf. Much better by now but still a bit swollen and purpleish... And itchy!
Not the first time I've had it either.. Probably 4th time by now. Different strains?

 

[mixedfmr]

Scratched my thumb with needle when vaccinating lambs about a month ago, about a week later it turned into orf. Much better by now but still a bit swollen and purpleish... And itchy!
Not the first time I've had it either.. Probably 4th time by now. Different strains?

Same here in the late 70s , Nothing more than a reaction like yours, I was expecting more

 

[Hill Ground]

After being with my mrs for a couple of years my stepdaughter caught it on her arm...

That didn't make me very popular with either of them for a while!!!

 

[Bob the beef]

Had orf twice.First time doc tried any number of creams and ointments didn’t make an ounce of difference. Eventually cleared up on its own.
2nd time I just rubbed iodine on it everyday and it was gone in 10-14 days. Stings like feck though

 

[AJR75]

Got it on my finger about 8 years ago- kept growing and was stupidly painful after starting of as an itchy bit of skin. The pain eventually tracked into my armpit so at that time I thought probably best to get to the hospital who immediately admitted me, marked all the red tracking lines which were now up my hand and arm and stuck me on IV antibiotics, monitoring every hour. Once the infection was under control it was off to theatre to have the orf debrided. The surgeon came from the West Indies and he'd never seen or heard of it either and was on his phone googling it just prior to the op.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Someone I know also had a horrendous complication with orf and ended up being blue lighted to A and E and was intensive care for several days. She's been working with sheep for 35+ years. She was in so much pain that she could't even bear the sheets on her bed touching her skin.

 

[MRT]

Had it a couple of years ago, secondary infection followed the path of the lymph system from my hand up my arm, lovely purple lines, like a zombie. Thankfully antibs worked. Can get it at least twice in a lifetime.

 

[west coast angus]

Horrible thing to get, I got it and ended up in hospital for 6 days hooked up to IV antibiotics.