Interdigital growth In rams foot

[Gulli]

One of my tups was lame this morning. Tipped him up to have a look and he has a big growth between his toes on both sides this side is fine but it looks like the other side has blown out making him lame. What is it?

Always been fine on his feet before. Typical as I thought I'd give him one more season

 

[Sandpit Farm]

Interdigital growth of tissue. It is common in cattle. A vet can block and chop it out under local anaesthetic but it will probably come back. It is probably associated with dermatitis.

Alternatively, it could be a granuloma. These are like cauliflower structures of tissue, like a benign cancer. Often caused by rubbing. I think pigs can get them in the ear at tag sites.

If you can, you are probably best to source another tup if this one is not critical or high genetic merit in some way.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

I have got rid of small ones of these by bandaging with copper paste (like you use for Digital Dermititis in dairy cattle). I spread a generous amount on, cover with an ankle sock and then bandage lightly with a compression bandage (a cow bandage). You would need to remove and re-administer every couple of days though, even just to check the bandage is not constricting. I suspect I will get told off for saying all that though.

 

[Gulli]

I have got rid of small ones of these by bandaging with copper paste (like you use for Digital Dermititis in dairy cattle). I spread a generous amount on, cover with an ankle sock and then bandage lightly with a compression bandage (a cow bandage). You would need to remove and re-administer every couple of days though, even just to check the bandage is not constricting. I suspect I will get told off for saying all that though.

Seen it in cattle but never in a sheep before. Won't be catching him every couple of days to rebandage.. .

He'll be gone as soon as he can walk on it again. Shame as he was a good ram!

 

[d-wales]

I've a ram with that, seams to come and go every tupping season [emoji58]

 

[ajcc]

Cull and check the feet on any replacement....avoid like plague....ps looks like the foot rot wants good trim too...then again progressive sheep farmers hereabouts don’t bother trimming that rot???

 

[unlacedgecko]

Cull and check the feet on any replacement....avoid like plague....ps looks like the foot rot wants good trim too...then again progressive sheep farmers hereabouts don’t bother trimming that rot???

I can't see any foot rot in the photo...

 

[glensman]

I can't see any foot rot in the photo...

that's because there isn't any, just a gap in the hoof wall wadded with dirt, that should be cleaned out and the gap tidily pared so it doesn't fill again (and sprayed) that's what I do anyway. Hope he wasn't talking about the growth in between

 

[ajcc]

I can smell it from here, just keeping you on your toes....as it were!

I wouldn’t buy any ram with an interdigital growth, always look hard but you got to tip him over to be sure and reject because it will be constant hassle lameness wise.

 

[Gulli]

I can smell it from here, just keeping you on your toes....as it were!

I wouldn’t buy any ram with an interdigital growth, always look hard but you got to tip him over to be sure and reject because it will be constant hassle lameness wise.

It doesn't smell...

 

[llamedos]

Sheep equivalent of a corn. Think it is interdigital fibroma

 

[hendrebc]

Whats the rope around his leg?

 

[ajcc]

Whats the rope around his leg?

It’s a foot rot tourniquet!

 

[glensman]

Whats the rope around his leg?

it's a langle

 

[Gulli]

Whats the rope around his leg?

I caught him in the middle of the field (eventually) used it to stop him running off while I went back to my truck to get some drugs.

He wouldn't walk and I wasn't carrying him!

 

[neilo]

So what's the collective's view on the heritability of such growths? Granted it's a PITA in the individual, but is there any potential problem in the progeny?

Used to be quite common in Suffolk rams we had years ago (pre-1990), but I don't recall any of the daughters having it, bar one or two perhaps. I had a Charollais ram that developed one as a 4 year old, and none of his progeny have ever had one here.

I ask because I have a 2 shear Lleyn ram that has such growths (but smaller) in both back feet, but he's good in all other aspects. He probably won't be here much longer because of them, but are his daughters likely to be a problem too?

 

[glensman]

So what's the collective's view on the heritability of such growths? Granted it's a PITA in the individual, but is there any potential problem in the progeny?

Used to be quite common in Suffolk rams we had years ago (pre-1990), but I don't recall any of the daughters having it, bar one or two perhaps. I had a Charollais ram that developed one as a 4 year old, and none of his progeny have ever had one here.

I ask because I have a 2 shear Lleyn ram that has such growths (but smaller) in both back feet, but he's good in all other aspects. He probably won't be here much longer because of them, but are his daughters likely to be a problem too?

I find it more common in white faced sheep, texel and lleyn etc. I would go as far as to say it was most prevalent in texel and texel crosses.

 

[hendrebc]

Could some of them be callous type things from walking through long grass rubbing like scald?
Just a thought

 

[Myriam@idele]

One of my tups was lame this morning. Tipped him up to have a look and he has a big growth between his toes on both sides this side is fine but it looks like the other side has blown out making him lame. What is it?

Always been fine on his feet before. Typical as I thought I'd give him one more season
View attachment 601080

Hello,
We work at the French Livestock Institut (idele) which is the French technical institute for ruminant breeding. I am a veterinarian and I work in the flock health and welfare department, and I mainly deal with issues related to sheep health. I am contacting you because we are building a guide on foot health for sheep farmers to help them differentiate and identify the different foot pathologies. It will be made available to farmers and distributed free of charge.
We would be very grateful for your permission to use this photograph. If you could and would be so kind as to send us the original photographs, it would help us enormously.
We will of course mention the source and the photo credits as you want.
If you could and would be so kind as to send us the original photographs, it would help us enormously.

We look forward to your reply,

Yours sincerely,

 

[Gulli]

Hello,
We work at the French Livestock Institut (idele) which is the French technical institute for ruminant breeding. I am a veterinarian and I work in the flock health and welfare department, and I mainly deal with issues related to sheep health. I am contacting you because we are building a guide on foot health for sheep farmers to help them differentiate and identify the different foot pathologies. It will be made available to farmers and distributed free of charge.
We would be very grateful for your permission to use this photograph. If you could and would be so kind as to send us the original photographs, it would help us enormously.
We will of course mention the source and the photo credits as you want.
If you could and would be so kind as to send us the original photographs, it would help us enormously.

We look forward to your reply,

Yours sincerely,

This is a blast from the past! Knock yourselves out, I'll have a look for originals but I doubt I'll find them in amongst the shite on my camera reel.
Message me with contact details and I'll send the invoice