Joint Ill - Lambs

[Jerry]

Anyone seeing more joint ill than normal? I always get a hand full but treating about a dozen at the moment.

Lamb outside and these are approx 10 to 15 days old.

Weather been crap like everywhere so prob the cause.

Treating with a big hit of Trimox LA and metacam.

 

[andybk]

Anyone seeing more joint ill than normal? I always get a hand full but treating about a dozen at the moment.

Lamb outside and these are approx 10 to 15 days old.

Weather been crap like everywhere so prob the cause.

Treating with a big hit of Trimox LA and metacam.

yea had a few this year , everything is damp , even though navels were dry going out , lying in wet softens them back up again around root . its an evil bug all goes well for a week or two after turn-out then bang lamb cant get up .

 

[JSmith]

Seeing a lot of it here, what’s everyone jabbing with, any magic tricks or just penicillin? My old man used to give mil of penicillin and mil of tribisen in one shot, used to cure it very quick, old vet told him to do that years ago, I told our young vet about it and she said no reason it should work !
Can’t get tribisen now as it was, think they changed name and changed what was in it, was offered something similar by new vet but didn’t work the same

 

[Nithsdale]

Jag them with Resflor

 

[JSmith]

Jag them with Resflor

Once or seven days?

 

[Nithsdale]

Once or seven days?

Once. Just 1ml.

Life is too short to be chasing (and not catching) half cured lambs letting the cycle start again.



Some, very rarely, need a 2nd Jag.

 

[tr250]

Ultrapen and metcam seems to work well with us. I don’t think it’s navels its tails and sacks when they are falling off. Does anyone one here do hot ironing of tails or leave them entire and un docked problem is most that do that will probably lamb in April when it’s drier

 

[neilo]

yea had a few this year , everything is damp , even though navels were dry going out , lying in wet softens them back up again around root . its an evil bug all goes well for a week or two after turn-out then bang lamb cant get up .

If it’s hitting them at a few weeks old, rather than a week, that classic erysipelas ime. Same treatment needed, but the (Porcilis Ery) vaccine is very effective against that form of joint-ill.
Joint ill at a younger age is more likely through the navel at birth, which is usually down to bugs picked up in the lambing shed.

 

[neilo]

Ultrapen and metcam seems to work well with us. I don’t think it’s navels its tails and sacks when they are falling off. Does anyone one here do hot ironing of tails or leave them entire and un docked problem is most that do that will probably lamb in April when it’s drier

As above, that’s where we first had problems with erysipelas infection, coming in through the wound created when the tail/balls drop off.

Been vaccinating against it for 30 odd years and, frankly, afraid to stop that particular jab as I still remember the issues before.

 

[tr250]

As above, that’s where we first had problems with erysipelas infection, coming in through the wound created when the tail/balls drop off.

Been vaccinating against it for 30 odd years and, frankly, afraid to stop that particular jab as I still remember the issues before.

We are not at that stage maybe 3or 4 lambs in each lot over the season but worse if it’s exceptionally wet. It comes very quickly though had one this morning that was lame as a cat but didn’t notice anything at all yesterday morning

 

[Henarar]

We spray iodine on the tails and balls where the ring goes and also on the ring before we put the ring on, vet recons dirt/bugs under the ring,

downside is it rusts the pliers

 

[aled1590]

More joint ill here this year. Been told by the vet (wife) synulox/noroclav works better than other penicillins it gets into the joints

 

[neilo]

We spray iodine on the tails and balls where the ring goes and also on the ring before we put the ring on, vet recons dirt/bugs under the ring,

downside is it rusts the pliers

Dad always used to do that, with purple spray, back along. I could never, and still don’t, understand the logic behind it.
It’s a week or two before there’s an open wound there that could let bacteria in, a week or two of having pee and/or muck all over it.

Incidentally, when we had bad erysipelas joint-ill, pre vaccination, the rings were always sprayed. Complete waste of time imo, but if it makes you feel like you’re doing something useful then I suppose that’s something?

 

[Henarar]

Dad always used to do that, with purple spray, back along. I could never, and still don’t, understand the logic behind it.
It’s a week or two before there’s an open wound there that could let bacteria in, a week or two of having pee and/or muck all over it.

Incidentally, when we had bad erysipelas joint-ill, pre vaccination, the rings were always sprayed. Complete waste of time imo, but if it makes you feel like you’re doing something useful then I suppose that’s something?

No idea if it works, we have done it and had no trouble but would we have had trouble it we had not done it, who knows, can't see it can do any harm though

 

[Derrick Hughes]

We vaccinated and never saw it again ,
We had a lot

 

[Bury the Trash]

I don’t think it’s navels its tails and sacks when they are falling off. Does anyone one here do hot ironing of tails or leave them entire and un docked problem is most that do that will probably lamb in April when it’s drier

bit of all those entry points plus ear tagging and via mums teats i suppose.

clip fitter might make a tighter wound /quicker drop off but its a bit hard and dangly and plastic left behind on the negative side.

very mild winter as well helps bugs survive and thrive with the high /constant moisture everywhere as well of course.

 

[Bury the Trash]

We vaccinated and never saw it again ,
We had a lot

what specifically did you vacinate against ?

 

[neilo]

what specifically did you vacinate against ?

Erysipelas the same as me, iirc.

Used to be a vaccine licenced for sheep & turkeys called Erysorb ST. Now it's a pig vaccine, called Porcilis Ery, given at the same time as other pre-lambing vaccs.

Used to be about 10p/dose until recently, now about 50p.

 

[Six Dogs]

Erysipelas the same as me, iirc.

Used to be a vaccine licenced for sheep & turkeys called Erysorb ST. Now it's a pig vaccine, called Porcilis Ery, given at the same time as other pre-lambing vaccs.

Used to be about 10p/dose until recently, now about 50p.

Also another vaccine which can’t be used if the ewes have had Footvax as the carrier reactions are similar to Cydectin and Footvax

 

[Jerry]

Bloody joint ill still hitting me, jabbing at least 2 or 3 lambs a day still, right fed up with it.

And is there a link between joint ill and spinal abscess?

I have never seen that but this year have had two in last coule weeks. Fine one day and the next morning off their feet and cant get up.

Im treating with a bit hit of Trimox LA and Metacam but not seeing much improovement.

Will be speaking to vets next week to see what they suggest as dont want tis next year.