ORF inside lambs mouth - help

[HectorJT]

Hi guys,

just wondering if anyone knows what this could be (see picture)??

The vet has never seen anything like it before, and we think it might be ORF. It’s like skin cells have grown over the baby lambs teeth from the gums. Three of the pet lambs have this issue now.
Any ideas on treatment?? They bleed ever time I bottle feed them, and one doesn’t drink much due to the pain.

any advice would be great!
Thanks JT.

 

[GrannyAching]

Did your vet not suggest anything?

If it was me, I would be giving an antibiotic because there's almost certainly bacterial infection in there and metacam for pain relief and to reduce the swelling.

If your bottle lambs are on anything other than the silicone baby bottle tests then I'd get them back on them.

I'd be cleaning the the bottles and tests between every feed and sterilizing once a day if you aren't already. With the one that's barely drinking I'd up the frequency of feeding so it was getting as much as possible. It will be s long slow job and there's possibly a few who would say cut your losses now but that has to be your choice.

All the best and please let us know how it goes.

 

[TEB87]

I have had similar in lambs this year. The vet took a sample for testing and it was orf. He said we must have picked up a very virulent strain as was getting in to lambs at 10 to 14 days old. I was advised to give an injection of pen and strep to stop any secondary infections. I also started scratching all lambs with scabivax at a day or two old, however a lot have still got orf due to it getting in to them so young and the vaccine not having time to work. The good news is that the growths inside the mouth seemed to shrink or break away after a week or so and I don't think I've lost any due to the Orf so far. I also put rock salt out for them. I have also had to keep a close eye on the ewes as some have ended up with it on their bags, with a few them getting mastitis.