Lameness is the second most significant welfare problem in sheep after mastitis. Effective management requires accurate diagnosis, prompt treatment, and targeted prevention.
Sheep lameness causes chronic pain that impairs every aspect of the animal's life — grazing, competition for resources, maternal behaviour, and reproductive performance. Research using grimace scales and behaviour observation confirms that lame sheep experience pain equivalent in severity to other chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Despite this, lameness in sheep has historically been undertreated — partly because treatment takes time in large flocks, and partly because sheep stoicism makes pain less obvious. The welfare-positive approach involves proactive detection through regular foot scoring, prompt treatment of detected cases, and vaccination against footrot in affected flocks.