Sheep Lameness: Prevention, Detection and Treatment

Lameness is the most prevalent welfare problem in sheep globally, causing chronic pain that is frequently undetected and undertreated despite effective preventive and treatment options.

Key Facts

Studies estimate 3-10% of sheep are lame at any given time in UK flocks, representing millions of animals in chronic pain
Footrot (Dichelobacter nodosus) and contagious ovine digital dermatitis are the two most common causes — both are preventable through vaccination and biosecurity
Lame sheep reduce their feed intake, lose body condition, have impaired reproductive performance and experience elevated cortisol for the duration of lameness
The five-point lameness scoring system allows farmers to identify and prioritise treatment of sheep with severe lameness — but uptake is inconsistent
Treatment within 3 days of lameness onset with appropriate antibiotics and footbathing resolves most cases of footrot within 5 days
Pain relief using meloxicam alongside antibiotic treatment significantly improves recovery speed and welfare outcomes compared to antibiotics alone

Welfare Considerations

Sheep lameness is a chronic welfare failure on a massive scale. The prevalence — millions of lame sheep at any time in the UK alone — reflects inadequate detection, delayed treatment and preventive failure. Lame sheep suffer continuously, moving with difficulty to reach food and water, resting more, losing body condition and experiencing persistent nociceptive pain. The solutions are known: vaccination against footrot, regular foot inspection with prompt treatment, paring within safe limits, pain relief alongside antibiotics and biosecurity to prevent introduction of new disease strains. What is missing is the monitoring, training and accountability needed to ensure these solutions are consistently applied.

What You Can Do

Advocate for sheep lameness monitoring requirements in farm assurance schemes with maximum acceptable prevalence targets
Support mandatory pain relief provision alongside antibiotic treatment for all lame sheep in national codes of practice
Encourage farmers to adopt the five-point lameness scoring system and act within 3 days of identifying lame animals
Choose lamb and wool from certified farms with documented lameness prevalence data and prevention programmes
Support veterinary training initiatives that improve farmer competence in sheep lameness detection and treatment