Footrot is a painful bacterial infection causing severe lameness in sheep worldwide, and while treatable, inadequate herd management leads to chronic suffering in millions of animals annually.
Footrot causes some of the most intense and prolonged pain observable in farm animals. Severely lame sheep kneel to graze, avoid movement, and lose body condition rapidly as feeding becomes painful. The condition is highly visible to observant shepherds but may go undetected on large operations without regular flock inspection. Treatment is effective when applied promptly, yet many animals suffer unnecessarily for weeks or months because inspection frequency is inadequate or treatment is deferred. The welfare case for regular foot inspection, prompt treatment, and preventive vaccination programs is strong and the interventions are economically justified by the production losses prevented.