Sheep Footrot and Foot Welfare: Prevention, Treatment, and Farm Management

Footrot is one of the most painful and prevalent conditions in sheep, causing lameness that impairs welfare, productivity, and animal behaviour. Effective prevention and treatment programmes make this welfare problem largely avoidable.

Key Facts

Footrot is caused by a synergistic bacterial infection (Fusobacterium necrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus) causing progressive hoof tissue destruction
It is highly contagious, spreading rapidly through flocks on wet, contaminated pasture
Affected sheep show severe lameness often refusing to walk normally, spending prolonged periods lying down
Untreated footrot causes chronic pain lasting weeks to months and can result in permanent hoof deformity
Vaccination against Dichelobacter nodosus strains reduces footrot incidence significantly in endemic flocks
Foot bathing with zinc sulphate or copper sulphate regularly reduces transmission and aids treatment
The five-point plan (score, treat, segregate, cull, vaccinate) provides a systematic approach to flock footrot control

Welfare Considerations

Footrot causes severe lameness that welfare assessors classify as one of the most painful conditions in sheep farming. Lame sheep cannot compete for feed and water at the trough, cannot graze normally, and spend disproportionate time recumbent — reducing their ability to escape predators, thermoregulate, and engage in natural social behaviour. Chronic pain from untreated footrot is prolonged over weeks or months. The welfare and production case for proactive footrot management is overwhelming: treatment with appropriate antibiotics within 5 days of onset has high cure rates, while delayed treatment allows progression to severe tissue destruction that requires longer treatment and has poorer outcomes. Prevention through vaccination, foot bathing, and biosecurity on purchase of new stock is the most welfare-positive approach.

What You Can Do

If you manage sheep, implement a structured footrot scoring and treatment protocol for your flock
Treat lame sheep within 5 days of identifying lameness to maximise treatment success and minimise pain duration
Vaccinate your flock against footrot if it is endemic in your region or flock history
Use a foot bath on purchase of all new sheep before integrating them into your flock
Support Sheep Veterinary Society and national sheep health programmes that provide footrot management resources