Sheep Footrot: Pain, Prevention, and Treatment

Footrot is one of the most painful and economically costly diseases in sheep farming worldwide. It causes severe lameness and significantly reduces welfare.

Key Facts

Footrot is caused by a synergistic infection between Fusobacterium necrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus
It causes separation of the hoof from the underlying tissue — highly painful and debilitating
Lame sheep show reduced grazing time, weight loss, and welfare scores far below healthy animals
Footrot spreads through contaminated wet pasture and contact with infected sheep
Eradication programs using vaccination, footbathing, and culling have eliminated footrot from some flocks
Mild interdigital dermatitis (scald) is often the precursor to footrot if left untreated

Welfare Considerations

Footrot causes intense, chronic lameness that severely diminishes quality of life. Sheep with footrot spend more time lying down, eat less, lose body condition, and show behavioral changes consistent with pain. Treatment requires antibiotic foot spraying or injection, footbathing, and in severe cases, hoof paring — which itself causes pain if done without analgesia. High-welfare flocks use mobility scoring to identify lame animals early, treat promptly, and maintain vaccination programs. Culling persistently infected animals reduces flock suffering.

What You Can Do

Farmers should implement mobility scoring and treat lame sheep within 3 days of identification
Use footrot vaccination programs in high-risk, wet regions to reduce flock incidence
Quarantine and examine new sheep before introducing them to the flock to prevent disease entry
Support welfare codes that mandate prompt treatment and analgesia for lame sheep