Sheep Foot Health and Lameness Prevention

Lameness is the second greatest welfare concern in sheep after gastrointestinal parasites; footrot and contagious ovine digital dermatitis are the leading causes.

Key Facts

Lameness affects up to 10% of the UK sheep flock at any given time.
Footrot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus causes severe pain and is highly contagious between animals.
Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) is an emerging disease causing painful hoof horn separation.
Early treatment with antibiotics dramatically improves cure rates and reduces herd transmission.
Five-point lameness plans including early identification, prompt treatment, and biosecurity are evidence-based.

Welfare Considerations

Lame sheep experience significant and prolonged pain, often going undetected or untreated for weeks in extensive systems. Lame ewes in late pregnancy are at particular risk of pregnancy toxaemia, creating compounding welfare impacts. The traditional tolerance of lameness as an inevitable part of sheep farming is now widely challenged — most lameness is preventable and treatable. Routine foot bathing, vaccination against footrot, and targeted antibiotic use can substantially reduce flock lameness. Pain relief (NSAID injection) should be provided at treatment rather than withheld to "encourage" treatment uptake.

What You Can Do

Implement a five-point lameness plan on your farm with your veterinary practice.
Treat lame sheep within 3 days of identifying lameness to maximise cure rates.
Vaccinate ewes against footrot annually using the appropriate serovar vaccine.
Provide NSAID pain relief alongside antibiotic treatment for all footrot cases.