Foot rot and foot scald are painful conditions affecting sheep welfare, and footbathing protocols must balance efficacy against chemical irritation and stress.
Footrot causes intense lameness - affected sheep become recumbent, lose condition rapidly, and suffer chronically if untreated. Footbathing prevents and treats disease but must be implemented carefully to avoid adding chemical-burn suffering to existing lameness pain. Welfare-friendly footbathing uses appropriate concentrations of zinc sulfate, limits exposure time for severely affected sheep, and combines bathing with targeted antibiotic treatment for clinical cases. The SCOPS (Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep) guidance framework provides evidence-based approaches to foot disease management.