Pneumonia in Sheep: Welfare and Prevention

Key Welfare Considerations

• Sheep pneumonia is a multifactorial disease involving Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella trehalosi, and viral cofactors.
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and PI3 virus cause predisposing viral welfare damage enabling bacterial infection.
• Acute pneumonia welfare signs include sudden onset fever, rapid breathing, laboured respiration, and depression.
• Lambs in the first 2-4 weeks of life are most welfare vulnerable — mortality can reach 20-30% in outbreaks.
• Housing ventilation welfare is critical — inadequate air exchange is the most important management risk factor.
• Stocking density and housing design directly affect pneumonia welfare risk through pathogen concentration.
• Target ventilation of 4-5 air changes per hour reduces respiratory welfare disease burden significantly.
• Metaphylactic antibiotic treatment of high-risk groups prevents welfare spread in outbreak situations.
• Oxytetracycline is widely used for welfare treatment of bacterial pneumonia in sheep.
• Third-generation cephalosporins should be reserved for welfare cases failing first-line treatment.
• NSAID anti-inflammatory welfare therapy (meloxicam) is important alongside antibiotics.
• Vaccination against RSV, PI3, Mannheimia haemolytica, and Pasteurella trehalosi reduces welfare disease burden.
• Colostrum welfare immunity transfer reduces pneumonia susceptibility in young lambs.
• Post-treatment welfare monitoring identifies relapse and secondary bacterial welfare complications.
• Herd health plans incorporating housing welfare assessment and vaccination schedules improve overall pneumonia welfare outcomes.