Smith Edward M, Green Olivia D J, Calvo-Bado Leonides A, Witcomb Luci A, Grogono-Thomas Rosemary, Russell Claire L, Brown Judith C, Medley Graham F, KilBride Amy L, Wellington Elizabeth M H, Green Laura E
School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Vet J. 2014 Sep;201(3):295-301. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.05.021. Epub 2014 May 23.
Footrot, including interdigital dermatitis, is caused by Dichelobacter nodosus cause the majority of lameness in sheep in the UK. Lame sheep often have overgrown hoof horn but recent evidence has indicated that trimming overgrown hoof horn increases recovery time, and that routine foot trimming of the flock does not reduce the prevalence or incidence of lameness. The objectives of this study were to investigate the temporal associations between hoof horn length, footrot and climate. Fifty multiparous ewes were monitored for 10 months. On eight occasions hoof horn length, foot lesions and body condition were recorded. At the first examination, ewes were assigned to one of two treatment groups. All ewes that became lame with footrot were treated at one time point per week, either by trimming hoof horn and applying a topical antibiotic spray or with parenteral antibiotic and topical antibiotic spray. Hoof horn length in ewes at pasture varied over the year and was associated with temperature and rainfall. New cases of footrot occurred all year round and were associated with prior prevalence of footrot in the flock and prior temperature and rainfall. Overgrown hoof horn did not precede lameness but occurred once the sheep were lame. One year of prompt treatment of footrot reduced the range in hoof horn length in the sheep in both treatment groups. At the end of the study the hoof lengths of ewes in both groups were not significantly different. On this farm, hoof horn length was self-regulating in both non-lame and treated lame sheep whether trimming was part of the treatment or not and there would have been no benefit from routine foot trimming of this flock.
腐蹄病，包括趾间皮炎，由坏死梭杆菌引起，是英国绵羊跛足的主要原因。跛足的绵羊通常有过度生长的蹄角质，但最近的证据表明，修剪过度生长的蹄角质会延长恢复时间，而且对羊群进行常规蹄修剪并不能降低跛足的患病率或发病率。本研究的目的是调查蹄角质长度、腐蹄病与气候之间的时间关联。对50只经产母羊进行了10个月的监测。在8个时间点记录了蹄角质长度、足部病变和体况。在首次检查时，母羊被分配到两个治疗组之一。所有因腐蹄病而跛足的母羊每周在一个时间点接受治疗，要么通过修剪蹄角质并喷洒局部抗生素，要么通过注射抗生素和喷洒局部抗生素。牧场中母羊的蹄角质长度随年份变化，与温度和降雨量有关。腐蹄病新病例全年都有发生，与羊群中腐蹄病的先前患病率以及先前的温度和降雨量有关。过度生长的蹄角质并非在跛足之前出现，而是在羊跛足后才出现。对腐蹄病进行一年的及时治疗缩小了两个治疗组中羊的蹄角质长度范围。在研究结束时，两组母羊的蹄长没有显著差异。在这个农场，无论修剪是否是治疗的一部分，非跛足和治疗后的跛足羊的蹄角质长度都是自我调节的，对这群羊进行常规蹄修剪没有任何益处。
