Sheep Scab

Dickie10 · 04-01-2023 1:49pm #1

I somehow managed to get in sheep scab, i had it in lambs last year and they really lost condition with it. i dipped them but i didnt know about how contagious it is and put them back into the same field again. i seen it recently in two or three rams and in another ewe. i injected all the ewes and breeding rams with dectomax last week and moved to clean ground that hasnt had sheep in a month or so. i think its 18 days before you can put the sheep back in the fields they were in. has anyone any experience of this disease in your sheep , how did you eradicate it?

kk.man · 05-01-2023 11:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058278164/sheep-scab

I had it in ewe lambs I bought a few years back. The lambs I bought were all healthy looking but they picked it up in the mart. I think I'm ivomectin resistance now. I got in a sheep shower guy. Did a great job, dipping would have been ideal. I only had one group of sheep so I wasn't too bad. I informed my neighbour because I was afraid his sheep would get it.

It's terrible aliment, mart's have a lot to answer for. The mart I bought these at regularly has scab inflected sheep at it's sales.

monseiur · 05-01-2023 11:41am

I have no first hand experience but if dipping check that the dip you're using contains the following Organphosphate based diazinon or Synthetic pyrethroid cypermethrin After dipping use dip to wash down pens, cubicles, floors etc. used by infected sheep. Each lambs must be kept a minimum of one minute under water and dip head 3 to 4 times. If injecting use a product containing Moxidectin, inject under skin, must repeat in 7 days.

Jonnyc135 · 05-01-2023 1:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120068290#Comment_120068290

Absolutely drives me nuts seeing sheep in marts and the wool falling off them, going crazy scratching off the pen gates.

wrangler · 05-01-2023 2:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120068404#Comment_120068404

Sheep dippiing done right can protect the sheep for weeks whereas the scab can only survive 17 days away from the sheep so it's impossible for them to get reinfected

wrangler · 05-01-2023 2:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120069169#Comment_120069169

We got scab here and tried everything,, Ivermectin, showers etc, we eventually put in a dipping bath and that was the end of it.

A jfc bath cost 500 at teh time and we wasted well over that on medicine before that

Dickie10 · 05-01-2023 2:46pm

yes thank God my father put in a good dipping bath in 1970s, its really the only job. I dipped the lambs in the late summer when i spotted them scratching but I didnt know about the 17 days. i put them back into the same field. I gave all ewes and rams dectomax and put them onto clean ground. only problem is it was my lovely spring grass that i had held up for lambing.

Kevhog1988 · 07-01-2023 9:27pm

Having an issue with ewes scratching here. Is sheep showering any good?

Dickie10 · 07-01-2023 9:39pm

ni give them dectomax into the muscle and put them on clean ground for at least 17 days before putting them back into fields they are currently in.

Kevhog1988 · 08-01-2023 5:45pm

Dectomax ok if theyre in lamb?

Dickie10 · 08-01-2023 8:04pm

yes no problem but it has around 60 day meat withdrawl so be careful if you have to do lambs that are near slaughter weight.

Kevhog1988 · 08-01-2023 11:03pm

Must be rampant at the moment. About 5 posts on that sheep discussion group today about it

Dickie10 · 09-01-2023 11:38pm

what was the vets input on treatment?

Kevhog1988 · 10-01-2023 10:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083250#Comment_120083250

Did you have it on lambs you bought in straight away?. I havent bought any sheep in months and they only started to scratch in the past week or so

Jonnyc135 · 10-01-2023 10:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120088879#Comment_120088879

Very contagious disease can be spread through mobile penning rigs, gates, clippers etc of the likes of shearers and scanners that may have happened to be at a scabed farm prior to yours.

memorystick · 10-01-2023 11:51am

Used ivomec and a pour on as well last night. Should be stopped scratching in a few days.

Dickie10 · 10-01-2023 9:30pm

shocking how contagious it is alright. i am due to heptavac in lamb ewes anytime now but im not going to do them this weekend as it will be only 14 days since the scabbed shep were throught the race and pens and so theoritically could be still live mites on the pens, am i being OTT? very tempting to go on saturday and run them through and vaccinate them but i am not going to chance it, i think the risk of getting scab again after the expense and labour of treating them for it is too much for the sake of a week later vaccinating. i am due to start lambing on feb 14th but the bulk wont lamb until feb 20th to march 3rd ish, i should be still ok heptavacing on january 21st? i think this is the lesser of two evils , if i can get rid of scab ill have done well. from now on nothing is mixing with other sheep without either getting dipped or injected with dectomax.

White Clover · 10-01-2023 9:50pm

All these posts on scab has me vigilant. My own sheep were dipped in September but I notice an odd one scratching. The skin is clear and no scabs or anything like that. Any opinions?

kk.man · 10-01-2023 10:29pm

I did mine in October. My sheep shower guy leaves them in for 3minutes and a good concentrate of dip. I think I could still smell dip of them recently..I have a very strong sense of smell.

Kevhog1988 · 10-01-2023 10:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120092049#Comment_120092049

Tbh thats how it started with me. Just the odd one scratching and then them all. I checked my diary here and the last time we bought anything in was end of november and none of them sheep are scratching. Can it be dormant for a while?

White Clover · 11-01-2023 10:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120092260#Comment_120092260

Nothing bought here since they were dipped. Skins are spotless and in great condition. No loose wool or wool falling off either.

Dickie10 · 11-01-2023 8:04pm

Just keep an eye on it, it may be just sheep having a scratch as they would do normally. it could be a bit of lice which i think is harmless enough.

White Clover · 11-01-2023 9:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120095928#Comment_120095928

Yeah I was thinking /hoping it's nothing to be too concerned about. I might do them with spot on or something like that.

Dickie10 · 11-01-2023 10:57pm

tbh i wouldnt bother, if its only slight scratching then i wouldnt hassle thm over it, because of its scab it has to be an all or nothing job

memorystick · 16-01-2023 9:23am

I have a lamb that is very thin and not inclined to eat. Treated for scab last week but still not eating meal. I pulled off some of her wool and there's a lot of dry flaky stuff at the bottom. I couldn't see life in it. Any ideas. She's the only one that isn't healthy and the rest are thriving well. All dosed and vaccinated and treated for scab last Monday. Thanks.

Jonnyc135 · 16-01-2023 9:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114465#Comment_120114465

Id still thinks that's scab especially if it is a yellowish crusty flaky stuff

memorystick · 16-01-2023 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114514#Comment_120114514

I gave her ivomec and a spot on for scab last week. Is the scab not dead? What should I do with her?

kk.man · 16-01-2023 12:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114685#Comment_120114685

If she has scab all your flock is at risk. It's very hard to diagnose over the internet. You should consult a vet that way you would be sure and have treatment etc for that sheep and the rest.

Kevhog1988 · 16-01-2023 3:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114685#Comment_120114685

It doesnt dissapear overnight once injected. The skin issues are almost like a psoriasis so the sheep need a while to grow new wool and for the bad/affected skin to repair. But you need to treat everything or at least everything in that batch for it to work as far as i can make out.

Dectomax seems to have worked here anyway. Thanks for the advice all

Dickie10 · 17-01-2023 9:14pm

my two rams who were worst affected have made a full recovery and are now gaining weight, so great result with dectomax. BUT need to keep sheep out of infected fields for 17 full days. its made a disaster of my spring grass held up for 130 ewes but i couldnt do anything about it i needed to get it cured.

DJ98 · 18-01-2023 8:55am

Same problem after raising its head here in a batch of hoggets. Injected them with dectomax yesterday, is it right then to say that they have to be done in a weeks time again and then go to a field where there was no sheep for 17 days or should they have been put to a clean field yesterday?

Dickie10 · 18-01-2023 2:07pm

one shot of 3-4ml of dectomax is all thats needed but yeah they need to be kept out of the "infected" land/shed for at leasy 17 days. The lice that cause scab cannot live for more than 17 days max without a host (sheep) so in theory there could be a small percentage of lice that can reinfect sheep on land/gates/bushes etc up to 17 days after sheep are taken away from that field

kk.man · 18-01-2023 6:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120124766#Comment_120124766

Are you sure 3-4 ml for hoggets?... I was barely given hoggets 1ml when I did them a few years back.

DJ98 · 18-01-2023 8:49pm

1 ml per 33kg it says on the leaflet to treat scab

kk.man · 18-01-2023 9:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120126518#Comment_120126518

I think it's 1ml per 50kg with ivomec classic

Dickie10 · 18-01-2023 11:32pm

sorry yes its ewes i gave my ewes 3-4 ml there big 80-90 kg sheep

orm0nd · 20-01-2023 7:08am

Just a reminder that dectomax is an im injection when given to sheep

I see on another forum a member was giving it sub.

monseiur · 30-01-2023 11:32am

If a flock is injected with Dectomax say last November and mix with other sheep with scab over the winter on commonage will the treated sheep be immune for a period ?

kk.man · 30-01-2023 12:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120176921#Comment_120176921

No.

Dickie10 · 30-01-2023 11:50pm

no dont mix them with untreated sheep. keep them away

Kevhog1988 · 31-01-2023 3:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120180347#Comment_120180347

You wouldnt be able to stop sheep on commonage from mixing..

Sheep Scab

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