THE bacteria that causes foot rot could be present in a sheep flock for years before the conditions cause it to become a problem, said PIRSA's Chris Van Dissell at a Mid North sheep field day.
The SA animal health field team manager said while there were areas that had higher prevalence of the notifiable disease, there was no reason for any farmer to be complacent.
He said the bacteria was easily spread and could remain dormant in flocks for a number of years, until the right conditions.
Foot rot thrived in areas with high levels of moisture and warmer temperatures - usually above 10 degrees Celsius - which made it more likely to be found in regions such as Kangaroo Island, the Adelaide Hills and the South East, but these conditions could also occur in other regions in some years, he said.
"We know it is in the Mid North, it's just not detected as often," he said.
Mr Van Dissell said the disease was caused by the bacteria Dichelobacter nodosus, and while there were different serotypes, the same bacteria was responsible for both virulent and benign footrot.
He said it was important not to excuse benign foot root or downplay it as foot scald, as it could flare up with the right conditions and could be harder to manage.
Mr Van Dissell said it was important to maintain good hygiene by cleaning boots thoroughly after visiting other properties or the saleyards before returning to your own paddocks, by picking out the dirt with a horse pick and spraying with a disinfectant.
"The bacteria can live in soil for up to 14 days without sheep," he said.
He also advised checking the feet of rams and any new stock, either when buying them or before they are let out with other sheep.
He said one option was to keep any new sheep to the property separated for the first few weeks.
"It takes one ram to spread it to the flock," he said.
"Most people don't knowingly sell sheep with footrot, but if they're in a non-prevalent area they might not know."
Mr Van Dissell said it was important to remove the stigma about foot rot, with reporting it earlier also making it easier to control.
"We have a lot of people in SA who can help get rid of it," he said.
"I believe the program in SA is the best for foot rot."
Mr Van Dissell said once diagnosed, foot baths were one option to treat it.
He said one way foot rot was discovered in a flock was by keeping an eye out for any lameness in the flock in early spring. Farmers should also check between toes, and look for redness, hair loss or a "creaminess" in the heel of the hoof.
This time of year was generally too cold for the bacteria to be active, so if lameness was evident at this time, it was likely an abscess.
He said any signs of foot rot should be reported to PIRSA.
Mr Van Dissell also spoke about ovine Johnes disease, particularly with the management of this changing in recent years, with it no longer a notifiable disease.
He said SA still had good control of OJD, but it was important to still be cautious.
He also said anyone considering selling breeding sheep might want to consider getting into the habit of applying a Gudair vaccine - usually before 14 weeks, although it is still affective afterwards - in part to protect their own flock, but also as a marketing tool.
With more sheep moving about, he said there were a number of regions that were looking for sheep with the vaccination.
He did advise anyone who was vaccinating to let their shearers know as it did leave a lump.
"A lump is a sign you've done a proper job, usually about marble size," he said.
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Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
