The association between foot temperature and hoof lesions in sheep

Eyre, Louise; Huggett, Zoë J.; Slinger, Kimberley R.; Siettou, Christina; Bell, Matt J.

Abstract

Lameness, predominantly caused by footrot and interdigital dermatitis, is a common issue in sheep flocks with negative consequences for animal welfare and productivity. Simple and cheap methods to prevent and monitor lameness are desirable to decrease prevalence within flocks. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a high foot temperature threshold can be used as an early warning for the development of hoof lesions and lameness in sheep. A flock of 47 pregnant ewes and seven non-pregnant ewe lambs were randomly allocated into two equal groups and placed in two different but similar permanent pasture fields for the duration of the study. Foot temperature was measured with a temperature probe placed on the interdigital skin on three dates over approximately 4 weeks. This study showed that increased foot temperature was associated with higher lesion scores (recorded lesions covered a scale of 0 to 3), with healthy feet having a mean temperature of 20°C and feet with severe lesion scores having a mean temperature of 31°C. Also, back feet had a higher foot temperature and lesion score than front feet (P≤0.001). This study suggests that a threshold of 26.5°C in the back feet of sheep (mean foot temperature for a lesion score of 1 in back feet) could be used as an indication of when to foot bath or treat feet, and minimise hoof lesions in sheep.

Citation

Eyre, L., Huggett, Z. J., Slinger, K. R., Siettou, C., & Bell, M. J. (2021). The association between foot temperature and hoof lesions in sheep. Livestock Science, 251, Article 104606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104606

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 23, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jun 26, 2021
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jul 12, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 27, 2022
• Journal: Livestock Science
• Print ISSN: 1871-1413
• Electronic ISSN: 1871-1413
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 251
• Article Number: 104606
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104606
• Keywords: Animal Science and Zoology; General Veterinary
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5780929
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871141321002146?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: The association between foot temperature and hoof lesions in sheep; Journal Title: Livestock Science; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104606; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.