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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 122
of which is Fusobacterium necrophorum which is always present in soil, but by itself does not cause a problem. The second kind is Dichelobacter nodosus, which can rampage through a flock.
The good news about Dichelobacter is that it can only live in a sheep's hoof for approximately 2 weeks, this means if you keep the sheep off a pasture for 2 weeks the organisms will die off in soil. But, and there is always a "but", there are some sheep that act as carriers of foot rot, and constantly reinfect the soil other sheep walk on. The best solution is, as with all new additions to the flock, to put them in quarantine for 2 weeks from being introduced to your existing foot-rot free flock. This type of bacteria grows in an oxygen free environment, deep in the tissue of the hoof. This is why hoof trimming is an important part of the foot rot treatment, when the dead tissue is removed and oxygen can enter.
The good news about Dichelobacter is that it can only live in a sheep's hoof for approximately 2 weeks, this means if you keep the sheep off a pasture for 2 weeks the organisms will die off in soil. But, and there is always a "but", there are some sheep that act as carriers of foot rot, and constantly reinfect the soil other sheep walk on. The best solution is, as with all new additions to the flock, to put them in quarantine for 2 weeks from being introduced to your existing foot-rot free flock. This type of bacteria grows in an oxygen free environment, deep in the tissue of the hoof. This is why hoof trimming is an important part of the foot rot treatment, when the dead tissue is removed and oxygen can enter.