Randomized clinical trial of long-acting oxytetracycline, foot trimming, and flunixine meglumine on time to recovery in sheep with footrot.
BACKGROUND
Internationally, foot trimming is used by most farmers, and parenteral antibacterials by some, to treat sheep with footrot. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are sometimes used. No clinical trials have compared these treatments.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the above treatments on time to recovery from lameness and foot lesions in sheep with footrot.


METHODS
Fifty-three sheep with footrot on a commercial farm in England.


METHODS
In a randomized factorial design, the sheep were allocated to 6 treatment groups. The treatments were oxytetracycline spray to all sheep (positive control) and one or more of parenteral administration of long-acting oxytetracycline, flunixine meglumine, and foot trimming on day 1 or 6 of diagnosis. Follow-up was for 15 days. Time to recovery from lameness and lesions was investigated with discrete-time survival models.


RESULTS
There was significant association (P < .05) between recovery from lameness and lesions. Sheep receiving antibacterials parenterally recovered faster from lameness (odds ratio [OR]: 4.92 [1.20-20.10]) and lesions (OR: 5.11 [1.16-22.4]) than positive controls, whereas sheep foot trimmed on day 1 (lameness-OR: 0.05 [0.005-0.51]; lesions-OR: 0.06 [0.008-0.45]) or day 6 of diagnosis (lameness OR: 0.07 [0.01-0.72]; lesions OR: 0.07 [0.01-04).56]) recovered more slowly than positive controls. NSAID had no significant effect on recovery.


CONCLUSIONS
If foot trimming on day 1 or 6 of diagnosis was stopped and parenteral antibacterials were used, then over 1 million sheep/annum lame with footrot in the United Kingdom would recover more rapidly with benefits to productivity. Globally, this figure would be much higher.
Kaler
J
J
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. j.kaler@warwick.ac.uk
Daniels
S L S
SL
Wright
J L
JL
Green
L E
LE
D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003002:Clonixin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005534:Foot Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D007794:Lameness, Animal / Q000628:therapy; D010118:Oxytetracycline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000628:therapy*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; C014558:flunixin meglumine; D003002:Clonixin; D010118:Oxytetracycline