Treatment of ovine footrot with zinc sulfate/sodium lauryl sulfate footbaths

Seven groups of sheep, with a total of 365 animals were used to determine the efficacy of treating ovine footrot by footbathing in aqueous zinc sulfate solution (20% w/v) or aqueous zinc sulfate solution (20% w/v) with added sodium lauryl sulfate (2% w/v). The average percentage of cured ovine feet in all trial groups ranged from 86, 11 to 96.61% of the number of affected feet. The cure rates were 94.71% for sheep that were foothathed in 20% zinc sulfate solution, and 96.61% for those footbathed in 20% zinc sulfate solution with added 2% sodium lauryl sulfate, when treatment was for 10 minutes every day for 14 days. When 45 minute footbathings, given three times at intervals of 4 days were examined, the cure rates were 91.27% for sheep treated in 20% zinc sulfate solution, and 92.85% for those footbathed in 20% zinc sulfate solution with 2% sodium lauryl sulfate. Treatment of sheep, involving 30 minute footbathings with 20% zinc sulfate solution, four times, intervals of 3 days, resulted in 88.64% cures. Fully healed feet were obtained in 86. 11% of sheep stood for 1 hour in a footbath containing 20% zinc sulfate solution with 2% sodium lauryl sulfate, and the treatment was repeated after 5 days. Surgical treatment did not have any significant effect on the percentage of cured feet compared with routine horn paring in the affected hooves. In cured sheep no reinfection was recorded for the next 30 days after therapy termination. The results obtained for curing affected sheep as well as the coparative advantages over other therapeutic agents, suggest that zinc sulfate and zinc sulfate with sodium lauryl sulfate are the means of choice for treating ovine footrot.