Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Pizzle Rot
Combine a high-protein diet with the bacterium
Corynebacterium renale,
and
your ram may have trouble with pizzle rot.
C. renale
is a common soilborne
bacterium, making it a regular member of the fl ora that inhabit the skin of the
prepuce, or foreskin, of the ram's penis. Normally,
C. renale
causes no prob-
lems, but when the ram is on a high-protein diet, he passes more urea in his
urine, and bacteria break down the urea into ammonia. The ammonia “burns”
the area, causing ulceration. At the least it's painful for the ram; at the worst,
it causes all kinds of secondary problems, from fl y-strike to death.
Prevention is fairly easy — don't feed a diet that's too high in protein. Below
16 percent protein, rams don't have problems; above 16 percent, they do. So
don't feed rams straight legume hay; feed a grass-legume mixed hay, and don't
feed them high-protein supplements without actually balancing the ration to
keep overall protein at less than 16 percent. Minor cases of pizzle rot can be
treated with an antibiotic ointment. Advanced cases may require antibiotic
injections and/or surgery.
Ulcerative Dermatosis
Ulcerative dermatosis is a form of venereal disease that can be transmitted
from the ram to the ewes. This disease is caused by a virus and is uncommon,
but it can be mistaken for pizzle rot because the early symptoms are similar. It
occurs most often in fall and winter and gets started when an irritant (such as
snow, ice, or a cockle burr) damages the skin and allows the virus to enter. If a
ram develops an infection, he should be isolated. The disease eventually runs
its course, but if the ram introduces it to the ewes, it will circulate through
the fl ock forever.
Ewes can suffer from their own unique set of health problems. This is espe-
cially true during pregnancy and lactation, when their bodies are under tre-
mendous stress.
Abortion
Following are several of the many causes of abortion:
■
Chlamydia
■
Injury
■
Moldy feed
