Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Sheep and Goats: Signs and Control

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, including sheep and goats. In small ruminants the signs are often mild: sudden lameness in several animals, fever, small blisters in the mouth and between the claws, and loss of appetite. Young lambs and kids can die suddenly. Control relies on vaccination campaigns set by your vet and ministry, strict biosecurity and early reporting.

FMD matters to sheep and goat keepers even when their own animals look only slightly ill. Sheep and goats can quietly carry and spread the virus to cattle and other herds, and an outbreak in a region usually brings movement controls and market closures that hit everyone's income.

Why FMD is a problem even when animals look fine

In cattle, FMD is dramatic: drooling, big blisters and a sharp drop in milk. In sheep and goats it is often much quieter. Many infected adults show only a day or two of lameness and dullness, then seem to recover. This is exactly what makes it dangerous:

• It is easy to miss. Lameness gets blamed on stones, foot rot or long hooves.
• It spreads silently. Mildly ill animals are moved, sold or taken to market while infectious.
• It kills the young. In lambs and kids the virus can damage the heart muscle, causing sudden death without obvious mouth or foot lesions.
• It closes markets. FMD is a notifiable disease. Confirmed outbreaks can mean movement restrictions and export bans, sometimes right before the Eid or Tabaski season.

There are several types (serotypes) of the FMD virus, and immunity against one type does not protect fully against another. This is why vaccine programmes are designed regionally by the veterinary authorities, based on the types circulating.

Signs to look for

Signs usually appear a few days after exposure. Check for:

1. Sudden lameness in several animals at once, often in more than one leg. Animals lie down more and are reluctant to walk.
2. Fever and dullness, with reduced appetite.
3. Blisters (vesicles) on the gums, tongue, dental pad and lips. In sheep they are often small and burst quickly, leaving shallow raw areas.
4. Lesions on the feet: blisters or raw areas at the coronary band (where hoof meets skin) and between the claws.
5. Lesions on the teats of lactating females, sometimes leading to mastitis.
6. Sudden deaths in young lambs and kids.
7. Abortion in some pregnant females.

If you see lameness and mouth lesions together in several animals, do not wait. Call the vet. You can compare with the signs of PPR in sheep and goats, which is sometimes confused with FMD.

How FMD spreads

FMD is one of the most contagious animal diseases known. The virus is present in blisters, saliva, milk, breath and droppings of infected animals, sometimes before signs appear. It moves through:

• Live animals: purchases, markets, shared grazing and returning unsold animals.
• Vehicles and equipment: trucks, trailers, feeders and tools moved between farms.
• People: traders, shearers, workers and visitors on boots, clothes and hands.
• Animal products: raw milk, meat and offal from infected animals.
• Air: over short distances, especially between close farms in humid, cool weather.

Mixed farms are at higher risk. Where sheep, goats and cattle share space, sheep and goats can act as a hidden source for cattle.

Prevention: vaccination and biosecurity

Vaccination. FMD vaccines exist and are used in campaigns in many countries, including the Gulf and much of Africa. Because protection depends on matching the virus type and on regular boosters, the programme must follow your local vet and ministry schedule. In practice, many regions vaccinate at intervals of several months, but only your vet can tell you the right timing for your area and which animals to include. Our sheep and goat vaccination schedule shows how FMD fits with the other routine vaccines.

Biosecurity basics:

• Quarantine all new and returning animals for about 3 weeks before mixing.
• Buy from known sources and ask for health and vaccination history.
• Keep a clean zone: footbaths or boot changes at the pen entrance, and no visitor contact with animals unless needed.
• Clean and disinfect trucks and equipment before they enter.
• Do not feed kitchen waste containing meat or raw milk products to animals.

If you suspect FMD on your farm

1. Stop all movements of animals, people and vehicles off the farm.
2. Call your vet right away. FMD must be reported to the veterinary authorities in most countries, and they will guide sampling and control.
3. Isolate affected animals and give them soft feed, clean water and shade so painful mouths and feet can still eat and drink.
4. Watch the young: lambs and kids of affected dams need close observation.
5. Follow official instructions on cleaning, disinfection and when movements can restart.

Do not try to treat the virus yourself or hide the outbreak. Late reporting usually means longer restrictions for you and your neighbours.

Recording FMD vaccinations and cases in practice

FMD control depends on knowing exactly which animals were vaccinated and when the next booster is due. In a herd with several groups, purchases and births every month, gaps appear quickly.

With Throf you record each FMD vaccination per animal or per group, with the vaccine name, batch and date, and set a reminder for the next campaign. Lame or sick animals can be logged as illnesses and moved to isolation status, so the whole team sees them in the app. Every inspection and treatment stays in the animal's health history, ready for the vet's visit or for a buyer who asks for proof.

A practical monthly check:

• List animals with no FMD vaccination recorded (new purchases, young stock that reached vaccination age).
• Confirm the next campaign date with your vet and set the reminder.
• Review any lameness cases from the month and make sure each has a cause noted.

The short version

FMD in sheep and goats can look mild, but it spreads fast, kills young stock and closes markets. Vaccinate on your vet's schedule, quarantine new animals, control people and vehicles, and report suspicion early. Clear records make campaigns easier and protect your selling season.