Western Canadian Flock Health Program
The Concept
Animals that are unhealthy raise fewer lambs and simply cost more to have on the farm. By being “intensive” about animal health, producers will put more money into their bank accounts instead of into problem animals.
This program promotes standardized health practices that are practical and that work.
The Process
The program was developed by the Alberta Sheep & Wool Commission in partnership with industry stakeholders including: purebred producers, commercial producers, a feedlot, veterinarians, government researchers, and a food processor.
The goals of the program are to:
- meet producers’ needs (i.e. reduce losses related to health problems)
- be voluntary and simple to use
To be properly registered and certified on the program, the current guidelines must be followed.
. The Western Canadian Flock Health Program is also an excellent information source to assist the producer in making animal health decisions for their flock, regardless of whether or not the producer is registered on the program.
- The program can be downloaded free of charge.
- The program binder is available from the office (cost $10 + shipping and GST).
Sheep Health Information and Resources
The Alberta Sheep & Wool Commission provides information resources to assist producers in making basic health and management decisions for their flock. We recommend that each producer maintains a Veterinary Client Relationship and establishes management protocol.
For more information on specific diseases, please contact your veterinarian or see the Western Canadian Flock Health Program binder contents.
Biosecurity in Alberta
"Biosecurity" refers to those precautions taken to reduce the risk of introducing livestock diseases to a farm or region where they do not already exist.
Alberta's agri-food industry is constantly improving biosecurity practices to prevent incidental spread of disease among livestock.
The Alberta Sheep & Wool Commission is representing the Alberta sheep industry at consultation meetings with the Alberta government and other commodity groups.
For more information please visit the Biosecurity in Alberta website.
Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC)
The Canadian Animal Health Coalition was formed in 2002 from an informal coalition of organizations with an interest in animal health issues in Canadian livestock. Since that time, the organization has flourished as a project based organization addressing issues of concern to industry and government through projects funded by industry and government.
The Canadian Sheep Federation is a member of CAHC, representing the Canadian sheep industry at meetings.
For more information please visit the Canadian Animal Health Coalition website.
Alberta Voluntary Scrapie Surveillance Program
Scrapie is a naturally occurring disease of sheep, goats and mouflon, which belongs to the family of diseases called Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). Scrapie was first reported in sheep in Canada in 1938 and was made a federally reportable disease in 1945 (Health of Animals Act and its Regulations). The prevalence of scrapie in Alberta’s sheep and goat populations is likely extremely low, but is unknown.
Scrapie is believed to be caused by an infectious protein called a prion, which is an abnormally shaped protein. If normal proteins come into contact with ‘dangerously’ shaped prions, they are converted to the dangerous shape, and sickness and infection occur. The clinical signs of scrapie include irritation, changes in behavior, posture and movement, weight loss and eventually death. Scrapie is spread through fluid and tissue from the placentas of infected sheep. It can be passed from a female sheep to her lambs at birth. Changes in the prion protein gene may determine whether an animal is likely to develop the disease when exposed to it. This gives the possibility of breeding for resistance to scrapie in a sheep flock, although resistance may actually be just a delay in the onset of the disease.
Unlike BSE, there is no scientific evidence to indicate that scrapie poses a risk to human health. However, any animal with scrapie or exposed to the disease must be kept out of the food chain.
For more information on the Canadian and Alberta scrapie surveillance programs, or to download the submission forms, please see the Industry Programs section of this website.
Johne’s Disease
Johne’s disease is a chronic, progressive, and debilitating disease of ruminants including cattle, sheep, goats, elk, deer and bison. The disease primarily affects the intestinal tract but the causative organism can be found in many tissues in the body.
Because of the slow progressive nature of this disease, sheep may be infected for years before they show any signs of the disease. When symptoms do occur, they are characterized by diarrhea and weight loss despite a relatively good appetite. Currently, there is no cure or vaccination for Johne’s disease and once an animal develops clinical signs of it, the animal will eventually die.
Some animals will never show clinical signs in their normal productive lifetimes. Despite never observing a clinical case of Johne's in your herd, the disease may still be present in a subclinical form.
Due to the long incubation period, the disease should be considered a flock problem as well as an individual animal problem.
Johne’s can be controlled and essentially eliminated from the farm or ranch by utilizing testing and critical management practices that are based on limiting contact with infected manure.
It is important to remember that any control program may take five years or more to succeed, and then will need to be followed by a comprehensive prevention program.
For more information about Johne’s please contact your veterinarian, or visit the Food Safety/ Disease Surveillance & Research section of the Alberta Agriculture & Food website.
Footrot in Sheep
Sheep footrot is a very contagious disease that affects the toes and hooves of sheep. Its treatment is very time consuming. For more information on sheep footrot, please download our informative brochure, or request a copy from the office.
ASWC Footrot Brochure (269 kb)
Prevention is better than cure…..
Footvax is a vaccine (preventative) for foot rot, which is currently unavailable in Canada. However, veterinarians can obtain Footvax for a specific producer, by requesting importation of the product through CFIA. Veterinarians are not able to hold stock of this vaccine, and each request is considered independently.
The procedures for obtaining Footvax are:
- Contact your veterinarian
- Have veterinarian check the availability of the vaccine with the marketing manager, Paul Ray, at Schering-Plough Animal Health 1-800 605-2584 ext 7486. They will then send out an information package, which must be followed exactly, in order to import the vaccine.
Information about importing this and other vaccines is available on the CFIA website http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/vetbio/fore.shtml. There is a cost associated with application, and there can be delays in receiving the vaccine, so ensure that your veterinarian requests Footvax before your entire flock is affected.
Sheep Health Fact Sheets
The Alberta Sheep and Wool Commission has sheep health related fact sheets available. Copies can be requested from the office, or downloaded here.
- The Impact of Dog Tapeworms on Your Sheep
- Mastitis in Ewes
- Malignant Catarrhal Fever in Bison and Sheep
For more information about specific sheep diseases, please see the relevant section of the Western Canadian Flock Health Program.
