What to do with dead sheep

mystang89

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It's a morbid question but one that I know needs answering. If I have a sheep die due to illness, what should I do with the sheep? Bury, burn, eat, feed to dogs? What to do with sheep that die from another animal?

Figured I'd ask before this actually happened. Thanks.
 

mystang89

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Is there a reason that you don't eat them if they've been killed by a predator? Is it because of the unknown possibility of contamination and sanitation? Possibility of intestines rupturing etc?
 

Donna R. Raybon

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It is good to have a plan in place. Our county landfill takes livestock and this is what we usually do with cows and goats. Dogs we bury.
If you can get to them in time and know for sure cause of death, then human consumption is an option. We had to put down a lovely yearling doe who had somehow nearly torn her rear leg off. We butchered her, quartered her, and smoked each quarter, pulled meat and put in freezer. Lucky it was not blazing hot weather as that is NO FUN to try and butcher!!!
My dogs are very valuable to me and I would not take a chance on feeding them anything that might hurt them. Anything like clostridium caused illness (blackleg for example) or any mastitis (can be caused by staph, strep, e-coli), or listeriosis, are too dangerous to try to feed. And, if you have doctored animal at all, then you have to worry about residue.

Good idea to have a heavy tarp and a place to put the body in case something happens in really bad weather, like a snow storm, where critters can't get to it and it doesn't draw in scavengers.
 

Southern by choice

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This is a really good question.
First, if death was from illness I always say necropsy. Necropsy done through state lab is usually less expensive and more thorough.
Recently there was a farmer that had several calves die, different ages. Initial symptoms said pneumonia. The farmer was smart though and took one calf in.
The calf did have pneumonia but a very good Vet at the State Lab thought not all the symptoms the farmer had mentioned fit... continued looking.
Rabies.
6 people's lives were probably saved possibly more because of the early diagnosis.

It is just always good to keep in mind.
 

greybeard

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The calf did have pneumonia but a very good Vet at the State Lab thought not all the symptoms the farmer had mentioned fit... continued looking.
Rabies.
That happens fairly frequently with cattle and probably a lot more than is even reported thru necropsy.

One of the reasons many small operators do not have a necropsy done in cattle is the reportable disease thing. Vets and medical personnel doing necropsy and finding an illness that is on the reportable list are required to 'call it in' and some cattlemen--large operations and small, just don't want word out that it happened to one of their animals..:idunno

The list of cattle specific and multi-species diseases that are known to affect or be transmitted by cattle is pretty long and new diseases can be added at any time. The Federal (USDA/APHIS) bovine list:
Foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD)
A020 Vesicular stomatitis (VS)
A040 Rinderpest
A060 Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (Mycoplasma mycoides mycoides) A070 Lumpy skin disease
A080 Rift Valley fever
A090 Bluetongue
N001 Crimean Congo hemorrhagic disease 2001 Akabane (congenital arthrogryposis‐hydranencephalaly syndrome)
B051 Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) B052 Aujesky's disease (Pseudorabies)
B053 Echinococcosis / hydatidosis (Echinococcus granulosus, E. multilocularis)
B055 Heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium)
B057 Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii)
B058 Rabies
B059 Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease ‐ (Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis)
B060 New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax)
B061 Old World screwworm (Chrysomya bezziana)
B101 Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma marginale, A. centrale)
B102 Babesiosis (Babesia bovis, B.bigemina)
B103 Bovine brucellosis (B.abortus)
B152 Caprine and ovine brucellosis (B. melitensis)
B253 Porcine brucellosis (B.suis)
B104 Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter fetus venerealis) B105 Bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis)
N117 Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD)
B108 Enzootic bovine leukosis (BLV)
B109 Hemorrhagic septicemia (Pasteurella multocida, serotypes B/Asian or E/African)
B110 Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV)
B111 Theileriasis (Theileria annulata, T. parva)
B112 Trichomoniasis (Tritrichomonas [Trichomonas] foetus)
B113 Trypanosomiasis (tsetse‐transmitted)(Trypanosoma congolense, T. vivax, T. brucei brucei, T. evansi))
B114 Malignant catarrhal fever (specify wildebeest or sheep form)
B115 Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
N158 Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD)
C613 Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)

Other species have their own list and some states have their own list as well.
 

Southern by choice

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That happens fairly frequently with cattle and probably a lot more than is even reported thru necropsy.

One of the reasons many small operators do not have a necropsy done in cattle is the reportable disease thing. Vets and medical personnel doing necropsy and finding an illness that is on the reportable list are required to 'call it in' and some cattlemen--large operations and small, just don't want word out that it happened to one of their animals..:idunno

The list of cattle specific and multi-species diseases that are known to affect or be transmitted by cattle is pretty long and new diseases can be added at any time. The Federal (USDA/APHIS) bovine list:
Foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD)
A020 Vesicular stomatitis (VS)
A040 Rinderpest
A060 Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (Mycoplasma mycoides mycoides) A070 Lumpy skin disease
A080 Rift Valley fever
A090 Bluetongue
N001 Crimean Congo hemorrhagic disease 2001 Akabane (congenital arthrogryposis‐hydranencephalaly syndrome)
B051 Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) B052 Aujesky's disease (Pseudorabies)
B053 Echinococcosis / hydatidosis (Echinococcus granulosus, E. multilocularis)
B055 Heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium)
B057 Q Fever (Coxiella burnetii)
B058 Rabies
B059 Paratuberculosis (Johne's disease ‐ (Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis)
B060 New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax)
B061 Old World screwworm (Chrysomya bezziana)
B101 Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma marginale, A. centrale)
B102 Babesiosis (Babesia bovis, B.bigemina)
B103 Bovine brucellosis (B.abortus)
B152 Caprine and ovine brucellosis (B. melitensis)
B253 Porcine brucellosis (B.suis)
B104 Bovine genital campylobacteriosis (Campylobacter fetus venerealis) B105 Bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis)
N117 Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD)
B108 Enzootic bovine leukosis (BLV)
B109 Hemorrhagic septicemia (Pasteurella multocida, serotypes B/Asian or E/African)
B110 Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV)
B111 Theileriasis (Theileria annulata, T. parva)
B112 Trichomoniasis (Tritrichomonas [Trichomonas] foetus)
B113 Trypanosomiasis (tsetse‐transmitted)(Trypanosoma congolense, T. vivax, T. brucei brucei, T. evansi))
B114 Malignant catarrhal fever (specify wildebeest or sheep form)
B115 Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
N158 Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD)
C613 Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)

Other species have their own list and some states have their own list as well.

Yes, the list is long and you are right some states will quarantine for some things others will require eradication.
Over the years there have been several cattle farms here that have been quarantined for rabies. It is usually discovered by the Livestock Guardian Donkeys showing signs first.
We had a letter out from the extension services earlier this year, if I remember correctly, recommending farmers discuss with their vets about vaccinating their livestock for rabies.
The threat/risk of rabies is increasing.
 

Sheepshape

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Crikey.....things are very different over here. Each animal has to have two matching number ear tags, one of which is electronic and is scanned when the animal, for example, goes to market. Whenever, and wherever an animal moves, a 'Movement Licence' has to accompany them.....one copy to the buyer, one to the seller and one to the Government. All animals are therefore traceable.

If an animal dies it has to be taken to a recognised incineration facility and a 'Duty of Care' document issued (which includes the animal's ear tag number).We are inspected occasionally and have to be able to account for every animal. Unfortunately incineration costs over £20 per animal (when the sheep at market may only realise £50).Dead animals cannot be left in fields to rot/be eaten by raptors.Failure to comply can lead to a hefty fine and a ban on keeping livestock.

These stringent measures have been introduced after Foot and Mouth and BSE (though the latter was down to feeding infected cow material to other cows!). We now have some of the healthiest and least profitable animals on the planet (and a lessening of many raptors).

Our dog has been known to eat a lamb born 'fresh' dead, but that's about as 'adventurous' as we get with dead stock.
 

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