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Sheep laminitis
Laminitis is an inflammation of the living tissue inside the foot that connects the bone to the horn. This fabric acts as a suspension system: it supports the entire weight of the animal. When it ignites, it swells into a rigid space that c...
What is it?
Laminitis is an inflammation of the living tissue inside the foot that connects the bone to the horn. This fabric acts as a suspension system: it supports the entire weight of the animal.
When it ignites, it swells into a rigid space that cannot expand. The pain is intense and diffuse, and the bone eventually sinks and tips inside the hoof.
What distinguishes laminitis from all other sheep lameness is that it affects several feet at the same time, often all four. The animal does not have a sick leg, it hurts everywhere. He refuses to walk, moves as if on eggshells, kneels to eat, keeps his back rounded, and goes to bed as soon as he can.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
Lameness that affects several feet at the same time, often all four, which is very different from other lamenesses.
Stiff and cautious gait, animal that walks on eggshells, hesitates to move forward, moves slowly on hard surfaces.
Animal which refuses to move, which allows itself to be pushed rather than walking, which remains lying down much longer than the others.
Animal that eats on its knees, on the carpals of the forelimbs.
Arched back, frozen position, legs brought under the body or on the contrary stretched forward to relieve the support.
Feet warm to the touch when compared to a healthy animal, with a noticeable throbbing just above the hoof.
Sharp pain when pressed on the sole.
Refusal to follow the herd, rapid weight loss, drop in milk production in females.
In old forms: long, wide and upturned hooves, streaked with horizontal rings, flat or convex sole, permanently lame animal.
Often at the same time, the signs of the cause: diarrhea and swollen belly in case of cereal overload, hot udder in case of mastitis, smelly discharge after giving birth.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
The most common cause is rumen acidosis, caused by a ration too rich in cereals or concentrate, a too rapid feed transition, or accidental access to a stock of grain. Acidosis releases substances into the bloodstream that disrupt circulation in the foot.
Any severe infection with the passage of toxins into the blood can produce the same result: severe mastitis, infection of the uterus after giving birth, retained placenta, pneumonia, generalized infection.
Intensive lamb finishing and preparation of animals for sale or for Eid, with very rich rations distributed quickly, are classic situations.
The lack of long fiber in the ration prevents the rumen from functioning normally, even when the quantity of concentrate seems reasonable.
Hard floors, concrete, long periods of standing on hard surfaces aggravate the lesions once the inflammation has set in.
Animals that are too fat and animals that grow quickly are more exposed.
Old laminitis predisposes to the following: the foot never becomes completely normal again.
Rations rich in cereals and concentrate, particularly during lamb finishing and pre-sale preparations.
Rapid dietary transitions, change of food, new harvest, sudden transition from pasture to sheepfold.
Dispensing the concentrate in a single meal, or self-service without transition.
Lack of long fibers, fodder chopped too finely.
Accidental access to a silo or bag of grain.
Severe mastitis, uterine infections, retained placenta, any significant febrile illness.
Hard concrete floors, lack of comfortable sleeping area.
Animals that are too fat, rams in preparation, ewes at the end of gestation.
History of laminitis in the herd.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The veterinarian begins by noting the multiple nature of the attack: several feet affected, animal which has pain everywhere, which distinguishes laminitis from scald, foot rot, abscess and digital dermatitis.
He examines the feet, assesses their warmth, the pain when pressed on the sole and the beating above the hoof.
He systematically looks for the cause elsewhere than in the foot: examination of the rumen, the udder, the genital tract, temperature measurement, and above all detailed analysis of the ration actually distributed.
He examines several animals from the group: laminitis is rarely isolated when the cause is dietary.
Blood tests assess the general condition and the existence of an infection.
In older forms, examination of the hooves shows the characteristic rings and deformities, which tell the story of past seizures.
He rules out other causes of generalized stiffness: rickets in young people, selenium deficiency, multiple arthritis, nervous diseases, intoxication.
Treatment
Treatment of laminitis begins with treating its cause: correcting the diet, treating mastitis, treating uterine infection. Without it, everything else is useless.
The ration must be reviewed immediately for the entire batch: reduce the concentrate, reintroduce long fibers, gradually return to a balance. The veterinarian or feeding advisor establishes the plan.
An anti-inflammatory, on prescription, relieves pain and limits damage to the tissue of the foot. It is all the more useful the earlier it is given.
Sleeping comfort is a treatment in its own right: deep, dry litter, removal of hard surfaces, small enclosure, water and food within immediate reach so that the animal does not have to walk.
A gentle and corrective trimming can be carried out by the veterinarian to rebalance the support, but an aggressive trimming on a painful foot makes everything worse: it cannot be improvised.
Older forms, with deformed hooves, require regular maintenance trimming, carried out by a trained person, to keep the animal in walking condition.
An animal that remains painful despite treatment, with permanently deformed feet, must be culled rather than continue to suffer.
The waiting times for the products used must be requested from the veterinarian, in particular for an animal intended for slaughter.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Make all dietary transitions gradually, over several days, particularly when switching to a rich ration.
Ensure a sufficient proportion of long fibers in the ration: forage is not an adjustment variable, it is what allows the rumen to function.
Distribute the concentrate in several meals rather than all at once, and ensure that all animals eat at the same time without crowding.
Prevent any accidental access to cereal stocks: silo doors and closed bags.
Monitor finishing animals and those prepared for sale or for Eid: this is the most risky time of the year.
Promptly treat mastitis, uterine infections and febrile illnesses, which are common triggers.
Provide a comfortable sleeping area and avoid prolonged parking on concrete.
Trim the feet regularly and reasonably, especially in animals that have already had a seizure.
React from the first multiple lameness in a group: this is an alarm signal on the ration, not an isolated foot problem.
Possible complications
Permanent deformation of the hooves, elongated and turned up, with permanent lameness.
Rocking and sinking of the bone into the hoof, irreversible.
Recurrences with each new dietary error, increasingly easy to trigger.
Weight loss, loss of body condition, drop in fertility and lactation.
Animals lying down permanently, with bedsores and complications of immobility.
Abscesses and secondary infections of the weakened foot.
Early culling of valuable animals, particularly rams in full career.
When to see a veterinarian
Several feet of the same animal are painful, or several animals in the group walk stiffly at the same time.
A sheep refuses to move, walks on eggshells or eats on its knees.
His feet are hot and painful when pressed.
Lameness appears after a change of food, finishing or accidental access to cereals: tell the veterinarian, this is vital information.
A ewe limps shortly after a difficult birth or mastitis.
Hooves are deformed, lengthened and curled up: the crisis is already old, we must act on the substance.
An animal remains lying down and refuses to get up: consult without delay.
Prognosis
Good when the attack is caught early, the cause is corrected and the animal is relieved: the pain disappears in a few days and the foot rebuilds itself.
Reserved for repeated forms, where the foot retains after-effects and where each new attack occurs more easily.
Bad in old forms with deformed hooves and tilted bones: the animal remains lame for life and will have to be culled.
At the herd level, the prognosis is excellent as soon as the ration is corrected: it is an eating disorder, and it disappears with it.
Frequently asked questions
My finishing lambs walk stiff, is it a foot problem?
Not in the usual sense. A lameness that affects several feet and several animals in a finishing batch firstly directs towards the ration: too much concentrate, not enough fiber, too rapid transition. The foot is only where the pain is seen; the cause is in the rumen. Have the ration reviewed at the same time as the animals.
Why is my ewe lame after having mastitis?
Because a severe infection releases substances into the bloodstream that disrupt circulation in the foot. This is the same mechanism as after an infection of the uterus or an overload of cereals. Treating the foot alone will not be enough: it is the general cause that must be taken care of.
Can trimming cure laminitis?
No. Gentle, corrective trimming helps rebalance weightbearing and provide relief, but it does not treat the cause, and aggressive trimming on an inflamed foot makes the pain worse. The real treatment is correction of the diet or the infection, combined with an anti-inflammatory and a good litter box.
Can my ram's deformed hooves return to normal?
Not completely. Once the bone has tilted and the horn grows crooked, the deformity remains. Regular maintenance trimmings keep the animal in walking condition, but a ram that is in constant pain and can no longer breed should be culled rather than continuing like this.
References
FAO — Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
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