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Ovine pleurisy
The pleura is a very thin double membrane: one lines the inside of the rib cage, the other envelops the lung. Between the two, a film of liquid allows them to slide over each other with each breath, without friction. In pleurisy, this membr...
What is it?
The pleura is a very thin double membrane: one lines the inside of the rib cage, the other envelops the lung. Between the two, a film of liquid allows them to slide over each other with each breath, without friction.
In pleurisy, this membrane becomes inflamed. The two layers become rough and rub against each other, or fluid and pus accumulate between them and compress the lung.
The result is twofold: sharp pain with each breathing movement, and a lung that can no longer expand. The animal then breathes quickly and shallowly, because breathing deeply hurts it.
Key point
Pleurisy is a very painful and quickly fatal condition. A sheep that breathes quickly, grunts on exhalation and refuses to move should be seen by a veterinarian the same day. Never attempt to puncture the chest yourself.
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:
Rapid and shallow breathing, very characteristic: the animal multiplies small movements rather than breathing deeply, because the expansion of the thorax is painful.
A brief grunt with each exhalation, sometimes audible a few meters away, a sign of significant pain.
Elbows away from the body and neck extended: the animal seeks the position which opens the rib cage the most.
Refusal to move, animal which remains standing motionless, back arched, which hesitates to lie down or constantly changes position because none provides relief.
Short, held cough, as if repressed: unlike the frank cough of pneumonia, the animal seems to be holding back from coughing because it hurts so much.
Most often high fever, marked depression, total refusal to eat.
Animal that grinds its teeth or moans, a sign of pain in sheep.
Rapid weight loss in forms that drag, with an animal becoming dehydrated because it no longer drinks.
In advanced forms: lying animal that no longer gets up, bluish mucous membranes, respiratory distress.
An important point: pleurisy is often discovered late, because a sheep hardly expresses pain and blends into the flock. An animal that is no longer following, standing still and breathing rapidly, should be examined closely.
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 extension of pneumonia to the surface of the lung: the bacteria cross the last layer of tissue and reach the pleura. This is the most common situation, often in an animal whose pneumonia has not been treated long enough.
Ovine pasteurellosis, which in its thoracic form regularly involves damage to the lung and pleura.
The rupture of a pulmonary abscess in the thorax cavity, which suddenly pours pus into it: the worsening is then brutal.
Aspiration pneumonia after failed drenching or bottle-feeding, with bacteria in the mouth that are particularly aggressive to the pleura.
A penetrating wound in the wall of the thorax: horn blow, dog bite, injury on scrap metal or a stake, accident during an intervention. Any chest wound should be considered serious, even small in appearance.
An infection coming from elsewhere through the blood, from mastitis, metritis or an infected navel in lambs.
In goats, there is also a specific contagious form due to a mycoplasma, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia, which is a regulated disease: if several goats are affected at the same time, the veterinarian must be notified without delay.
Recent respiratory episode in the batch, particularly enzootic pneumonia or pasteurellosis.
Antibiotic treatment interrupted too early during previous pneumonia.
History of difficult drenching, false swallowing or administration of oil by mouth.
Animal with known or suspected lung abscesses.
Chest wounds: buildings with scrap metal, stakes, damaged fences, presence of stray dogs around the herd.
Lambs with navel infection.
Overcrowded and poorly ventilated sheepfolds, dust and ammonia, which cause respiratory diseases.
Cumulative stress: transport, weaning, allocation, sudden change in diet.
Weakened, deficient or already sick animals.
Transmission
Pleurisy itself is not a contagious disease: it is a complication that develops in a given animal.
It is the diseases which precede it which circulate in the herd, in particular respiratory infections transmitted by air and contact.
When several animals develop pleurisy over a short period of time, it is a sign that a contagious respiratory disease is circulating in the herd and the entire flock, not just the sick, should be examined.
In goats, the contagious form due to a mycoplasma is transmitted directly from animal to animal and requires special treatment with the veterinarian.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The veterinarian often recognizes pleurisy by the way the animal breathes, even before the stethoscope: rapid and shallow breathing, grunting when exhaling, refusal to move.
On auscultation, respiratory sounds may be muffled or absent in the lower part of the thorax when there is fluid, or on the contrary replaced by friction sounds at the beginning of the course.
Percussion of the thorax and palpation of the spaces between the ribs trigger a very clear painful reaction: it is an important element of orientation.
A chest ultrasound is the most useful and accessible test: it directly shows the fluid accumulated between the lung and the wall and assesses its quantity.
The veterinarian can take a little of this liquid with a needle, a technical gesture that cannot be improvised. The appearance of the liquid, clear, cloudy or frankly purulent, guides the prognosis, and its analysis makes it possible to identify the bacteria involved and to choose the right antibiotic.
Blood tests assess the severity of the infection and general condition.
Examination of a dead animal confirms the diagnosis and provides information on the origin: abscessed lung, old wound, source of pneumonia.
At the slaughterhouse, adhesions between the lung and the wall of the thorax testify to old pleurisy, cured but which has left traces. Their regular reporting indicates that an uncontrolled respiratory disease is circulating in the farm.
Treatment
This is a veterinary emergency: the earlier treatment is received, the higher the chances of survival.
The treatment combines antibiotic therapy prescribed by the veterinarian, carried out over a long period, and treatment of pain with anti-inflammatory drugs, essential here: an animal which has less pain breathes better, starts drinking and eating again, and has a chance of getting through it.
None of these treatments should be improvised or copied from a previous case. The durations are longer than for simple pneumonia and premature termination leads to an almost certain relapse.
When a large amount of fluid or pus compresses the lung, the veterinarian may evacuate it, possibly by placing a drain and flushing the cavity. This procedure is carried out in aseptic conditions and is the sole responsibility of the veterinarian: any attempt to puncture the thorax by an untrained person can kill the animal immediately.
Supportive care is essential: clean, dry, well-ventilated and dust-free premises, animal isolated in peace, water and palatable food within immediate reach, no unnecessary handling or movement. Never force an animal with pleurisy to walk.
Do not administer any liquid by mouth to an animal in respiratory distress: the risk of aspiration is major and will make everything worse.
Faced with an animal that does not respond, very thin, lying down and in obvious suffering, the question of euthanasia must be asked to the veterinarian. Pleurisy is a very painful condition; letting a dead end situation drag on is neither helpful nor acceptable.
Waiting times for meat and milk are long with this type of treatment and must be requested from the veterinarian before any sale or slaughter.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
Pleurisy is prevented in advance, by avoiding the diseases that lead to it.
Treat pneumonia early and for the duration prescribed, without stopping as soon as the animal appears to be better.
Have animals re-examined if they have not fully recovered from a respiratory episode.
Review the sheepfold: reduce density, ventilate high without drafts on the animals, mulch sufficiently, limit dust and ammonia.
Master the gesture of drenching and bottle-feeding, and never add oil to the bottle.
Remove possible injuries in buildings and on routes: scrap metal, nails, broken stakes, damaged fences, sharp metal sheets. Have any chest wound examined, even small.
Protect the flock from stray dogs, which cause deep bites and penetrating wounds.
Disinfect the navel of lambs at birth.
Discuss with the veterinarian the benefit of vaccination against pasteurellosis in farms that experience repeated serious respiratory episodes.
Quarantine purchased animals, and avoid mixing animals of different origins just before winter.
Use slaughterhouse returns: adhesions reported regularly on the lungs indicate a basic respiratory problem in breeding.
Possible complications
Respiratory failure and death, sometimes within a few hours in brutal forms.
Permanent adhesions between the lung and the wall of the thorax in animals that survive: breathing remains limited and the animal never regains its performance.
Persistent accumulation of pus in the thorax, very difficult to clean.
Extension of the infection to the envelope of the heart or spread through the blood to other organs.
Severe weight loss and dehydration in animals that stop eating and drinking.
Chronic pain condition justifying, in certain cases, a decision to euthanize.
Seizure of the carcass or parts of the carcass at the slaughterhouse.
When to see a veterinarian
An animal is breathing quickly and shallowly, with a grunt on each exhalation: call immediately.
He stands still, elbows apart, neck stretched, and refuses to move.
He grinds his teeth, moans or reacts when his ribs are touched.
He has a fever and completely refuses to eat.
He coughs in a short, restrained manner, as if he is holding back from coughing.
His condition suddenly worsened even though he had been coughing or losing weight for some time: an abscess may have ruptured.
He has a wound on his chest, even a small one: have it examined without delay.
Several animals in the group show serious respiratory signs at the same time: the entire herd must be examined.
An animal is lying down, can no longer get up and is breathing with difficulty: it is a life-threatening emergency.
Prognosis
The prognosis is poor, significantly worse than that of simple pneumonia.
Pleurisy caught very early, in an animal still in good condition, with long treatment, good pain management and, if necessary, drainage carried out by the veterinarian, can progress favorably.
Pleurisy discovered late, with a lot of pus and an animal already emaciated, rarely heals.
Animals that survive often retain adhesions that permanently limit their respiratory capacity: they do not return to their production level and are frequently culled.
At the herd level, the issue lies elsewhere: each case of pleurisy must be read as a signal that a respiratory disease is not under control, and lead to a review of the building, the conduct of treatments and oral administration practices.
Frequently asked questions
How to recognize pleurisy from ordinary pneumonia?
The most telling difference is the pain. In pneumonia, the animal coughs frankly and breathes more quickly. In pleurisy, he breathes quickly but very shallowly, grunts when exhaling, refrains from coughing, refuses to move and reacts when his ribs are touched. Only the veterinarian can confirm, in particular by an ultrasound of the thorax.
My sheep has a small wound on its side, is it really serious?
A chest wound may appear small on the surface and may have penetrated the wall, allowing microbes to enter directly into contact with the lung. It is a classic cause of pleurisy. Have it examined without delay, especially after a horn blow, a dog bite or a collision with scrap metal.
Can we remove the fluid from the chest ourselves to relieve the animal?
No, under no circumstances. Puncturing a thorax requires knowing precisely where to puncture, to what depth and under what aseptic conditions. An attempt made without training can kill the animal immediately or turn a localized infection into a generalized infection. This is a strictly veterinary procedure.
The slaughterhouse informed me of lungs stuck to the wall: is this dangerous for the meat?
These adhesions are the trace of old pleurisy and the inspection service excludes what should be excluded. The real message is elsewhere: they indicate that a respiratory disease is circulating in your farm and is costing your animals growth. This is valuable information to bring back to the veterinarian to review the building and the conduct of treatments.
References
FAO — Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture
WOAH — Organisation mondiale de la santé animale (ex-OIE)
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
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