What are the signs of Johnes disease and how can I tell if my flock has Johnes disease?
This disease is hard to detect. The signs of Johne’s disease are vague and months can pass after infection before they appear. Weight loss in animals with a good appetite may be the only indication as diarrhea is not a common sign in sheep, unlike what is seen in cattle. Infected sheep may appear unthrifty and wool break/poor fleece condition may also be noted. The signs of Johne’s disease can be confused with the clinical indications of other conditions such as parasitism, OPP (ovine progressive pneumonia), CLA (caseous lymphadenitis) or malnutrition. Of course, more than one problem may be occurring – for example, sheep eventually succumbing to Johne’s disease had improved clinically after treatment for parasites. Because of the slowly progressive nature of the infection, signs of Johne’s disease are usually not seen until animals are adults.
