Sheep on reserve being treated for skin condition
18 animals being treated for mites that cause painful skin condition
Eighteen bighorn sheep have been quarantined in a specially built pen on the Penticton Indian reserve while undergoing treatment for mites.
The mites are responsible for a painful skin condition known as Psoroptic mange.
“The sheep are being treated with LongRange cattle injection normally used in treating parasites in cow herds,” project leader Adam Hering said in a press release.
“By quarantining the sheep, treatment schedules and medical evaluations can be maintained without adding stress to the herd and potentially affecting the ability to heal.”
Hering is a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan, which has teamed up on the project with the Penticton Indian Band Natural Resources Department and B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
The agencies are being assisted by volunteers from the Penticton Indian band who helped build the pen, donated food, and have agreed to look after the sheep.
The enclosure is spread over five acres of land and surrounded by a 2.4-metre-tall fence to keep the sheep separate from their herd.
According to a fact sheet on Psoroptic mange produced by the B.C. Environment Ministry, the condition was only recently diagnosed and attributed to mites that carry the disease and live in the ears — and on the bodies — of sheep.
“In some locations and in some animals a severe disease occurs where animals develop heavy crusts in and around their ears and over their bodies, lose hair and body condition and may die,” the fact sheet explains.
“The disease is considered an animal welfare issue due to the intense pain and irritation cause by the mites.”