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The welfare status of sheep flocks may be assessed via animal-, resource-, and management-related indicators. The benefits of multiple-choice questionnaires are however impaired by the diversity of sheep breeds and husbandry. From a veterinary flock health management point of view, the presented review describes the influence of environment, climate, supervision as well as additional factors under consideration of legal regulations. The improvement of welfare is a common concern of all players in the field of farm animal husbandry. Based on this, challenges as well as possibilities for improvement exist for legal and administrative institutions as well as pharmaceutical industry., Competing Interests: Die Autoren bestätigen, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

A protocol for the examination of sheep in an entire flock approach is suggested allowing for an acquisition of information prior to the fixation of single sheep. Data and animal based information concerning welfare are assessed and subsequent action determined. The diversity of sheep breeds and husbandry features as well as their impact on parasite management and supervision ought to be taken into account in skilled assessment of flock health and animal welfare., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Infectious causes of lameness in sheep remain of considerable clinical importance. Because of the availability of newly licensed drugs, important changes in therapy options, particularly for ovine footrot, have occurred. This paper provides an overview of common and rarer infectious causes of lameness in sheep, and presents a detailed review of recent advances in research regarding the aetiology, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and control of ovine foot rot. Despite the recent release of several antibiotics licensed for the treatment of footrot in sheep, the use of footbaths following the cascade of regulations remains a crucial part of many integrated treatment and control programmes. The sustainable control of foot rot requires recent advances in science to be put into practice, with tailor-made control programmes for each individual farm. The article presents various treatment options and potential routes of control and eradication., Competing Interests: Die Autoren bestätigen, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Water is an essential source of life and is available to animals as free water, water content of feed, film water (e. g. dew) and metabolic water. The water requirements of small ruminants are influenced by the type of feed, climate, stage of production, type and length of the fleece or hair coat, husbandry factors and the general health of the animal. Differences in water metabolism, drinking behaviour and the efficiency of temperature regulation are further influenced by species, breed, production type, husbandry system, acclimatisation and adaptation. Small ruminants have been, and are still predominantly kept in extensive husbandry systems. They are therefore genetically and phenotypically well adapted to these conditions and possess a range of physiological and behavioural mechanisms to deal with adverse and suboptimal weather conditions. Regarding animal welfare, there is considerable debate in the discussion and assessment of what constitutes a sufficient water supply for small ruminants under different husbandry conditions, often involving differences between theoretical demands and practical experience. This publication reviews and summarises the current literature regarding water requirements, water metabolism and thermoregulatory mechanisms of small ruminants to provide the basis for an informed assessment of extensive husbandry systems in terms of compliance with animal-welfare requirements.

The publication of the "Recommendations of husbandry and welfare of sheep and goats" by the German Small Ruminant Veterinary Association provides guidelines that are also used for assessing animal welfare. The included statements concerning lameness are reviewed according to the available literature and commented on with the help of practical examples. Diagnostic tools, criteria, appropriate measures and target values are discussed to facilitate the application of the guidelines.

Recommendations for the different forms of sheep and goat husbandry based on the legal regulations are summarized. These are given in particular respect to transhumance, tending, alpine farming, and indoor housing. The requirements for pasture, housing, supply of water and food, lambing, rearing of lambs, and health management are intensively discussed. The general requirements of the extensive as well as of the intensive husbandry of sheep and goats are defined. Examples of species-specific capabilities for adaption, the limits of adaption, and signs of decompensation are provided. Compliance with these recommendations should accord the animals entrusted to our care the "five freedoms (13)": 1. Freedom from hunger and thirst, 2. freedom from discomfort, 3. freedom from pain, injury, or disease, 4. freedom to express normal behaviour, and 5. freedom from fear and distress.

Lameness in sheep induced by infectious agents can cause problems regarding animal welfare, diagnosis and treatment. Individual lame animals and lameness caused by systemic disease, but especially flock problems due to infectious causes of lameness, such as foot rot, can for various reasons pose a problem for veterinary treatment. The causes of lameness in sheep are described with a special focus on infectious flock problems, and the different treatment options such as foot trimming, foot baths and local and systemic antibiotic therapy as well as vaccination are discussed based on a review of recent international research. The limited choice of drugs licensed for use in sheep in Germany is highlighted. Treatment, therefore, often requires off-label use or the import of footbathing agents licensed in other European countries. The legal consequences of this lack of nationally licensed veterinary products in dealing with a "minor species" are discussed, with a final call for political solutions that will help improve this unsatisfactory situation.

The second part of the recommendations deals with the healthcare and the regulatory framework for the husbandry of sheep and goats. The suggested concept for healthcare aims to develop an individual health plan for every flock. This health plan focuses not only on the prevention of notifiable diseases, but also on chronic and slow infections as well as on parasite monitoring. The emphasis is on early detection of diseases and prophylaxis. In conjunction with this, the handling of lameness, shearing, animal trade and quarantine as well as cleaning and disinfection in sheep and goat flocks are intensively discussed. There are detailed federal and European legal regulations concerning the transport and the physical well-being of animals. These laws are clearly presented and advice for their practical implementation is provided.

In 2008 and 2009, two consecutive outbreaks of Q fever in humans were recorded in the district of Freudenstadt, northern Black Forrest, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In 2008, a total of 41 persons from a single local community fell ill and were found infected with Coxiella burnetii. Although comprehensive diagnostic and epidemiological outbreak investigations were conducted and control measures taken which included vaccination of ruminants at risk in three parts of the affected community, re-occurrence of the disease in 2009 with further 29 confirmed human Q fever cases could not be prevented. While the origin of infection of the first outbreak was probably a flock of 550 sheep moved in the surrounding of the affected villages, the source of infection for the consecutive outbreak in 2009 could not be identified. It seems possible that meadows contaminated with infectious placenta or birth fluids represented the sources of infection.

Using a high-resolution real-time B-imager, examinations of the thyroid and parathyroid glands of 112 patients revealed small focal lesions (more than 3 mm diameter: thyroid gland, parathyroid gland) as well as diffuse alterations (thyroid gland). The following focal lesions were found: Adenomas of the parathyroid gland (n = 9), haemangiomas of thyroid gland (n = 3), adenomas of thyroid gland (n = 2), metastases into the thyroid gland (n = 7), primary cancer of the thyroid gland or its recurrence (n = 3) and metastases of different cancers in soft tissue of the neck regions (n = 8). A struma nodosa was diagnosed in 15 patients. With regard to diffuse alterations of the thyroid gland, atrophies (n = 6), aplasieas of 1 lobe (n = 2), thyreoiditides (n = 3), and struma diffuse (n = 5). In 49 of 52 cases morphological alterations of the thyroid gland could be excluded, while for the other 3 patients, who had been operated on in the region of the neck, no final evaluation was possible. On comparing these findings with the results of computed tomography and scintigraphy, ultrasound as a screening method showed the highest sensitivity while its specificity could be enlarged by considering the results of scintigraphy. Decision by ultrasound only as to whether a focal lesion was benign or malignant was only possible under certain circumstances. However, a histological diagnosis could not be made by ultrasound.