Livestock health
Pulpy kidney in sheep and goats

Revised by Deborah Maxwell and Geoff Knights, DPI&F

Key points

• Pulpy kidney is a common disease affecting young sheep and goats and causes sudden deaths.
• An effective vaccine is available and is strongly recommended in areas where the disease is known to occur.

Introduction

Pulpy kidney (also called enterotoxaemia) is a fatal disease affecting sheep and goats in Queensland. It occurs more frequently in young animals in good seasons.

Cause

Pulpy kidney is caused by the bacteria Clostridium perfringens (welchii) Type D. The bacterium multiplies in the intestines, and produces a toxin that is absorbed into the blood.

These bacteria are normally present in low numbers. However, they multiply rapidly when highly nutritious food is in the intestines and/or when food movement along the intestines slows down or stops temporarily. This results in the production of high levels of toxins that are frequently fatal.

These conditions can occur when lambs are grazing very lush pastures. Those lambs with higher intakes are most susceptible. It also occurs when there has been a sudden introduction of, or an increase in grain in the diet.

The toxins damage blood vessels throughout the body, and death results from damage to vessels in the brain.

Signs

There are three main types of this disease.

With the peracute form (very fast and severe), animals are generally found dead. Signs of staggering, twitching, convulsions and shock may occasionally be seen prior to death. Affected stock usually do not scour and frequently die within two hours.

With the more common acute form (fast and severe), most animals have a thin, green and pasty scour. Occasionally flecks of blood or pieces of gut wall may be found in the scour. Adults can survive for up to 24 hours before dying. They appear dull, stagger and may convulse frequently with a paddling motion of the legs. Affected goats often cry out with pain.

The chronic form (longer-term) of pulpy kidney is rare. It occurs in adult sheep and goats and is associated with bouts of scouring, depression and wasting.

Treatment and prevention

Due to the short course of the disease, treatment is generally not possible or practical. Valuable animals can be treated with intravenous fluids and intravenous antibiotics.

An effective vaccine is available to control the disease. The vaccine is usually in combination, such as 3-in-1 (tetanus, pulpy kidney, cheesy gland), 5-in-1 (tetanus, pulpy kidney, blackleg, black disease, malignant oedema) or 6-in-1 (as for 5-in-1 plus cheesy gland.) A variety of brands are available from stock and station agents. The vaccine is administered by injection under the skin.

As lambs and kids can be affected early in life it is advisable to vaccinate adults prior to lambing or kidding. The young animals will obtain immunity from the mother's colostrum and milk. This protection lasts for about eight weeks.

Animals that have not previously been vaccinated should be given two doses of vaccine one month apart. An annual booster is recommended. It is often advisable to vaccinate goats at six-monthly intervals. Young stock should receive their initial vaccination at marking.

Management practices aimed at reducing digestive upsets will also help control the disease. Restricting access to grain, concentrates, lush feed, molasses and food scraps will all reduce the disease level. Sudden changes to diet should be avoided. Diets high in grain should be supplemented with adequate roughage.

Further information

For further information contact the DPI&F Call Centre on 13 25 23 (Queensland residents) or (07) 3404 6999 (non-Queensland residents) between 8 am and 6 pm weekdays, or e-mail callweb@dpi.qld.gov.au.

This DPI&F Note is also published on the DPI&F's PrimeNotes CD-ROM.

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Information contained in this publication is provided as general advice only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information in this publication is accurate at the time of publication. Readers should ensure that they make appropriate inquiries to determine whether new information is available on the particular subject matter.

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File No: SW0055 . Date created: July 1994 . Reviewed: February 2005