Dog Worrying
As a vet working with both farm and small animals in the local practise, it is this time of year that we see a huge increase in losses on farms due to sheep worrying from irresponsible dog owners.
Currently, farmers are either welcoming new lambs and calves; or sheep and cows are heavily pregnant. It can therefore be extremely damaging if dogs become loose in a field of livestock. Every year we see lambs only a few days old who have been attacked by dogs in fields and unfortunately, their injuries are often to severe to be saved. An average 1 week old lamb could die from losing just 40-50ml of blood.
However it is not just young lambs who can suffer from dog attacks. Sheep can too, of course, be attacked and wounded by dogs, however even if the sheep escapes without physical damage, their bodies are very often stressed to the point that they abort the lambs they were carrying. These losses are very difficult for farmers who have not only lost income through the lambs they do not gain from the sheep but also may spend further money trying to diagnose the cause of the abortion, which, in the case of dog worrying, cannot be picked up using lab testing.
Losses this time of year can be incredibly damaging to farmers financially, but more than that it can damage their mental health too, as these animals have been raised on-farm from birth, and often means a great deal to the farmer and their family. The legislation clearly states that dog worrying (chasing, attacking or being at large in a field where there are sheep) is an offence which may be prosecuted and farmers have the right to shoot dogs worrying their livestock where attempts to distract the dog have failed.
Clearly, it is important, therefore, for both farmers and dog owners that dogs are not allowed loose into fields of sheep and lambs, and instead kept under control on a lead so we may all enjoy the beautiful countryside we live in.
