Sheep Coughing: Causes, Pneumonia Signs & When to Call a Vet

Coughing in sheep is a symptom, not a diagnosis. One common cause is bacterial bronchopneumonia, often linked with organisms such as Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida. These bacteria may live in the upper airway without causing trouble, then take advantage when a sheep is stressed by weaning, transport, crowding, poor ventilation, weather swings, or inadequate colostrum intake early in life. Lambs and recently stressed sheep are often hit hardest.

Not every cough means pneumonia. Dusty hay, bedding, feed, or poor barn ventilation can irritate the airways and trigger coughing, especially if several sheep cough during feeding or bedding changes. Mycoplasma and other respiratory infections can also cause milder coughing at first, then set the stage for more serious lung infection. In some cases, upper airway disease such as laryngitis or sinus disease can cause coughing along with noisy breathing or nasal discharge.

Lungworms are another possible cause, though the pattern can vary by parasite species. Some lungworm infections cause moderate to severe coughing and exercise intolerance, while others in sheep may cause fewer obvious lung signs. Less common but important causes include aspiration pneumonia after improper drenching or tube feeding, and chronic diseases such as ovine progressive pneumonia, which tends to affect older sheep and usually causes gradual breathing problems rather than a sudden wet cough.

Because several very different problems can look similar early on, it is safest to focus on the whole picture: age, recent stress, fever, appetite, breathing effort, and whether one sheep or many are affected.

A single mild cough in an otherwise bright sheep may be reasonable to monitor for a short time, especially if there was obvious dust exposure and the cough stops once the environment improves. During monitoring, watch appetite, cud chewing, activity, breathing rate, and whether the sheep stays with the flock. If the cough repeats over several hours or returns the next day, call your vet.

See your vet the same day if your sheep has fever, nasal discharge, reduced appetite, depression, faster breathing, or abdominal effort when breathing. Sheep with pneumonia may stand apart, stop eating well, or breathe faster than the normal resting range of about 16-34 breaths per minute. Lambs deserve extra caution because they can decline faster than adults.

See your vet immediately if you notice open-mouth breathing, extended head and neck posture, blue or gray gums, collapse, severe weakness, froth around the mouth, or a sheep that cannot keep up with the flock. These signs can mean serious pneumonia, airway obstruction, or advanced respiratory distress.

If several sheep are coughing, treat it as a flock issue as well as an individual one. Your vet may want to assess ventilation, stocking density, recent purchases, parasite control, and vaccination history to help limit further cases.

Your vet will start with a hands-on exam and history. That usually includes checking temperature, listening to the lungs, watching breathing effort, and asking about age, recent transport, weaning, weather exposure, drenching, parasite control, and whether other sheep are affected. In sheep with bacterial bronchopneumonia, fever above about 104.9°F (40.5°C) and increased respiratory effort are common findings.

Depending on the case, your vet may recommend a farm call exam only, or add diagnostics such as lung ultrasound, bloodwork, nasal or airway sampling, fecal testing for parasites, or in some settings necropsy of a recently deceased flockmate to guide treatment for the group. Chest radiographs are less common on-farm for adult sheep but may be used in referral settings or valuable individual animals.

Treatment options vary with severity and your goals. Your vet may discuss antimicrobials, anti-inflammatory medication, fluids, nursing support, oxygen in severe cases, and changes to housing or ventilation. If lungworms or another parasite problem are suspected, your vet may recommend targeted deworming rather than guessing.

Just as important, your vet will help build a flock-level plan. That may include reviewing colostrum management, vaccination timing, quarantine of new arrivals, barn airflow, dust control, and how oral treatments are given so aspiration risk stays low.

Home care should support your vet's plan, not replace it. Move the sheep to a clean, dry, well-ventilated area out of drafts and away from dust, moldy hay, and overcrowding. Make sure fresh water is easy to reach, and offer palatable feed so the sheep does not have to compete. If the sheep is weak, keep handling calm and brief because stress can worsen breathing effort.

Count the resting breathing rate when the sheep is quiet, and write it down along with temperature if your vet has shown you how to check it safely. Also track appetite, cud chewing, manure output, nasal discharge, and whether the cough is getting more frequent or wetter. These details help your vet decide whether the current plan is working.

Do not give leftover antibiotics, cattle medications, or oral drenches unless your vet specifically directs you. Improper drenching can lead to aspiration pneumonia, and the wrong medication can delay proper care. If your sheep is coughing while you are trying to give anything by mouth, stop and call your vet.

If several sheep are affected, improve the environment right away while you wait for guidance. Reduce dust, increase fresh-air exchange, avoid mixing age groups if possible, and separate obviously sick animals. Early flock-level changes can make a real difference, especially during pneumonia outbreaks in lambs.