@thewildlifevettx: I got called out to treat this mature urial ram because he was limping and had severely overgrown hooves. Urial are wild sheep native to central and southwestern Asia, where they inhabit rocky hillsides, mountains, and open grasslands. They are known for their impressive, sweeping horns and are among the ancestors of many domestic sheep breeds. This ram and the rest of his herd normally free-range on the ranch, but fortunately we were able to gather them into a small pen so I could safely dart him and perform a thorough examination. Once he was sedated, I discovered that all four feet were overgrown, with the front two being by far the worst. People sometimes ask, “How does something like this happen?” or “Why would someone let them get this bad?” One thing that’s important to understand is that these are wild animals. No one “lets” these problems happen. Unlike cattle or horses, they aren’t routinely handled, and treating them safely requires specialized equipment, immobilization protocols, and experience. There are only a handful of veterinarians in Texas who know how to work with wildlife like this. After trimming all four feet, I found the biggest problem wasn’t just the overgrown toes. The excessive growth had changed how he was bearing weight, causing the heels to crack and become painful. I removed as much excess hoof as I safely could, but eventually I reached sensitive, living tissue that had also become overgrown. Trying to correct everything in one visit would have risked making him sore, so this is going to be a staged correction. The plan is to recheck him in about two months, see how he’s progressing, and continue trimming the hooves back toward a more normal shape. #TheWildlifeVet #DrSamWilkinson #Veterinarian #Urial #ExoticWildlifeVet

The Wildlife Vet

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Thursday 06 August 2026 02:31:30 GMT