17 minus 9 is 8. The farmer has 8 sheep left because 9 of them died. Sheep will often fall victim to poisons, infectious diseases, and physical injuries. Sheep are mostly prey, and they are aware of this. A sheep’s system is conditioned to hide noticeable signs of sickness to protect themselves from being targeted by predators.
A couple of the symptoms of poor health include loss of appetite and being lethargic. Throughout history, much of the money and labor of sheep has been focused on preventing sheep illnesses. Shepherds will often create treatments for the sheep through experimentation on the farm. There are a plethora of bacterial and viral diseases that affect sheep.
Diseases of the foot, such as foot rot and foot scald, may ensue. Ovine John’s condition is a wasting disease that affects young sheep. Bluetongue disease is an insect-borne sickness that causes fever and inflammation in the mucous membranes. Ovine rinderpest is a highly communicable and often fatal viral disease affecting sheep and goats.