Author Topic: "special" lamb (Read 2632 times)

bbell · « **on:** February 27, 2015, 06:17:37 pm »

So I had a few bottle lambs dropped off at my place, and everyone seems very healthy and happy...except one.

It is a ram lamb, 1 week old. They are not sure what is wrong with him and were hoping id give him a chance to live but this little guy stumps me

He is obviously blind in at least one eye, i think he can see at least shadows with the other.

He can walk around and is curious as any other lamb and is active

he drinks very well once you get him attached to the bottle but he struggles and kicks and you need to basically hold him down to get the bottle to his mouth. He cannot find the nipple on his own, but will fling his head about trying to suck on anything that he can get in his mouth.

It seems when he is excited he loses control of his movement. His legs go out, he stumbles backwards onto his bum and he shakes his head like crazy. Its like he is having little "fits"

I want to give him a chance to live since he is a very good eater (with assistance)
Any ideas if this is a disease? Or maybe he was just born like this?

His parents were vaccinated with an 8-way and wormed regularly. I do not know what the quality of food or minerals were like how ever

kelly58 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 27, 2015, 06:20:43 pm »

Poor wee man, good luck

Dogwalker · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2015, 07:24:59 pm »

Quote from: bbell on February 27, 2015, 06:17:37 pm

It seems when he is excited he loses control of his movement. His legs go out, he stumbles backwards onto his bum and he shakes his head like crazy. Its like he is having little "fits"

Quote

That rings a bell in the depths of my memory. I nursed a baby who turned out to have cerebral palsy with similar reactions.

It does sound something neurological.
I think the best you can do is treat the symptoms and see how he goes.
Good luck.

moony · « **Reply #3 on:** February 27, 2015, 07:37:34 pm »

We had one similar last year. He also had a slightly bent face. We thought he might have been wither a difficult birth or perhaps he had been clouted while in his mums tummy by one of the horses. It was a strange scenario as he was born at the same time as another. His mother rejected him straight away (an experienced herdwick which normally indicates all is not well) but turned her attention to the other lamb. The other lamb grew up sucking off both mothers and both were content with that arrangement. The lamb in question was nearly 100% blind and used his bottle friend mate as his eyes. Did ok with him around. Never really grew on at all though. Was huge at birth. His mate then died and by himself he was lost, depressed and gave up on life. He wouldn't go near any of the others and they wouldn't go near him. In the end, he kept going in the stream and that is where he died - curled up as if it was suicide! I honestly wished I had knocked him on the head at birth.

Red · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2015, 08:13:54 pm »

Sounds like he could also be deaf which would affect his balance

FiB · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2015, 08:25:04 pm »

Ah moony, that is a sad tale :-(

. To add contrast I have had a couple of daft lambs (one which I was convinced was blind, and another that seemed on a mission to die and the vet was convinced would not live..) both got through and went ' on' . Hopefully he will get the jist of the bottle...