[pgkevet]

My pet sheep have 15 acres of hillside between the four of them 'cos wifey thinks restaining them to just the 10-acre field is cruel. She's nuts of course. We stroll down every evening with a few nuts and pet them except this year they have been less interested in coming down and we missed day before yesterday.

The chap that sheared them for me the last few years has a fatal C but still doing OK and said he was still game to shear this year. He decided to take a long holiday - who wouldn't - and I've been waiting for him to come back.

A few days ago I thought i caught a whiff like flystrike from Twiglet but under her tail etc looked OK. Wifey is hopeless at holding sheep and I have arthritic back problems and not as fit as I used to be so instead of arguing her into helping me shear Twiglet i let it slide.

Yesterday Twiglet was a mess. She actually used the sheep shelter we call Gray's Inn for shade...flies buzzing everywhere so at least there was no argument from wifey. Out came my unused cheapo chinese clippers and we had a go. They actually work very, very well... for half the sheep untill the blade flew off.

Now, if you've never tried to shear a second half of a sheep with kitchen scissors... yes you can do it but it takes time and you end up with very sore fingers; and a cramped back, and stiff knees... but you have no chance of clipping off the maggoty ooze and wet soiled tail wool. I borrowed some clippers from the sheep dealer down the road - and a promise that he'd get a couple of his lads to shear the other pet sheep for me for whiskey in the next few days.

So- Twiglet was sheared, rinsed and sprayed with crovect but still lots of wrigglers about and flies. A few hours later - just before dusk we went to look for her and check over. A very unhappy sheep and some tooth grinding but she was standing and trying to follow the flock. One thing I hate about being retired is no more instant access to a pharmacy of meds. Rumen issues were my worry with all the time it took me to shear her and having her on her sides to do it. teeth grinding is never a good sign.

This am only three sheep came out of the top scrub to start grazing. I took the quadbike up to recover Twiglet's corpse. The grass is waist high, there's some large bracken patches and overhanging hedge and tree row all round. The flock usually sleep at the top under the trees behind the brambles. I searched it all. No sign of twiglet. I started criss-crossing the field looking for the body. It's hopeles with grass that high. I get it mowed once a year but it's too steep for my courage to do it myself and too steep for baling. OH won't let me let it out for grazing (cos she's against meat production, vegan etc).

After a  fruitless hour searching I dropped by Gray's Inn on the offchance - where Twiglet was lying down looking half-decent and wondering what the fuss was about.

She's still a worry and there has to be toxic depression from the wounds and heavy crovect spraying but fingers crossed.

OH just came back froma  visit.. took a bucket of water, some salt and soem nuts. Twiglet only drank the water when it was salted but wouldn't eat the nuts, did eat a hazel leaf. One of the barn cats followed wifey down and went to see Twiglet. That intrigued Twiglet who got up and has stolled off. Twiget quite likes meeting other pets. This daft cat often walks down to see the sheep if wifey goes without me and dog. Silly watching a cat following wifey across two fields and the bridge.

[landroverroy]

Well, I'm sure it's happened to us all - where there's sheep there's maggots.
Anyway, I'm so glad you found Twiglet and she's ok.


I've got a few observations to make though, about maggot treatment and use of Crovect (Permethrin)
Like you've mentioned, heavy and repeated use of Crovect on wounds can cause depression - after all it is a nerve poison. I've found however, that after the initial application to kill the maggots, you can dilute the Crovect up to 10 x and it still prevents further fly strike and kills off any maggots you might have missed. In fact, if you don't have shears or kitchen scissors with you and discover a case of fly strike, then you can apply the diluted crovect over as much of the animal that's affected (and then some). Even without removing the wool it is really effective and you will find that in a short time all the maggots are dead. The advantage of using the diluted stuff is that in the case of extensive maggot attack you are not having to apply large amounts of undiluted permethrin and risk poisoning the sheep as well. But this dilution still kills the maggots and the sheep seems to perk up a lot sooner. 
I usually dilute with diesel as I think the smell probably deters further fly attack. At first I was worried that this might irritate the damaged skin but it doesn't appear to, and like I say the animals are up and looking better in a matter of minutes as the maggots stop moving and die off. You can also dilute with liquid paraffin which I find equally effective, or probably cooking oil or similar. I find that using an oil, as opposed to water means it sticks to the fleece better and also helps keep the damaged skin flexible.


By the way, some years ago I mentioned diluting the Crovect with diesel and how effective it was. I was slagged off by someone who considered that the residual diesel in the fleece was putting the shearer at risk. I would consider that coming into contact with the undiluted nerve poison, ie Crovect, applied in some cases in copious amounts, could constitute a much greater hazard.

[pgkevet]

Professionally (or retired professional) I don't think I'd be comfortable recommending diesel althpugh there's obviously some spirit/alcohol base to the crovect. It's cypermethrin so related to but not permethrin and i have no idea re relative toxicities betwen the two. I was never a large animal vet so haven't had need to look into it in the past.
I'd speculate it penetrates the skin fat layer and since  heavy use is toxic it obviously goes systemic to a degree.. albeit again I don;t know if that's at a level to have an all-over antiparasite action. Again note that there are spot on SA permethrin products supposedly having overall flea control effects... but again sometimes that's cos it gets groomed around the body.
It may well dissolve into a fat base like liquid paraffin but whether it then locks away from being as effective.. don't know. I'd be more inclined to guess at using surgical spirit as a base if I had to - or propylene glycol.
In this case initial application ovet the affceted areas was by misting everywhere..so spread pretty thin while grooming and cleaning off the obvious wrigglers and sponging her off.. then I sprayed her using the t-bar and went to about double book dose in all - as in pushing it but not going silly.

Just now Twiglet is reported still skulking in Grays Inn but drank some more sugar/salty water, ate a very few nuts and some more hazel - got up for a walk about and then went back. With the breezier day there's no flies on her so I'm hopeful.

The other point was re the cheapo chinese clippers..apart from the blade coming off which was probbaly my not checkng the screws/tension they did work very very well for £60 plus an inverter on the car battery.

[kanisha]

Jab with ivomec - Not had a problem with flystrike can't get crovect  or other such pour on. if its good  (bad) for nose bots its got to be effective against flystrike albeit it not  instant.

[pgkevet]

While the avermectins certainly work for a lot of skin parasites and likely would kill the maggots it'd be slower and wouldn't keep the flies away - they'd be all overt the stinky mess and tissue ooze laying more eggs I'd expect.  Twiggy's lesions are drying nicely and no more live maggots - just a depressed sheep though she did nibble a bit more hazel for me just now.

[Marti615]

I am sorry about what happened to your sheep. I think this post is very disrespectful to your wife. You could have told this story without insulting her several times.

[kanisha]

While the avermectins certainly work for a lot of skin parasites and likely would kill the maggots it'd be slower and wouldn't keep the flies away - they'd be all overt the stinky mess and tissue ooze laying more eggs I'd expect.  Twiggy's lesions are drying nicely and no more live maggots - just a depressed sheep though she did nibble a bit more hazel for me just now.

You had already treated her with crovect which would work as a repellant,  treatment with an avermectin would avod risking toxic depression and  continue to mop up any stragglers. Just a thought. 

[Penninehillbilly]

I am sorry about what happened to your sheep. I think this post is very disrespectful to your wife. You could have told this story without insulting her several times.

Ive just reread the post looking for the insults ??
Apart from the first paragraph which I take it is gentle fun.

[pgkevet]

 

I am sorry about what happened to your sheep. I think this post is very disrespectful to your wife. You could have told this story without insulting her several times.

Wow! There's something wrong with a modern society that needs to find fault, insult and criticism at every opportunity, however slight. My wife is perfectly capable of standing up for herself should she need to. Oh, and it so happens that today is our 41st wedding anniversay - we think. For sure it was either the 5th or the 15th and since we both forgot the 5th we decided to assume it was today.

[Marti615]

I observed that you wrote in a disrespectful manner to your wife three times in a post. I didn't say you didn't love her or that you don't have a solid marriage.

I wish you the best with all your endeavors--with sheep and in your own health. I hold no malice toward you. You feel I am insulting or criticising you because I saw that you were disrespectful toward a woman you call "wifey". Perhaps instead you should consider the manner in which you refer to your wife and how it may come across.

We are generations apart.

[Penninehillbilly]

I get called 'the wife', I'd much prefer wifey, 

[zwartbles]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

[pgkevet]

PC gone mad. I assume that I can no longer take my doggy for walkies either?

I had assumed that referring to 'the missus, the old ball and chain, 'er indoors, the gender that eats forbidden fruit, she that must be obeyed, the diminuative half' as 'crazy' for insisting my 4 sheep had the whole 15 acres was the 'insult'. Wifey? What's wrong with 'wifey' or are wives no longer allowed to be wife-like?

Is 'hubby' also banned?

Anyhoo... Let's forget the world gone mad and get back to the story:

Last night Twiglet made her way up the hill and rejoined the flock and this am I can see her with the other three. They've all come out of their night nesting spot and are a third down the hill as a group. I'll go up shortly and check if she's grazing properly and the tooth grinding has totally stopped.

I do need to herd them into the other field so i can pen them to get the rest sheared but Twiget needs to be fully recovered before I start stressing them with a quad-bike chase over the hillside.

[Marti615]

When I have time later today, I will go through the original post and try to show you where your wife was being demeaned and insulted. It isn't PC gone mad at all. You've been thoughtless and insulting to women generally, in my opinion and I am pointing it out, as it seemed gratuitous and unkind.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

We had 2 which got flystruck badly this year. Sadly both died, although we tried the best we could to let them live. One of them had suffered badly from a terrible birth and I don't think she healed properly from that, as she was always weak and then she got flystruck and I got rid of them all and made sure she wouldn't get it again, but you know blowfly once a sick sheep always back to it. Anyway they got her again and I got them all off again but the sheep was rather weak. I tried to nurse her back to health but sadly she passed away, I was so upset. The other one was an older ewe, tbh they never did any damage, we sheared her rear and put on engine oil mixed with citronella, she never got them again but she died a week or 2 later, for no apparent reason. Age I expect or bad weather. I guess though these things happen and you can only do the best you do. I do hope that twiglet makes it, you have done an excellent job with her. Can I just say though some things you could try? Cleavers chopped into grass and some chopped nettle leaves, very good blood cleansers/purifiers, can help fight infection. Also plenty of warm honey and water with some cider vinegar in, as electrolytes, to keep her hydrated. Maybe also some molasses and honey, for energy. Hope this helps and sorry for the long post