Author Topic: Lambs eyelids (Read 2094 times)

Derbyshire Hillbilly · « **on:** March 27, 2018, 11:09:34 pm »

Had a few lambs this year with one eye being very runny and a faint squint. Nothing too bad and most are slowly growing out of it but I can't tell if its just "runny eyes" or a turned in eyelid.

Is there anything I could give them for this? Never had it before but I was wondering whether the tup could be the culpret because I've only used him this year.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** March 27, 2018, 11:51:49 pm »

There could certainly be a genetic component, but there could be other factors at play too. Lack of hydration might be one; if you've had as bad a winter as many of us, the ewes may be a little shorter on milk than usual.

If it's minor, which it sounds as though it is, you might find that pinching the eyelid on the newborn lambs is as much as you need to do. Not very hard but just enough to make the eyelid puff slightly - stops it turning in again for a day or two, and things will hopefully have settled down by then.

Womble · « **Reply #2 on:** March 28, 2018, 12:07:23 am »

That sounds like a good trick [member=10673]SallyintNorth[/member] , but do you mean pinch it enough to hurt a little and make it swell? I'd hate to misunderstand an instruction like that!!

We had three last year with turned in eyelashes, one of which quickly became problematic. We fixed him by injecting 0.5ml of betamox just under the skin of the lower eyelid, using a tiny needle. The trick was to have a helper totally immobilise the lamb against their chest first. It still wasn't a job for the faint-hearted though!

We now check eyelids at the same time as we treat navels, to hopefully fix any problems before irritation results.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #3 on:** March 28, 2018, 12:28:20 am »

Yes, you're bruising it slightly, so it will hurt a little. But with such wee young things, you really don't have to pinch very hard to make it swell slightly. They don't cry out.

And yes. the a/b injection is another recommended solution, especially if the eyelashes have scraped the cornea and the eye is, or is at risk of getting infected. Our vet showed us how to do this too, but I have to say I shied away from doing it unless I really had to - needles so close to eyes!

pharnorth · « **Reply #4 on:** March 28, 2018, 08:23:56 am »

With a normal eye lid you can see the thin rim of skin between the lower eye lid and the eye ball. If it is a turned in eye lid then you won't be able to see all or part of it. I had the problem a few years back and I believe it was tup related as it occurred with several that year. Since changing the tup I have only had it once so my (not very scientific surmise) is it is predominantly genetic but there is also a random chance factor

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** March 28, 2018, 10:48:57 am »

I think there is a weak genetic factor. We've occasionally seen it in the past and just grabbed the lamb a couple of times a day and run a piece of clean tissue under the edge of the rim of the eyelid to dry it off. It's generally sorted by the third day. I've not bred from those affected though, which may be why we haven't seen it for years now.

Buttermilk · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2018, 11:51:42 am »

I had one and the vet said not to breed from her. As it was a new ram he also said to cull the ram. He reckons it is nearly always genetic.

shep53 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 28, 2018, 12:34:48 pm »

Genetic , some of your ewes carry the gene and when they breed with a ram which carries the gene then entropia in some form , in my case I have in the past culled any ewes that produce an entropia lamb and certainly any ram , plus sell all lambs from those ewes even if one of a pair seems ok ,not had a case for 5-6yrs . Pinching can work , the injection certainly does or you can get clips that pinch the bottom eyelid . Please don't think its only a very minor thing as lambs can loose an eye