The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: morri2 on August 03, 2011, 09:52:10 pm
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One of my ewes has had a couple of large lumps or swellings on her back for a couple of weeks now. The fleece has come off and the lumps are quite prominent. They actually look like bites as there is a red dot in the middle. She appears OK in every other way though. Today I noticed another ewe with exactly the same problem. We have sprayed with Teramycin to avoid infection, but they don't show any sign of going away. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what they might be? Thanks :wave:
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Hi Caroline, my Beltex x Txl ewe has also two such lumps, but not in her fleece, one on the neck just behind the head and one on her side/belly, just under the fleece line. The second one is raw and she keeps rubbing it. I have sprayed loads of plaster tar spray to get it to heal but no good. She is fine, no flies on it... I also think they are bites - maybe horse flies? they seem to be very bad this year?
She has had these for over four weeks now...
I haven't found anything in my vet books, and she is eating well, seems to be feeding her lambs and doesn't look bothered by it in any way...
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My money is on ticks. If you haven't seen any ticks about, I would ask neighbours and/or your vet if there are ticks about, and if there are tick-borne diseases you should be aware of in your area and whether you should be treating your sheep with something accordingly.
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I know what ticks look like, and these do not look like it. Would Vetrazin (which is what I am using for flystrike prevention) not have killed them off?
Unless this is just the infected leftover (dead) head inside? Maybe that's it.... oh it's too late now for thinking... time for bed!
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I know what ticks look like, and these do not look like it. Would Vetrazin (which is what I am using for flystrike prevention) not have killed them off?
Unless this is just the infected leftover (dead) head inside? Maybe that's it.... oh it's too late now for thinking... time for bed!
Yes, sorry, I meant it sounded to me like it could be the wound left when the tick falls or is knocked or pulled off.
According to NOAH, Vetrazin is effective only on blowflies. Crovect will do ticks as well as blow-flies : but the dosage and method of administration is different.
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Hi! Thanks for the replies. It could be either tick wounds or fly bites by the sounds of things, but I am using Crovect on these ewes so that might point more towards flies. As long as they don't get infected I am hoping they'll just go on their own.
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One other odd possability is a sore from a blackthorn, one of my lambs had one, the little devils love the leaves and the result was a large lump full of yucky stuff, squoze it out , sprayed with footrot spray and it got better, if you have no blackthorn then clearly not that.