The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Rosemary on December 17, 2011, 03:57:16 pm
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Our wether, Dickie, has eaten some rhodedendron leaves. He's very ill and the vet says he's a 50/50 chance of pulling through. He's a wee sweetheart and was one of my first lambs. :'(
Please keep your fingers crossed for him.
The terrible thing is I KNOW rhodedendron is poisonous but there was a plant in an old sink - I never even clocked it it's been there so long.
The vet said try kaolin and morphine but our pharmacy don't make it any more, so we're trying to get activated charcoal. The vet's on his way - he's going to give vitamins, steroids and charcoal more in hope than expectation - his words not mine.
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Try this website - http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/antidotes.shtml (http://www.goatworld.com/health/plants/antidotes.shtml)
Irene's Recipe for Rhododendron Poisoning.
Ingredients:
15 mls Renco (rennet)
15 mls Mylanta (milk of magnesia)
5 mls brandy
Mix all together
This is the adult dose!
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Oh no Rosemary, really sorry to hear this. WIll keep everything crossed for you :(
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Fingers crossed for Dickie :hshoe:
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Have everything crossed for poor Dickie, fingers and toes.
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the best of luck to you guys.
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I hope he pulls through :hshoe:
We had two biddies who ate laurel which is similar - one died, one survived :sheep: :sheep: The laurel has since been pulverised :thumbsup:
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Very sorry to hear this news.....
Need to make him regurgitat/vomit as much rumen content as poss then charcoal and coffee...v strong can help good luck....
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Oh Rosemary, so sorry to hear this news. :bouquet: Crossing all my fingers and toes for Dickie :-* :sheep:
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Vet's been. Dickie has had pen & strep, vitamin injection, steroid injection, energy drench and activated charcoal (twice 'cos I gave him some earlier). Vet's left stuff called "Birp" (truly) in case Dickie bloats.
Vet says that it all comes down to the amount of poison he's eaten relative to his size - so on the plus side, he's eaten about six smallish leaves and he's quite a big, adult sheep. He was also fighting the vet, which is good. He was also burping and seemed to be swallowing better. He was foaming at the mouth earlier - hypersalivation. It's not that they actually salivate any more than usual but the poison stops the gut and the oesophagus closes so they can't swallow. Now he seems to be swallowing.
The next 24 hours are crucial. I've to give him more charcoal before bedtime and again in the morning. If he doesn't eat, he's to have more of the energy drench - it's standard stuff used for twin lamb disease. I'll be picking ivy leaves and breaking out the oatcakes in the morning.
Keep everything crossed for my boy - and thanks for all your good wishes.
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Boots still do Kaolin and morphine, but as far as I know no other chemist sells it anymore.
Hope he gets through.
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Bit late with this advice but however for others - sheep will not normally eat rhodedendron however when theres a frost it apparently makes the leaves especially sweet and palatable, the next thing you know you have sheep dropping down foaming not good -hope all goes well!
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He's just had another dose of charcoal and a cuddle. I think he'd rather just have had the cuddle ::)
He's not bloated and he's not dribbling as much so we'll see how he is in the morning.
I've passed on your good wishes - means a lot :)
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Bet you're out to check him a couple of times too - an extra cuddle from me if you do, and one for you too, I'm sure you need it. :love:
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In our thought wishing you and Dickie all the luck needed to pull him through safely and more. Glad to hear he is no worse tonight :wave:
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Fingers crossed for a good night for you all. {{{hugs}}} Sally x
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Went out to check him this morning - you know the scenario - pushing the door open quietly, looking through your fingers and expecting the worst...
And he's fine :thumbsup:
He was lying down; got up when I offered him and oatcake, had a stretch, another oatcake or two. No slavering, no grunting, no bloat. He's had another dose of charcoal, a wee feed and has some hay to nibble on. We'll keep him in today just to keep an eye on him but, fingers crossed, he's over the worst.
He must have had quite a low dose - just enough to make him ill. Lucky boy :) Lucky us - how attached you can become to a sheep.
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Oh thats so good - nice to hear, looks like he will make it with any luck, I'm keeping my fingers crossed
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That;s two pieces of good news I've heard this morning already - Remi the Brittany pup being found 18 miles away from home (how can an 8 month pup travel that far in 2 days?) and now Dickie is on the mend too. Waiting for the third good news bulletin, what will it be? ;D
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That's great news, Rosemary. Yes, we do get attached - even when we have 300 of them we still get attached to a few favourites!
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Lottery win?
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ouf I've only just read this but my heart was in my mouth I'm so pleased for you. bet you'll be moving that plant now!!
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Lottery win?
That wouldn't be just good news that would be a Godsend! ;) ;D I'd share it too!
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well you will all be wanting to be friends with me I WON THE LOTTERY ON FRIDAY but i am not sharing my £2.80 with anybody :thumbsup: :farmer:
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well you will all be wanting to be friends with me I WON THE LOTTERY ON FRIDAY but i am not sharing my £2.80 with anybody :thumbsup: :farmer:
So THAT'S why you weren't at the Christmas party - too busy out spending your gains!
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ouf I've only just read this but my heart was in my mouth I'm so pleased for you. bet you'll be moving that plant now!!
:) It's gone - gone even before the vet arrived.
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I've been wondering about Dickie all the time we were at WOnderland!! straight onto TAS to see how he was - brilliant news Rosemary and Dan, so pleased :) xxx
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So glad he's getting better. Just read the news. :)
Woollyval said to make him sick but I was under the impression sheep can't vomit.
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Loggged on and straight here to see how dickie was doing, thrilled to hear the good news. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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I'm glad it's turned out well for you and especially for Dickie. ;D
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Thanks all. :thumbsup:
It's a big relief. He's our least valuable sheep in money terms, but the one we'd miss most! :)
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I've been sending reiki, it might not have made a difference - but I'd like to think it helped ;)
Glad he's on the mend :bouquet:
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Woollyval said to make him sick but I was under the impression sheep can't vomit.
We asked the vet about that and he said that ruminants can't vomit. Vomiting is expelling contents from the stomach - ruminants don't have the muscle structure round the rumen to expel the contents. What they may do is regurgitate stuff from the oesophagus, which DOES have the right muscle structure - so it looks like vomiting but technically isn't.
The poison was affecting the oesophagus - Dickie couldn't swallow, which was why he was foaming at the mouth. He wasn't producing more saliva than normal (ruminants produce a lot of saliva) it was just that he couldn't swallow properly.
I think this accurately reflects what the vet told us. So much to learn :)
But Dickie is fine now. Happy to be back out on the grass, although last night, when I went through their paddock to shut in the hens, they tanked up to the gate behind me - don't know if they fancy having nights in and days out ;D
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I've been sending reiki, it might not have made a difference - but I'd like to think it helped ;)
He seems pretty chilled - just glad something worked. Thank you :bouquet:
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3 of my Gotlands ate something in neighbours garden, I think a badger forced the gate! And they wandered in. Vet said all evergreen are poisonous to sheep, was his 5th case in a week and prescribed liquid paraffin, charcoal and vit injection. To make poison pass quicker absorb toxins and protect liver. Vet got it right all are now well, last one I went to him with died !