The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: cluckyclaire on February 25, 2012, 01:31:08 pm
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I've had a ewe lamb this morning - a big beautiful boy (he's huge) and my first ever lambing (and I missed it!!!). We found out when we came down and saw lamby laying in the middle of the field. We went out mum was taking no notice so we rounded her up and tried to get her interested in her baby but no luck (she's a first timer). Lamby was really cold so we bought him in and got him dried and wrapped in towels. This was when we found the pucture woulds around his head and neck - fox has obviously had a good go at him. 7 hrs later lamby is still with us but i'm having to syringe feed as he doesn't seem able to suckle. He's breathing is noisy (sounds a bit like snoring), he still has blood coming out of his nose but it is less than it was and he hasn't opened his bowels yet. I've put iodine on all his wounds to help prevent infection if he survives. Any advice on what I can do to help him? How long should it take to open his bowels?
Many Thanks
Claire
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I would contact a vet
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the lamb will need anti biotics and colostrum...and very quick! Get to the vet asap!
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the lamb will need anti biotics and colostrum...and very quick! Get to the vet asap!
You just beat me to the very words WoollyVal
Without colostrum and being unable to suckle i think i would prepare yourself to lose him. Sorry :'(
Mandy :pig:
Ps if you have any more due to lamb get them penned or in Mr Fox is likely to make a return visit if he knows theres easy meat about!
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We milked the ewe and spoonfed the colostrum in so he has had some. Also given him some kick-start mixture. He is getting stonger and swallowing better when syringing the milk in. Breathing is getting less noisy, blood coming out of nose seems to be stopping and he has been up on his feet. He seems like he's a fighter (he should be he's mother has always been very strong even when she was being hand reared!!
All the other ewes will be bought in at night now and only out during the day when we can keep more of an eye on them.
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Well done :thumbsup: He still will need a shot of antibiotic as dog bites..and that includes fox, always go septic in circumstances like this because they are puncture wounds.
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You say he hasn't passed anything are you sure the first poo is called meconium it is dark brown and very sticky and shortly after his first feed he should have passed it . As a rule of thumb a lamb needs 50ml per kg of colostrum at the first feed, if it can't suck a stomach tube is good. For the fox bite you need a course of antibiotics a fox's teeth are full of bacteria . Last year i had a twin lamb bitten on the neck at 12 hrs old i kept the family inside to make sure he was getting his share of milk ,a big course of antibiotics, his neck was very swollen and stiff. HE'S now 10 mths old a big boy , he carries his head stiffley and sometimes looses his balance and is OK :thumbsup:
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Fingers crossed fo your lamb - he sounds like a real Rocky :thumbsup:
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Keep trying and don't give up. I had one attacked a few years ago and the poor soul spent weeks looking backwards as neck muscles had gone into spasm. I took to vet for antibiotics, checkup and to tube him as wasn't confident to do myself.
He pulled through and his neck straightened out with a bit of massage. Mum didn't reject him but he needed help feeding. Fingers crossed xx