The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: lee.arron on February 28, 2012, 02:14:58 pm
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Ive heard its quite common in lambs and have seen the use of eyeclips, and injecting methods and just read about a technique of pinching the lower lids. just wondered what peoples methods of dealing with this were before i decide what to do
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Urm...have you got some with it then? I have only had a few in many yeARS and most have righted themselves with a bit of opticlox and gentle persuasion! If you have a big problem it can be genetic and I might use a different ram!
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just the one so far , thinking back im sure the tup had a bit of an attacthment to this particular ewe and gotto her before the ram so might consider him moving on this year and leaving it to the ram alone as dont have as many ewes as last . . just had a go at turning it out and is looking corrected but if it turns back in might use the clips tonight
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I had a couple with entropion last year, but it was mild. A day of correcting it manually every couple of hours sorted it permanently.
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im going to try that today keep going down correcting it, the clips look a bit tortourous so if ican avoid having to use them then all the better
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I have in the past had to resort to the clips. The vet attaches them in seconds and they just fall out within a few weeks. So if you can't sort yourself it might be an option. :sheep:
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we had a bull with entropy it was killed no use for breading out of 20 heifers he only served one
at the bull sale it was passed of as a hay seed in his eye by the vet that examines them prior to salegood job he was insured but you don't get compensated for your breading programme being screwed up :farmer:
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just the one so far , thinking back im sure the tup had a bit of an attacthment to this particular ewe and gotto her before the ram so might consider him moving on this year and leaving it to the ram alone as dont have as many ewes as last . . just had a go at turning it out and is looking corrected but if it turns back in might use the clips tonight
Just as a matter of interest, what do you call a tup and what do you call a ram? To me they are just different, sometimes regional words for the same thing, a breeding male sheep :sheep: :sheep:.
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The tup from what ive always known is the young male ram that is keeping the ram on his toes making sure hes covered all the ewes,
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mabey yearling is the better word for it
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We get a bit of entropion - it seems to be relatively common in Texel-type sheep.
Usually rinsing the eye and turning it back a couple of times works. If mum is dirty underneath, get her cleaned or the eye will get more dirt in it and become quite sore, even infected.
If it's still inverting, or where the lamb is in the field and I am not going to be able to catch it several times, then yes I do pinch the lower lid, just enough to make it swell very slightly. I hardly ever need to do more than this.
Where the above has failed, an injection of a specific antibiotic (can't remember which but your vet will know) in the inside of the lower lid will give the required swelling and also protect against any infection. If you have small numbers of sheep, get the vet to do this for you. If you have this a lot, it's worth getting the vet to show you how and buying the antibiotic and very fine needles in. (And changing your tup.)
In the worst case, where the condition has been missed in the field, the lamb may form a cataract where the eyelashes have scratched the cornea. If you see it at this stage you can get a soothing antibiotic cream to apply to the eye. But they do always seem to heal eventually, and be quite normal by the time they are grown.
And yes, in these parts a tup is a male uncastrated sheep. The term 'ram' is used only by townies and southerners! :D And, curiously, in the case of the Kelso Ram Sales. ???
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I'm a Southerner and my boys are Tups or pains in the necks when I am trying to get to the feed trough. ;D
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I had a lamb a couple of years ago with an inturned eyelid, just kept putting it right and after a couple of days it stayed put. Pinching the eyelid makes it swell and so holds it in place better, as the swelling goes down it has had chance to 'grow' and stay put.
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Had my worst case this year so far (mind you only three years in)
One of our little ladies was 'served fast' (probably by a nephew) so I call her Venus Williams - lol - She had a little gal this year 6 weeks early of everyone elses start date which had it terrible in both eyes. I took her to the vet who injected pen and strep into the lower eyelid to make it swell and gave me a 5 day course of cream. Three courses of cream later she was just about right, a little white scar tissue in one eye but we are keeping an look on it.
The first one we noticed we put antibiotic cream from the vets on and it was solved overnight.
Always pull the lashes out as much as you can as soon as you find it though.
g'luck
Baz
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we have had one or two, vet injects the area below the lower eyelid,thus swelling it and pushing the eyelashes away from the eyeball. has worked.
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we had a case of entropion a couple of years ago - vet sold us a staple gun which OH used with success - not cheap though - about 50euros I think. We changed the ram and no problems since.
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We used to get it a lot and changed our ram since then don't get it very often now, I usually inject the eyelids with ultrapen this is thick and keeps the eyelid swollen out for a few days then they grow normally
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I have had one or two cases I think every year since I started breeding, different rams and never the same ewe so I am at a loss what is causing it. Most correct with manipulation and only two (one this year) which have required vet to inject.