The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: colliewoman on April 27, 2012, 12:51:40 pm
-
Have just got off the phone to the vets regarding Tarragon, my ewe who had a horrible labour 5 days ago and has retained her afterbirth.
I have been told to pop my gloved hand in and remove it manually if possible.
I always thought this was a bad idea :-\
Have been told that if the cervix has closed, then just keep up the pain relief and ABX but if still open to gently remove said placenta.
Would very much appreciate your views :-*
-
Gosh, don't know. I always thought it was best not to go in unless necessary but not sure I would argue with the vet. Hope someone else comes along with some better advice.
-
Sorry colliewoman, too much of a novice to give a view.
When I was finding out all I could about lambing, did find an American Soay site that referred to retained afterbirth (more than a few hours). It said to tie up if trailing on the ground, not to cut off as the weight would help it to pass and to call a vet. Guess youve done that. Does your vet deal routinely with farm animals? If so guess that you will have to take his advice or maybe trawl the net and see what general advice is given and if it matches with what you were told you may feel more comfortable about doing it.
Hope someone with necessary experience sees your post.
-
does she have a rotten smell at her back end :farmer:
-
Nope, not rotten smell. It LOOKS horrible, but no smell as yet. :wave:
-
Sorry Colliewoman I have no experience of this, only ones which eventually come away of their own accord. When you say she is trailing the placenta, how much is hanging out? Could it be caught up on the wool rather than mostly being still in the uterus?
I would be very worried about going in to scrape it out manually, with no experience and no idea of what's actually going on in there, in case it leads to heavy bleeding. Perhaps the vet is thinking that it has all detached inside ok but just not been expelled.
-
Before you find the solution to the problem has the ewe been given any anti biotics yet? If not a long acting pen and strep would be a good idea to help stop infection.
We have had a few that have gone five days without expelling, some have smelt quite rotten - but I have never yet had to 'go in' and remove anything. Just made sure that the ewe has been on a course of anti biotics. I think one of our this year went for at least 7 days - then on the day when I was goin to 'go-in' she had expelled.
Good luck
Baz
-
It is definately still coming out from inside, I had a good look earlier.
She said if I can get my hand in there still I should be able to feel the 'buttons' (cant remember what she called them- cotyledons?? summat like that) and that they might come away if I was gentle.
I don't want to go against the vets advice, but this just doesn't feel right to me :-\ I'm terrified I will cause her more problems than help.
She said to make sure I go and get some gloves from her before I start as it is going to stink to high heavens :o :o
-
Before you find the solution to the problem has the ewe been given any anti biotics yet? If not a long acting pen and strep would be a good idea to help stop infection.
We have had a few that have gone five days without expelling, some have smelt quite rotten - but I have never yet had to 'go in' and remove anything. Just made sure that the ewe has been on a course of anti biotics. I think one of our this year went for at least 7 days - then on the day when I was goin to 'go-in' she had expelled.
Good luck
Baz
Yep she has been kept dosed with long acting antibiotics and painkillers ;) :thumbsup:
-
Its always worth a tickle at the back to help ;)
Baz
-
Erm, where abouts at the back? Are we talking about a lube job here or not :D
-
Maybe skip the painkillers though as it not going to give relief (I could be wrong) - maybe painkillers is whats stopping her from having the ability to push and expell? Dunno?
Always lube up :)
-
And dont worry about it yet :)
-
Thankies!
Off to get another giant tube of KY (the animal stuff makes my hands react :D) goodness knows what job the chemist must think I have :o ;D
-
A least the aversion to certain lubricants swings the right way.
I can only imagine the argument of bringing out a bottle of sheep obseometric lube in the bedroom. 'well lambing is over, be a shame to waste it' ;) - lol
I think I've gone to far . .
eheehe
Yeh just keep an eye on her, keep her pen clean, keep her on LA biotics - sure she will pass it soon.
-
I cant even remeber where I first heard this but for me its almost an article of faith that you should never pull it out. What I would probably do in your situation is load the ewe and lambs in the trailer and take her to the vets so they can sort it out themseleves.
-
I lambed a ewe a few weeks back, Got the first lamb out with a leg back, so had to invade.
Checked her about an hour later after a trip to the vet for a couple of injections and when I got back she hadn't dropped the second one, so I lambed her again, but this time the lamb was dead.
Checked for a third lamb while I was at it and found nothing.. Two days later she was still dragging the afterbirth around and I went back in and found another dead lamb.
She is fine now even after all that and the lamb is doing fine. Her number is 13 and I'm afraid she will be going on after she rears the lamb.
The rule is check why the placenta is holding, it may be around another lamb. Don't cut it.
-
Sounds like there is a common theme to retained placenta's, this is the ewe who's lamb was head only and I had to go in and help. She was very tight and it was an awful job even with my tiny hands. I did check for another, but found nothing. I will check again incase there is another lurking in there somewhere. thank you x
humphreymctush
Same here, I cannot for the life of me remember where I heard it, but I was told you can kill a ewe by removing a placenta.
I will post later with my findings/decision.
-
I always thought you shouldn't remove a placenta. Can't the vet give an injection to make her expel. I think it's oxytocin? They do for pigs. Is your vet a farm vet or small animal?
-
I've heard about 'peeling it off the cotyledons' but also, in common with everyone else, have always been told and believed that it's a vet job.
Can you take her to the vet for them to do it there?
-
Yes, if its not a lamb, my first thought would have been an injection. Perhaps you would feel better if you could get her to the vet and let him have a look.
-
I may be a bit of a woose but I'd be telling the vet to get his a*se over here - if it needs removed, it's his job. ::)
-
I had a ewe with a trailing placenta she had been given hormones to close everything down and cleanse but didn't. I did very gently attempt to remove the placenta by placing gentle traction on it. This was done with one person holding the ewe but the traction was sufficiently low to avoid causing her any concern( by her moving. ) i have heard of people tying a waterbag on the end of a placenta to remove it as naturally as possible. I figured my traction should be roughly equivalent. I gently pulled but also was careful to move to change the direction of the pull. the placenta came away although I suspect there was a portion retained and the ewe suffered no long term problems. shes expecting again now.
-
Well the technique is....
Panic, phone the vet, get instructions, buy more gloves and KY jelly worry about it all afternoon. Brace yourself and go to the sheep field to find she's grazing perfectly happily and has cleansed whilst you were out getting supplies! ::) ::) ::)
the vet would have come out, but said it was a job I could do myself, and yes is the farm vet not small animal.
Thanks again all!
-
Glad it turned out o.k in the end...sheep eh? ;)
The boss had one at work with a retained cleanse, he just gently pulled on it and it came away. I always gather the afterbirths from my lot as the ferrets love them! saves attracting the unwanted attentions of foxes and ravens too....
-
Glad it worked out ok :thumbsup:
-
No, you don't pull it out.
Give long acting antibiotic cover and it will come out on its own in the end.
-
Great :D :D
amazing...... they just know. When we were waiting for one of our ewes to lamb, I said "I'm fed up with this, I'm going in to make some lunch" and after lunch we came out to find that she was suckling a little lamb.
They just know....
-
Phew ...... glad to hear it colliewoman.
Hope all goes smoothly for her and her lamb now. :D
-
Job done! :)