The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Lostlambs on May 03, 2012, 12:43:27 pm
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Asking if anyone does intraperitoneal injection on newborn cold lambs. I've had to several times on cold,lifeless lambs -mostly bad weather deliveries not caught in time for warming in the box. I just did one on a little shetland ewe lamb yesterday morning that thought for sure was too far gone. She was completely floppy, frothing at the mouth a bit and ice cold. After I needled and put her in the warming box she began thrashing with her legs for a while but after about 3hours was able to come out and nurse. Question do I need to jab for antibiotics after this or just watch for any problems. Not too many do it here but I think it's the only way a few of mine have survived.
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Haven't had experience of glucose injections but as far as I've read, if you've taken asceptic precautions you should be ok. I think it will do no harm to give a very small antibiotic injection(1-2ml with a 20 gauge needle)if you're at all unsure.
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Last year we had a cold newborn and the vet said to stomach tube some glucose solution in to it. He said you have to give the glucose before anything else though, not sure how true that is but it did work
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I never thought about glucose injection or tube inn the lamb.
Could you expand a bit on how much you injected was it in a solution?
Tubing also sounds interesting what sort of quantities and ratio to warm water did you use?
I would probably used the tube and Volostrum (spelling) or milk. But if glucose is better thats great.
Any information or ideas are welcome.
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Use colostrum if lamb isn't able to suckle but isn't a bad temperature. Vital to lamb in first two hours. Glucose only if lamb at risk of being hypothermic never instead of colostrum. Colostrum ASAP when lamb at a good body temperature (around 39 degrees).
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Use colostrum if lamb isn't able to suckle but isn't a bad temperature. Vital to lamb in first two hours. Glucose only if lamb at risk of being hypothermic never instead of colostrum. Colostrum ASAP when lamb at a good body temperature (around 39 degrees).
I had not meant instead of colostrum but its a good point you make.
But I have up to now if say I found a small lamb say cold on its own, cold mouthed taken them into the house
and put them near the radiator in the kitchen. So I suppose there are lambs too far gone to revive using this method. So will the glucose may result in saving more?
I found this on the Net
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/98-089.htm (http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/98-089.htm)
Everyday is a school day.
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I found this also has more detail.
http://www.ablamb.ca/documents/factsheets/intradex.pdf (http://www.ablamb.ca/documents/factsheets/intradex.pdf)
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I learnt how to do this from 'lamb survival' by david henderson. It is a 20% glucose injection into the peritoneal cavity done as last chance for lambs older than 5-6 hours than are severely cold. If they don't get any sugar in them before warming they willl die of convulsion from lack of sugar as their metabolic rate increases. They can't digest anything when too cold. I only use it when I know they have been too long cold with no intake. It has saved some that were already so cold you could barely tell if they were breathing and the heartbeat is really slow. I use a 19 gage by 1 in needle ,hold the lamb hanging by its front feet, place the needle 1 cm to the side and 2.5 cm below the cord aim it at the tail and the insert it all the way and slowly inject 20cc per kg of sterile solution.It has to be at body temp so is mixed by using 50% dextrose diluted with same amount of boiled water. I only use it as last resort on lambs that are completely limp and non responsive that can't be stomach tubed until they can hold their head up.I guess because our temperatures here are really cold and first lambers often don't come in the barn to lamb when they surprise me.After they are given this they go into a warming box until their temp comes up to the point they are active and can stand. If they can nurse,they do that otherwise then I milk the ewe and stomach tube feed the first feeding and then make sure they know how to nurse before I leave them with mom.
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It is a 20% glucose injection into the peritoneal cavity done as last chance for lambs older than 5-6 hours than are severely cold. If they don't get any sugar in them before warming they willl die of convulsion from lack of sugar as their metabolic rate increases.
Hypothermic lambs over 6 hours old must have some sustinence BEFORE you warm them, otherwise as Lostlambs says, they will die from low blood sugar. If the lamb can hold up its head, you can stomach tube it. If it can't hold its head up you will need to inject warmed glucose solution directly in to the body cavity.
If the lamb is younger than this, it should still have brown fat reserves that it can metabolise for energy and in this case you should warm the lamb before feeding it.
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Brilliantly clear advice, LL and VSS, thanks. :thumbsup: I've bookmarked that one!