The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: twizzel on May 08, 2013, 11:12:32 am
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one of my orphan crew had a good go last night at dying >:( silly thing got in the calf feeder and had a good guts of corn, found him this morning bloated right up in the ditch of the field. Managed to get him in- took me nearly half an hour as had to straddle him and support him as his legs aren't overly strong. Rang the vet and put a tube down into his stomach to release the gas, and some sunflower oil too. Vet said to call back if that doesn't help and he'll dispense a drench and steroid injection to help.
I've called him Elvis... not sure if he is going to make it or not, so fingers crossed please :fc: need to go down and move him regularly to get the blood in his legs but when we moved him last about 20 mins after the drench his stomach was making lots of gurgling noises so I guess that is good? He is in a small pen with a calf for company that got cold overnight in the rain... they make a right pair :roflanim:
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:fc: :fc:
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Gurgling is good :). Get him up on his feet and keep him walking around if you can, the exercise will help to dispel the gas. Also massaging the belly in a circular motion helps too.
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Gurgling is good :). Get him up on his feet and keep him walking around if you can, the exercise will help to dispel the gas. Also massaging the belly in a circular motion helps too.
this.
Well done for taking the right actions :thumbsup:.
You can feed him yoghurt and oil (paraffin or sunflower - both work) several times a day. If he's still bloated, add bicarb of soda - and stand back! :o
You can see my story of dealing with bloat in a calf, using these remedies (for which mega thanks to contributors on TAS! :notworthy:) here (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=26356.msg258002#msg258002) - note the bit about adding water to re-invigorate the bicarb ;)
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Thanks everyone. I've just been down to see him, put a tube down again to try and get some more gas out. Still gurgling away and have massaged his stomach. I'll go down after lunch and put some more sunflower oil down.
I tried to stand him up, but he really struggles and he is too heavy to hold up on my own. I think it helped that he walked in from the field, albeit it took a long time but it got him moving. I got him sitting up on his bum with his front feet out, it's his back end that's a bit weaker. If he's still not up by 4pm I will ring the vet and ask for the drench and steroid jab to be dispensed and pick it up.
Poor Elvis looks a bit like this at the moment --> :unwell:
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I would do a bicarb/water/oil mix, it will have a quicker outcome than just oil alone. :)
I've had a lamb bloat up really bad - she looked like she was going to explode and kept falling over! But the bicarb + exercise worked wonders. She was back to normal within two hours.
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Ok will do- what amount of each do you give?
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From what I recall it's something like :
50ml water
50ml oil
1 tbsp bicarb or baking powder
And I'd give half or a third of that first (depending on the size of the lamb), and see how it gets on, and then give more after an hour if it still needs it. If it was an adult I would probably give the whole lot in one go.
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Great thanks. He's got to be a good 25kg, I struggle to pick him up. I'll go down after lunch and give him some :D thanks very much.
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I think the bicarb worked... poor bugger had a massive runny poo so things must be slowly starting to move again? I take it as a good sign. But there's still an awful lot of gas in there. Just got off the phone to the vet and he's dispensed some more jabs and drenches, more for the dehydration than anything but there's some antacids too to help things move along. So get that into him tonight and see how he is in the morning :fc:
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Aww, poor thing. :fc: he'll be ok soon.
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Mix 4 tea spoons of castor oil in 50cc of milk and tube him, will work without fail
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Elvis just died :-\ gutted as I was just about to go down and give him all the antacid and probiotic drenches the vet had left in the surgery. And now I'm a lamb down... anyone got a tame lamb going spare? :-[
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:-[ bugger, sorry for this outcome, and it seems all the worse 'cos you have worked so hard to save him.
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aww sorry twizzel, it's horrible isn't it? :(
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So sorry to hear this news :hug:
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aww sorry twizzel, it's horrible isn't it? :(
first one I've lost out of 12 this year and 6 last year. Out of all the ones that wouldn't drink, didn't have enough collostrum, got pneumonia, got orf, were rejected by ewes... and I lose a 3 month fully weaned lamb because out of an 8 acre field of good grass he managed to get in the calf feeder.
:-[
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That's rotten luck - you tried so hard! Poor Elvis. I am sorry. It's amazing that any of them make it to maturity given the in-bred sheep death-wish. :(
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Yep, we all seem to half dread lambing time with all the complications and trauma it can bring, but I find the first few months of a lambs life equally as nerve-wracking as they can be right as rain one day and ailing the next. It's a constant roundabout of good and the not so good but once bitten by the sheep keeping bug they are very hard to give up! ;D
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So sorry you've lost Elvis :hug: