The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Stanlamb on March 20, 2014, 11:26:55 pm
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I think I might have a case of watery mouth in a lamb born yesterday (a twin, probably about a week or more early). Squirted with Scourhalt once born and cord was done with iodine. Mum had no milk and still pretty much doesn't, despite two injections of Oxytocin, so I have been tubing the lambs every 2-3 hours between 6/7am til midnight - yawn. This lamb was dopey since birth, cold looking, uninterested and just not right. Became more lethargic and less responsive as today passed - lying under the lamp and if I put him up he just goes back to his spot and lies down again. Just been over to tube the pair and notice quite a bit of saliva so am putting two and two together. Have just given him 0.5ml of Pen & Strep. I imagine he'll be dead by morning but if not, is there anything else to be done? And anything preventative for his twin? I don't have memories of good outcomes from watery mouth in days gone by!
Thanks.
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In my experience, the other twin is no more likely to get it than any other lamb in similar conditions - in our annus horribilis, when we had a lot of watery mouth and other infections too, lambs most likely to get watery mouth were ones not getting enough milk or compromised in some other way. Generally it would only be one lamb in any one family.
Yes Pen & Strep, 1ml daily for three days is what I did. No milk until it's feeling better. Offer PSF or other electrolyte-type fluid if it seems to want a feed but isn't right yet.
Actually we didn't lose so very many of our watery mouth lambs, so :fc: yours will pull through. If it doesn't, it was probably not right to begin with and would never have made a happy healthy lamb.
And :fc: the twin won't get it.
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As Sally says they can recover. My antibiotic of choice for watery mouth is alamycin LA and electrolytes if dehydrated. Fluxin or metacam can also help when given alongside the antibiotic treatment. Hopefully this little one will pull through
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Thank you both for your replies. Unfortunately he died early this morning - poor wee thing. Whether it was watery mouth or not, I don't know but at least I now know how to treat it if we have any more cases. He definitely wasn't right since birth - from the moment he first stood he always had a big hump on his back and stood with his head hanging. I don't think I ever saw him any other way - and always lay with his head tucked into a corner. Definitely started salivating excessively last night so who knows. Thanks again.
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Sorry you lost your lamb - but it sounds as though there was an underlying problem. That'll have weakened him so that watery mouth got a hold (and his stronger sibling shook off any infection) - so in this case it's probably for the best that he succumbed. :bouquet:
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I think you're right on both counts, Sally.
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hello :wave:
we give orojet as routine when they are born. it s available at the vets, a mix of two antibiotics, this or i hear good things about Spectam (sp?) too, Orojet is thirty odd quid a bottle for 210 ml, well worth the money and peace of mind. we have had zero watery mouth
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ahhh sorry just looked at thread again, very sorry to hear about that x