The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: sophie_aj on April 30, 2014, 09:36:28 am
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Hi guys,
I have three orphans one of which is a bit dodgy. They should all have had some colostrum but would have been taken off mum around day 2. But colostrum will be minimal.
Now I knew that dodgy one was dodgy but decided she would probably stand a better chance if I took her rather than leave her to fight the farm.
Anyway: She had a slight cough/splutter when I brought her back (1 week old) and then two weeks on she went off colour, went back to vet and she had a jag on Saturday morning. LA AB to last 2 weeks and some Loxicom. She is eating well but her energy is much much lower than the other two. She's bright enough but is obviously still fighting something. So she has picked up 24-48hours post jags. She weighs 4.1kg (and the others are ~7kg now) so she is way behind them.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I'd appreciate some input.
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You could try some vitamins. If you have Combivit, give her a couple of ml.
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Tube 50ml of glucose solution? Just to give her a boost of energy to get drinking more?
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She's drinking pretty well, was thinking glucose or an energy boost but I really don't want to tube her and end up putting her off food/sucking. She's bright but lethargic and just so behind the others now.
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Tubing her won't put her off sucking.
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I had a lamb this year with what turned out to be a raging abscess brewing, he was quite hunched up and uninterested in eating but was drinking fine. Treated with pen&strep but about a week later the most horrendous abscess came up on his top lip which is obviously what was making him poorly. Vet gave him 3 days of synulox which cured the abscess but he still wasn't right. We popped into the vet and managed to see one of the farm vets on the off chance he was between surgeries, explained the situation and he gave us a jab and said try that. It was a long acting anti inflammatory (can't remember the name) but within 24 hrs he was back to normal. He's still small, but a hundred times better, he'll just take a little longer to finish which is no hardship :)
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Since her jags on Saturday am (one of which was a long acting anti-inflammatory) she picked up pretty quickly, her eyes have stopped weeping and her nose is drying up. She seemed to leap over to get milk this morning but where the others are raring to go she is happy lying down.... I guess patience and TLC perhaps?
She is the black faced one (she did not jump on the bale though. She's not quite up to that...
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Yes time will tell, seems like you've done everything so just keep her warm and dry with plenty of food/milk. My little lamb was really quite ill with his, he lost all of his hair on his face and ears too :( took him a while but he's now right as rain, things like this set them back a fair way at such a young age so it just takes time to recover. Here's a pic of him- he's the far right little lamb :)
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She is the black faced one
Super cute! :fc: she continues to improve.
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I suggest watching the weather forecast and housing if wet or cold. These can be just oo much of a challenge for the vulnerable ones.
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Yes they are housed when weather is a bit chilly and wet and out when the :sunshine: comes
We'll just have to see. Should I be doing anything to help her tummy with the antibiotics?
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You could add some natural yoghurt to her milk.
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Lamb is still drinking well. Not really gaining much weight, still watery eyes and clear discharge from nose and coughy/spluttery
Perhaps it's viral rather than bacterial :-\