The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Daisys Mum on July 06, 2014, 04:14:15 pm
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Just found my 12 Shetlands in the garden and someone has been at the Rhodie not a lot missing but as there were 12 sheep there I have no way of knowing who ate it! How long will it be before I can tell and will that be too late?
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I would ring your vet regarding emergency treatment. It may also be worthwhile drenching them all with strong tea asap, it is supposed to help with rhodidendron poisoning.
Hope they are all ok
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Lost 2 of mine last year with it .... out of about 5 affected. Vet said it didn't take a lot to be fatal. Sorry.
One showed symptoms much earlier than the others and we lost him that evening. I don't know exactly when he ate the rhoddie ..... sometime after 10 am and found him with obvious signs of poisoning by 4pm.
Others looked fine at that point. Vet warned us to watch the others as they too could be poisoned but eaten it later or not eaten so much. They were showing signs by next morning.
Vet did inject the first two affected with painkillers and something else .... sorry can't remember what. He did not treat the others .... said there was little point. I think he thought they would all die. Don't think he was keen on treating the first two to be honest but did because I was keen to do all we could. He said to put worst affected under a heat lamp and away from draughts ... was October.
He said there was no antidote.
He prescribed 'Life Aid' and said to drench as instructions on box.
We also gave strong tea and activated charcoal.
:fc: for your sheep. Some of ours did recover and seem fine now.
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Have you spoken to a vet ? .... just wondering if its possible for charcoal to 'mop up' the poison before it affects them/ gets into system.
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In her book, Pat Coleby recommends a high dose drench of vitamin C for Rhododendron poisoning (and other poisons too) - dose is 10gr per sheep.
Don't know if anybody has tried that but it can't do much harm to dose them all anyway?
After reading her book I bought a supply of sodium ascorbate to have on hand just in case. But she says you could grind up human vitC tablets too, to the dose above.
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Activated charcoal and strong tea was what we were told. Vet gave steroid, anti inflam, ab and vitamin - he said it would do nothing for the poisoning, all we could do was manage the symptoms and any side issues. It all depends how much they've eaten relative to bodyweight.
Our wether recovered so :fc: for yours.
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My problem is that all 12 were in the garden, the rhododendron bush is very small and it does look like they have only eaten a very little amount so it is just a waiting game watching for symptoms of poisoning, at the moment they are all grazing happily and it is 6 hours since they were in the garden. What I have decided is to dig it up and replace it with something that is harmless to sheep and goats also the azalea that they didn't see!
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Good idea. Some plants are just so toxic it isn't worth the risk of having them, even if they're somewhere the sheep aren't supposed to go.
:fc: :fc: :fc: for your sheep to be ok.
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:relief: 17 hours later and they are all grazing away happily, no one looks to be in any kind of discomfort let alone pain but I have learned my lesson toxic plants must go! Just going to have to convince OH that they died of some mystery disease while he was away, he loves his Rhodie and azalea.
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:relief: 17 hours later and they are all grazing away happily, no one looks to be in any kind of discomfort let alone pain but I have learned my lesson toxic plants must go! Just going to have to convince OH that they died of some mystery disease while he was away, he loves his Rhodie and azalea.
If he is away weedkiller (glyphosate) should do the trick nicely ;)
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I wish garden centres would put poison information on plants.
Glad your girls are OK :relief: