The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Foobar on March 22, 2015, 06:06:21 pm
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I've got a 5-7 day old ewe-lamb that appears to have a wet back end. I thought initially that she'd fallen in the water trough or the stream, but on closer inspection I see that it's not wet but oily. It's all over her back legs, inside and out. It smells ... sheepy.
She keeps lifting up one of her rear legs as if it's sore, but she doesn't limp when she walks. I'm not sure if it's related to the grease, as I often get lambs that get a knock from the other ewes. There is no heat in the joints. She's also pooing and weeing okay as far as I have seen (they are out in the field).
Any idea what the oiliness is all about? I was thinking maybe just over production from the glands inside the thigh???
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Picture ? you seem to be describing a genital deformity , the wee is not spraying backwards ? does she lift her tail ? occasionally get a lamb with a deformity and all the rear is a dark brown/black stain ?
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Once had one like that - culled it as it would've been a maggot magnet in the summer.
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She is a black Welsh so I can't be sure of staining, but I wiped it with a dairy wipe and it was definitely grease, and clear in colour. She wees normally, squats and lifts tail.
Would like to avoid culling if possible, but will do if it becomes necessary. I was thinking about washing it all off next weekend and seeing how fast it reappears. Maybe it's a one off episode of over production.
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Is there any chance she has been lying in something in the paddock? A picture might help as struggling to imagine what it looks like. I had one today when tagging who was really greasy on inside of his legs. Ut more dandruff like than runny.
Your ewe I bought had lovely set of twin ewe lambs yesterday morning. So far they are the only two not to give me hassle!
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I don't think there is anything she could have sat in, and it does smell sheepy. sorry no photo. If you imagine a lamb that's had it's back legs dunked in water then that's what it looks like. But it's not dripping wet, just a slight amount of grease on your hands if you touch it.
Scotsgirl - i'm very happy that you've had at least one problem free lambing this year! My first batch has finished, a reasonable crop with only one that needed pulling - 13 from 8 ewes. The rest are due Easter.
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Checked her again this morning - the greasieness seems not to have got any worse, but I can now seem pustules!! They are on the inside of both thighs.
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The pustules look like one of my dairy goats had on her udder when she was very full after first kidding.
Staph aureus cleared with pen strep inj.
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Sorry, I've never seen this before so no suggestions. Hope you manage to find out what it is.
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In pigs there is something called "greasy pig" which is caused by a bacteria and is like a dermititis. I don't know if the same can happen with sheep but clearly something is not quite right with your lamb. Perhaps a call to the vet?
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googled 'sheep greasy pustules'
one of the headings -
Information about contagious pustular dermatitis of sheep in Free online ... Stasis
dermatitis is characterized by scaly, greasy looking skin on the lower legs and
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Yes it looks like staph aureus, quite common on dairy goat udders. Although not sure where the oiliness comes into it...
in theory need AB treatment, but anything on skin takes a long time for AB's to reach.
I have (probably completely illegal..) used Bactakil spray on small areas on udders, you maybe could also use a cream with AB's in it?
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Hmm, interesting. I can understand a bacterial thing on an udder as that gets bashed about by the kids etc, but seems odd on a new born lamb.
I will give her a jab of Alamycin LA tonight (my pen and strep is a bit ancient!), and I was thinking spray the lesions with Bactocyde, which is what I use on all Orf cases.
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Ooo, actually I might still have some Alamycin spray too so maybe I will spray it with that instead.
Thanks all for your input :)
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A vet diagnosis would be interesting