The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Greenie on October 23, 2016, 02:30:06 pm
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Hi there, I'm new to this forum and have just registered today because I've seen the advice on this forum and think there must be someone who can help me.
I've just spent the last 2 weeks nursing my 6 month ram back to health. He was off his feet, had scour due to some sort of internal parasite and was very weak and thin.
I've managed to get rid of the scour and he is eating and drinking well and everything looks normal. I just can't get him back on his feet now matter how hard I try. He's not walked now for 2 weeks. Is he likely to get up on his own at some point or is there something I could try?
Any advice would be very gratefully received.
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If, literally, he has not stood up for two weeks I really think that you must call out your vet immediately....
good luck
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Hi for me it depends what your model is. If he is a pet then sure get the vet in but if he is part of a future breeding programme them I would suggest his time has come.
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You would get some good advice from [member=26747]Auld Cairnallochy[/member]
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We once had an old ewe that went down with mastitis for a fortnight. Several times each day we raised her, put a thick bed of clean straw under her, massaged her legs and cut fresh leaves from the verge and hedge to tempt her appetite. She eventually started to get up herself and lived for another five years - but we didn't breed from her again, of course.
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IMO - a tup that hasn't got up for two weeks is not going to be able to tup ewes this autumn... so I would pts. Calling out the vet should probably have happened at the start of his problems, now there is not much of a point.
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If wormed give some lamb booster and gradually introduce tup coarse mix to his feed exercise his legs (they forget what they are for) whenever you can and make sure he is propped up on dry straw moving him onto a different side each time you exercise his legs. It can take quite some time before he will gain in strength but we were successful with our tup. However before doing all that might be best to check with vet.
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It's a long shot but it could be selenium deficiency. We lost 3 tup lambs last year, even had a post mortem on one and expensive MV tests. Vets never suggested trace element deficiencies, and we never got a diagnosis. We googled and read up and gave the rest a cobalt and selenium drench. The one tup lamb who was looking to go the same way as the others made a recovery and is still going strong. This is just our experience and I have no absolute proof but it might be worth a go.
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Minerals/vitamins and massage, as has been suggested. Start putting his feed where he has to move to get at it ;)
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It's a long shot but it could be selenium deficiency. We lost 3 tup lambs last year, even had a post mortem on one and expensive MV tests. Vets never suggested trace element deficiencies, and we never got a diagnosis. We googled and read up and gave the rest a cobalt and selenium drench. The one tup lamb who was looking to go the same way as the others made a recovery and is still going strong. This is just our experience and I have no absolute proof but it might be worth a go.
If it has started to affect the heart muscles though it will never come right. We had one with suspected selenium deficiency this year, treatment didn't work so we had her put down, would have been interesting to cut her open and see what her heart looked like as the vet was sure it had gone to her heart.
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Thank you all for the advice. I should have mentioned that I had called the vet but she said she wouldn't last the night and that was 2 weeks ago so when I proved her wrong I thought I'd ask you guys. I only have 20 ewes and 3 rams (2 offspring) but I've been bought up with sheep and had my own for 15 years. I've just never had one like this before.
I've taken the physio route a few of you suggested because everything is looking good - appetite, heart, poo, fleece and I managed to get rid of the obvious deficiencies, thanks to my nutribullet grass, honey, kale, spinach, ewe milk and mint smoothies when he was at death's door.
All is looking up. This morning, he bah'd at me and sniffed the air with that awful mating look they have when they're in the mood (looking at a ewe not me). I think you're right, his tendonds had shortened while he was recovering, so we got him up several time and massaged his legs to keep them in position. Mid afternoon, we tried again and he stayed there for a few seconds. A minute later, he tried to get up all by himself so we tried again!!!! Although he failed, it's great he's trying because before now he hadn't been interested in moving. Just now I managed to walk him to his straw bed, assisted, tonight and he is much more confident.
Thanks to you guys, we should be there in a few days.
Thank you all so much for your help.
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Vit B 1
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Well done Greenie - fantastic to read that your devotion and hard work paying off. Lucky ram! :fc:
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I had a goat down for over a week once and was advised to lay it over a small straw bale with its legs dangling to help the ligaments stretch again. This helped but it was still very weak so I rigged up a goat equivalent of a baby bouncer using a botched together harness and bungee springs. Believe it or not it did actually work, started with 10 mins at a time, then 20 then 30 but no more as a balance between building strength and over tiring them, took a few days but he has been fine ever since.