The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Jodi on October 22, 2018, 11:42:09 am
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I bought some sheep at the York Rare Breed Sale on October 6th, and all has been well until just under a week ago. They've all been quarantined in a small paddock (and still are); as soon as they got here, they were all drenched with Albex and heptavacced within the week. Second jab pending.
Now, when I got them, some of the stock was thin, and because there are so many in my quarantine paddock, I've been feeding plenty of hay since they got here. The grass is very short, but they still nibble. I would also feed a small amount of coarse mix, grass pellets and crushed oats once a day, but I stopped this once I noticed that two lambs had started to scour quite badly (dark green/brown) about 5 days ago. Out of 25, they are the only two that are scouring, and it's persisting. They are Ryeland ewe lambs, and about 6/7 months old, but the flock is a mixture of breeds, and there are 8 other Ryelands.
I'd say of the lambs that came to me, they are two that came in better condition than most. They are chunky (not fat), and well built. They weren't sickly, but they do look a bit lethargic now (I would too, if my poop came out like a puddle). They were very clearly used to being fed and knew what a feed bucket meant, but to be honest I wasn't feeding a lot, just enough to keep things friendly and to have a routine.
Any suggestions? I'm in the North East, a bad region for pasturella and fluke, so I wasn't going to take risks with un-vaccinated stock.
Thanks!
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Isn't Albex one of the white wormers? Lots of resistance, so I would get these two FEC tested, and re-worm the whole lot with an ivermectin or something NOT a white wormer. Your vet may even suggest one of the new class of wormers (Zolvix) to use as a one-off for quarantene (?spelling?) purposes.
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Assuming you used Albex at the fluke dose, it still kills only adult fluke and eggs, so if the sheep had some larvae in them when you fluked, those larvae will now have grown up. I think you may need to fluke again - but if it is fluke, they’ve now been infesting your pasture, so if you can, it might be sensible to move to another quarantine area.
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I'd also second getting poo samples checked. If the quarantine field is well stocked, coccidiosis could also be a concern. The faecal samples will give you and your vet an idea of what needs treating.
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I think it must've been a touch of pasturella, as the two hadn't been vaccinated when I got them, and they started to scour about a week and a half after I gave them the first heptavac. No sign of worms. They've dried up now after some betamox, and everyone is looking perky, with nice firm poop.
I've got some Cydectin and some conditioning drench in as well, and they're out on a large pasture during the day, with hay and the option of stables on a night.
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Sheep do not get a TOUCH of pastaurella , I would suggest from your first post that these two are chunky , is because they are the greediest and they ate a bit much of new feeds this would explain the dark brown scour and the lethargie
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As shep says the first sign of pasturella is death. It’s pretty brutal... agree they could have had acidosis if over fed.
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As shep says the first sign of pasturella is death. It’s pretty brutal... agree they could have had acidosis if over fed.
I don't think it was overfeeding, just because none of the vaccinated ones scoured, and they'd all had the same food? They'd obviously come from a home where they'd been well fed, as well. But they are gutsy, so I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they overate somewhere along the line...
I'd thought that pasturella could be treat if caught early? I can understand that not being the case however, as our commercial flock had a severe bout a few years back, and it killed a lot of lambs.
I do spend about two hours a day sitting and stroking them (I'm wanting them to be friendly, in hopes of showing some of them next year), and keep Hexasol and Betamox for any that I hear wheezing or feel particularly off about. I'd hoped I could help them in this way if I saw any signs before their immunity kicks in from the heptavac.
Thanks guys! I'm just happy that they're alright now :) I haven't kept Ryelands before, and combined with that I'm likely just being a bit paranoid because I didn't raise them myself! I appreciate your help.
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You are correct if caught very early and given the right ab then you can save and cure , but the early signs of slightly off colour and shallow breathing can be hard to spot ( no scouring ) often they are breathing harder and unwilling to move fast by the time you spot them and then treatment result in death / long term damage or cure. Personally ( not a vet ) I would and do use Draxxin plus a pain killer / anti inflammatory , so I would go for the Hexasol rather that the Betamox
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Just because an sheep has been vaccinated doesn't mean they are 100% safe they can still get illness. Vaccinations isn't the be all because it can be done wrong and plenty of farmers lose stock after spending hundreds on the stuff.
To confirm illness you can take temps. Pasteurella comes in different forms 1 type they die quick the other is when they slowly deteriate. Depressed and cough in some cases.
And without a FEC no one should be guessing wormers or even bother. Any concerns its cheaper to ask vet to confirm than having whole flock wiped out. Even a blood test can confirm for sure.
Buying without knowing the full health status and trusting the seller is another. Hope all is calm now but any concerns Id be checking with vet. All these meds are ridicously expensive to be pot luck.
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I think it must've been a touch of pasturella, as the two hadn't been vaccinated when I got them, and they started to scour about a week and a half after I gave them the first heptavac. No sign of worms. They've dried up now after some betamox, and everyone is looking perky, with nice firm poop.
Vaccinating isn't going to clear up scouring. They also need both lots of the vaccine to have full cover. The first shot primes the body to produces antibodies and when the body gets the second dose it remembers the first and reacts more strongly.
Fecal egg counts are cheap in comparison to loss of stock. It gives you a better idea of what is going on, saves wasting your money on the wrong wormer or even wormer at all.
You already indicated some lambs were not in tip top condition so I would personally be happier knowing exactly what was going on than compromising the rest of my stock.