The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Gemma417 on May 27, 2019, 08:59:56 am

Title: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on May 27, 2019, 08:59:56 am
I have a 6 week old cade lamb he's been doing fine i was starting to take him off milk. He goes in the field for a few hours a day and nibbles on the grass, but wont eat creep.
About a week ago he was scouring yellow muck with something in it, he refused to drink from the bottle. We gave him Bacox for coccidiosis. He is very quiet and stretching all the time. I gave him electrolytes which he drinks from a bucket. But there was no change so i took him to the vets, no worms or coccidiosis was picked up in the muck. They said put him back on the milk and see if he perks up. His muck is now back to normal but he is so quiet and slow walking. He's still stretching alot and can only take half a  bottle of milk then starts coughing. He' s now had his heptavac P jab too.

Can anyone suggest what else it could be please.
Thank you.  :fc:
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: shep53 on May 27, 2019, 10:33:27 am
Reads like a gut problem ? would probiotic help ? why will he not eat creep ? has it been available since the first week ? the creep is vital along with hay or straw to help develop the rumen earlier . A lamb suckling its mother outside and nibbling grass develops a rumen slowly and by 8-10 wks old should be a ruminant so can live on grass ,  a bottle fed lamb needs the creep and hay to grow the rumen faster so that you can wean it earlier at 5-6wks of age simply because it is costly to keep feeding on powdered milk . SO since your lamb wont eat creep I would not be weaning for a few weeks yet and let him out on grass for longer to help rumen development
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on May 27, 2019, 11:11:48 am
Thank you for the quick reply.
I've been giving him yoghurt as a probiotic as he seems to quite like the yoghurt. What probiotic would you suggest is best?

Hes had creep offered to him from a young age and when he was alot happier but he just wasnt interested in it that's why i has started to wean him off milk so he was hungrier to make him want the creep. Ive tried mixing abit of milk into it, he has a little nibble if i put it in my hand but he wont have any amount worth talking about. Hes bedded on straw and has hay in but hes never taken any interest in either of them. He was in a pen with another lamb that eats the hay and creep well but he hasnr learnt of it.
He did use to nibble on the grass but since he's been poorly hes not interested.

So I'll keep him on the milk and keep trying to entice him to eat the creep.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: twizzel on May 27, 2019, 11:20:15 am
How much milk are you feeding per day and per feed?
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on May 27, 2019, 11:33:03 am
At the moment he will only take about 240ml from the bottle per feed, so im offering it to him 3 times a day.  Whereas before he was poorly he would go mad on the bottle and drink more than what he is now.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: shep53 on May 27, 2019, 05:05:47 pm
You seem to be doing all you can , straight yogurt good as any thing , you could try a little milk powder on the creep rather than milk , I think you are just needing time , ask your vet if B12 would help it can encourage sheep to eat or any other mins /vits  :fc:
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on May 27, 2019, 06:57:58 pm
Thank you shep53 i will keep trying. He's doing well in himself as in he's not lost alot of weight so hopefully he will get better. How much yoghurt would you reccomend? I syringed it into him to start with but now he just takes it straight from the tub because he loves it. I give him about 2 tablesoons full.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: shep53 on May 27, 2019, 07:34:31 pm
If he loves the yogurt would putting it with creep encourage him to eat , as to amounts your guess is as good as mine .   Porridge is well recommended  ,it  provides a bit of fibre and fills them up ( like my porridge in the morning )
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on May 28, 2019, 11:26:40 am
Phoned the vet up, they've told us to look down his throat to see if theres anything blocking it.
But otherwise they think if he has had coccidiosis then just carry on with yoghurt to reline his stomach and a injection of vitamin b12.

So hopefully he should start to perk up soon.  :fc:
Thank you for all the help.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Penninehillbilly on May 28, 2019, 11:48:20 am
Just wondering if there is anything else besides creep you could try?
Mine wouldn't touch creep, neither would the goat kids.
Our merchant has a Tup & Lamb mix, most of the beasties seem to like that.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: SallyintNorth on May 28, 2019, 01:38:30 pm
Just wondering if there is anything else besides creep you could try?
Mine wouldn't touch creep, neither would the goat kids.
Our merchant has a Tup & Lamb mix, most of the beasties seem to like that.

Seconded.  I never used creep pellets; tup & lamb mix always started them eating much better
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Penninehillbilly on May 28, 2019, 01:55:29 pm
Just wondering if there is anything else besides creep you could try?
Mine wouldn't touch creep, neither would the goat kids.
Our merchant has a Tup & Lamb mix, most of the beasties seem to like that.

Seconded.  I never used creep pellets; tup & lamb mix always started them eating much better


Cor, seconded by Sally  ;D , praise indeed, thank you Sally  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on May 28, 2019, 02:20:37 pm
I will have a look at some different feed, he's definately not wanting the creep ive tried mixing it with milk, milk powder, yoghurt, porridge but nothing entices him to want it. The only other thing is if he has got something stuck and that could be why hes refusing to eat solids. I think i'll see if theres any change by tomorrow now hes had the vitamin injection. Then if no improvement look more towards a blockage.
I read a post about a goat that had the same symtoms and he had gravel stuck in his throat. I hope he hasnt but solong as we find out soon while he's strong enough to cope with it.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: shep53 on May 30, 2019, 04:17:19 pm
Wonder if a little bit of soaked warm beet pulp would  tempt ??
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on June 05, 2019, 07:29:32 am
I dont want to speak too early but he does seem to be slowly getting better.
He had his second and last injection of vitamin B yesterday.
He is now drinking 450ml of milk 3 times a day so a big improvement.
He is having 1 and a half tablespoon on plain yoghurt twice a day to reline his stomach.
He's stopped stretching all the time and starting to have a bit more energy again and showing a tiny bit of interest in the solids.
Now he's showing improvement i'll try some different feed and entice him to start eating corn.

So it looks like he could of had some coccidiosis or bactetial infection.
Thank you for all the help. Fingers crossed he will keep improving and be back to normal very soon. :fc:   :excited:
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: messyhoose on June 07, 2019, 11:25:57 pm
hi gemma my 7 week old ram lamb went off milk and concentrate and was doing the back stretching thing you mentioned. Back stretching is usually a sign of abdominal pain, poss kidneys. So i was concerned wit my lad and diagnosed abomasal bloat (as oppsed to rumenal bloat found in adults, and sadly harder to deal with) If any lamb is off food and or stretching and or tooth grinding i would assume abomasal bloat ie gas in the lower belly. it can not be cured by  tube via the mouth, or bicarb by mouth- the only method i have had success with - on advice from vet (recently in a 7 week lamb and previously in a 2 year pygmy goat) is injectable antibiotics to kill the gut flora and stop fermentation and gas production, then re establish gut flora once animal is starting to eat again. Pain relief is good and i also tried an ant acid prep i use for my own gut pains (zantac- known as ranatidine which vet says is oft prescribed to dogs with stomach ulcers. i think pain relief is more helpful than historical animal meds give credit to.
Title: Re: Lamb with mystery illness.
Post by: Gemma417 on June 10, 2019, 08:59:34 am
Thank you for the reply,
Which anti biotics did you use? He had a 7day course of pen and strep at the very start of the problem.
He now drinks about 300ml of milk per feed but gets full very quick. Ive caught him nuzzling in the creep but he just doesnt want it. He really needs to start eating more for his age but he's in good body codition saying hes not eating the amount he should.
I would say his belly feels soft and bloated but the vet didnt pickup on that when we took him in. I guess if he's got gas in his tummy thats why he doesnt run around like he used to because it causes him discomfort. He's had a few bloat problems since he was born but weve always managed to correct it with alittle bit of oil in the milk.

We will try another course of anti biotics and see if that helps.