The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Templelands on July 30, 2012, 06:35:08 am
-
Hi All
Just about to phone the vet - but weaning of my sheep started last week. Week one on Sunday and all was good. Just checked the lambs this morning and one has puffy scabbed up and sore eyes.
I took a pic which is attached but its difficult to get a clear shot as she wont stay still.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
-
It's never a good sign when they are on their backs with the legs in the air like that ! :innocent:
Puffy and scabs? ..... :-\ orf ?
-
Getting that picture was more fun the little one than it was for me. Although I didn't realise it was upside down till I sent it. :eyelashes:
My three ewes had mites a couple of weeks back and I gave them all dectomax and sprayed teramycen which has cleared them up brilliantly. I've also put spot on on all of them due to an ungodly amount of midges, flys and clegs terrorising us all, I'm hoping the vet is gonna tell me it's the same and a quick bum jab of dectomax will fix it, but this is very localised to the eye lids which differs from mummy. Was hoping someone on here would have experienced a similar symptom. I'll post what the vet says for future reference.
Oh, any idea what I can do to keep the flys (devils creation) away from her yes? I can't really spay fly spray on her eyes? Possibly yellow fly summer fly cream?
-
Tizaala beat me to it with the upside down comments.
Possibly, if you are troubled with flies etc this one has rubbed it's eyes on something.
-
Ive spoken to vet, so heres the update. The vet reckons its either new forest eye or a touch of conjunctivitis. So I've to give her a 5ml (she around 38kg) jab of alamycin in the bum muscle. I should see the effected area start to dry up and improve over the next 24 hours and hopefully clear within the next 3 to 4 days. Fingers crossed. Now i have to catch her. lol
Ive attached the pic i was supposed to last time, hopefully its the right way up. lol
-
I think with New Forest eye they get a white or red cloudy lesion on the iris - can you see the iris and pupil; are they normal?
She certainly looks as though she has conjunctivitis - but I wonder what's caused it? She could have got a hay seed in the eye and caused the problem by rubbing - but it seems to be both eyes.
If she were mine I think I'd be irrigating the eye and trying to get all that gunk off for her, as well as using the meds as prescribed by the vet.
Ah, just seen that this is a lamb, still on mum. Perhaps mum is dirty underneath, and/or has parasites there, and that's what's irritated little one's eyes as she's been under there suckling. Could you catch mum and clean her up underneath?
-
I would try to make her a little mesh fly sheild like the pony ones, not easy if she is not very tame though.
-
I agree with Sally that her eyes need to be cleaned up - that in itself will prevent flies being interested. Use normal saline ie one teasp salt in a litre of warm water, or half a teasp in a pint. Use clean cotton wool or similar to clean around the eye, always wiping away from the inner corner towards the outer, and using a fresh bit for each wipe. The crusting can be difficult to get off, so do it over two or three tries, with enough saline to moisten the crusts. I would also put Orbenin in to help clear up the eye and stop it hurting so much, but others might not agree.
Could you bring her in, with a friend, while you are treating her eyes, until they are better?
-
I'm almost certain in has been caused by the mothers mites. I've already cleared up the moms and have been weaning a week now so they won't get contaminated again. The rest of the lambs are clear but keeping an eye on them. I'll try and make some sort of mask, but they are in a field with lots of trees and bushes so I don't recon it would stay on. Wouldn't the mesh rub it even more though?
Luckily it's raining now and settling in for the day so the flys are gone. First time I've hoped for more rain. Lol
I brought them all in for a check and gave them all a spot on treatment and cleaned her eyes up a bit, I'll do the same tomorrow too. Thanks for your advice guys. I'll let you know how it goes.
Fleecewife. I haven't heard of orbenin. What's if for?
-
<< Fleecewife. I haven't heard of orbenin. What's if for? >>
Orbenin is an eye ointment which is used for infectious conjunctivitis. It will often clear the condition without the use of antibiotics if applied regularly, and helps to relieve pain in the eye. I'm not sure how specific it is.
-
Alamycin spray. Stings a bit for them but no lasting harm. Works for pink eye as well.Cheaper and more effective than alamycin in the muscle. Don't be too heavy handed with the spary or the solvent may damage the corneas.