The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Possum on August 25, 2013, 06:48:54 pm
-
One of my 6 month old ram lambs has had a bit of scouring over the last two days. It seems to have stopped now ( :fc: ) but I thought I would dag him anyway as he was being bothered by flies. Unfortunately I found some maggots in some of the faeces on the wool. I have looked carefully but can't see any signs of maggots in the skin although he has a small area of bare rough skin on his chest. I think he has been rubbing it for some reason.
I want to treat with Crovect as he is still being bothered by flies. Unfortunately I don't have any left and can't get any until Tuesday. Is there anything that I can use (apart from flyspray!) to keep the flies off him until then?
-
When we had a ewe lamb with pretty bad fly strike, vet advised crovex, antibiotic, wormer and Jeyes Fluid neat on the skin
-
Possum - do you have any battles maggot oil until you can get hold of crovect on tuesday? I got caught out and used it, it did help the lamb. Other thing we were told was dettol fluid which may hold you out till you can get the proper stuff
-
Our friends (organic) always use tea tree oil. Or you could try a citronella spray. Poor boy :(
-
I was always told to use jeyes fluid but I was told to water it down if its on open skin
-
Check his anus carefully if you haven't done so! Good hidey-hole for small demons... If he's clear and you've already dagged him, and he's been sheared this year, smear some vaseline thickly on his rough patch (prevents potential maggots from breathing and thus growing), and leave him until Tuesday. If he's got a thick fleece... cross your fingers and get him sheared as soon as possible.
-
ah - lamb - shouldn't really have a thick fleece!
-
we had same problem i sprayed our girl with abit of antisepthic cream them smothered the wounds and around them with vasaline she healing up very nicely after being sprayed then with crovect(Yet again although used the spot on one last time and didnt seem to work but the crovect has).
-
Thanks everyone,
As usual, some very helpful advice. :)
I have given the grubby wool on his back end and abdomen a good wash down with Dettol soution. Then dried it off with an old towel. Have put tea tree oil ointment on the rough skin on his chest. Didn't have a chance to look at his anus before it got dark, but will do so tomorrow. However, he was sitting down very determinedly this evening, so there might be a problem in that area. Unfortunately i don't have Battles maggot oil, so that isn't an option.
He didn't come to the feed bucket this evening, was looking rather sorry for himself and was still being bothered by flies. However, he did eat the sheep nuts when I put them in front of him.
Smallflockshearing - he is a suffolk down x norfolk horn so does have a thick fleece despite his young age. I have had a good rootle around in his fleece this evening and can't see any maggots so am hoping for he best.
-
Flies seem to be particularly bad at the moment. Fund two of my ewe lambs scratching, caught them and maggots were just hatching out and zillions of eggs laid. But both times on their back and completely clean. Clipped away generous area and sprayed with Terramycin and crovect. Seem happy today and no more signs on others. Hope the humidity drops soon
-
Well, he's a bit better today. Came to the bucket when called (he doesn't normally get fed in the morning). Still being bothered by flies and trying to nibble his back end, so still a problem. I will give him another wash down with Dettol and hope for the best. I will be on the doorstep of Mole Valley Farmers at 8am tomorrow!
-
Sounds like the problem may be the rear end - be sure to check that anus, smear with vaseline if erupting. 24 hours can be a long time in maggotsville. Check the fleece down to the roots thoroughly,looking for any discolouration, especially from the skull down the backbone to the tail, and get him sheared soon if in any doubt.
-
Posted seperately about my own flystrikes woes. Any chance you could knock on a farmer neighbour's door for a cup of crovect and decant into a sprayer?
We removed all visible maggots ad clipped off half his fleece, a good way into 'clean' wool. I couldn't believe my eyes when we applied crovect to the attacked areas - the maggots literally popped out of the poor lambs skin in their hundreds. Your sheep may also have them buried in its flesh as well.
I know there have been posts about crovect's efficacy at preventing strike, but I wouldn't be without some for treating it if you are unlucky enough to get it.
-
I've a small ewe lamb really bad with fly strike and scour. She was injected with Cydectin mid-April and then done again mid July with Cydectin oral and also Vecoxam. Maggots galore. Didn't have Crovect so did her with diluted Jeyes fluid. Still not clear so Crovect today. I really don't know where to go with her now. She has certainly lost condition but is grazing and drinking. The scour is a huge problem - was going to inject her with Cydectin again tomorrow. Reading this, maybe some LA Alamycin too? Should I clip her? Tried to dag her rear end this morning but she is so dirty tht it's nearly mission impossible. Any suggestions?
Thanks
-
I found that washing the rear end with copious amount of warm diuted Dettol got rid of the worst of the soiling, then I could see what I was doing with the dagging shears. Pinned the lamb against a hurdle for most of it then up ended him to do the underneath parts. Masses of maggots came out of the wool. Diluted Jeyes fluid would probably be just as good.
Smallflockshearing was right about checking the anus. Although there were no maggots inside the anus, there were masses immediately around it. (What a lovely conversation for a sunny Bank Holiday!)
I managed to get some Crovect at lunchtime but the affected lamb is sufficiently better that I can't catch him to apply it!
-
Stanlamb
Yes to an antibiotic, but also some s/b spray on any open wounds as well. Maggots give of toxins and the open wounds are a risk.
Sounds like you need to get to route of scouring. May need a second dose of vecoxan if its cocci. You have dosed with cydectin twice, I'd try another chemical group wormer. If its flock wide consider getting a sample/worm test checked at your vets to see what's going on. I'm not sure cydectin does nemotardis(?spelling) - usually group 1/ white wormer for lambs.
-
Thanks for such a quick response Smudger. Just one lamb effected. Will def give AB in the morning and will pop into Vet first for another dose of Vecoxam and an alternative wormer. Absolutely agree need to get I'd of scour but have been stumped!
-
Possum, shall try washing her. Yuck but maybe necessary. Had a look at anus and there were none surrounding it. I didn't look inside though. Think I've a fun morning to look forward to tomorrow! ::)
-
we had a few patches under sheepy armpits last time too, had to turn him to find those. Also check feet!
-
Stanlamb - you have my sympathy. Although he looked so much better afterwards that I was really glad that I had done it. Surprisingly it didn't smell at all. Apart from the all-pervading perfume of high strength Dettol!
-
Stanlamb - you haven't given any flukicide, are you sure this lamb doesn't have fluke?
-
Hi Sally ... I haven't and I'm not but when I discussed her with the vet in June/July, he said you wouldn't see fluke in lambs before autumn. I can add Levafas Diamond or (have another, can't recall which) to her list of medicines for tomorrow though. Big guns in! Thank you. :-)
-
I don't know where you are, but this is from the current NADIS Parasite Forecast:
August to October 2012 was very wet across much of the UK, allowing many snails to be infected late in the year. These overwintering infected snails can release infection when temperatures are high enough (often from late April or May) producing acute infections in the following weeks.
Previous studies have shown that most snails carrying fluke infection over the winter will have died by the end of June. Above-average rainfall across the UK in May (although not June) will have allowed release of some of this infection, and there have indeed been reports of acute infection in lambs this June/July.
We have had a low level of fluke in our lambs this year - 2 or 3 affected in batches of 15 to 22 lambs, whereas last year we had fluke in 26 of 29 lambs in August. (We get these reports from the abbatoir, and they are invaluable.)
Shitty bum that won't dry up when wormed smacks of possible fluke to me.
-
Hopefully this will be the last query. :fc:
We caught the lamb this evening , trimmed the remaining grubby wool and applied the Crovect. Lots of maggots started wriggling out!(I think we need an emoticon for Yuk!)
Unfortunately we also found a raw area on his rump with maggots coming out of it. Cut the surrounding wool really short, applied a bit more Crovect near to the raw area and applied Sudocreme. Have left lamb in a pen and he seems reasonably happy. Will phone the vet tomorrow about antibiotics.
Is there anything else I should do this evening??
-
Hi Possum, I think you have pretty much done all you can today! Best of luck - you have caught it and are treating it, so he should get through it ok. Get some sleep after your relaxing bank holiday...
-
Ohhh, thank you so much Sfs.
I do feel pretty tired. It's the first time that I have had to deal with this and the worry is almost more exhausting than all the running around. Not to mention all the bending over once you have up-ended a sheep and are trimming, washing and spraying.
I'm sure that i will get a good night's sleep now that I know that there is nothing more to do for the moment. :)
-
I think the last week has been particularly bad for flies. We have found lots of eggs on many of our lambs, but none have hatched into maggots - so Clik must be working. We Cliked them way back in June but it is obviously lasting the 16 weeks. We are getting the lambs sheared on Friday, so that should help too as their fleeces are quite thick. The ewes we sheared & Cliked in June have no sign of eggs, flies etc.
-
Yes, I think I will use Click next year. Crovect was fine last year but in hot summers like this one something that is longer lasting is definitely better. Don't want to go through this again!
-
I think that would be a good move - Clik has certainly worked well for us this year. We have seen loads of eggs, but non develope into maggots! The fact that it works out cheaper as it last 16 weeks & that we only have to treat the sheep once - sells it for me. Also, it works in a different way to Crovect. Crovect only protects the areas it is sprayed on, but Clik is absorbed through the wool & skin & moves over the whole body.
We did use Crovect pre shearing, but had a few with fly strike, so I think, although it is a very good product, the protection isn't quite as good.
I hope your sheep are doing ok now. Fly strike is a very nasty thing to deal with - for both you & the sheep.
-
It was our first time too this year but we kept on clipping the wool right back (with a pair of freaking dog grooming scissors!!!) Until we were sure we got all the buggers. We also cut out all the eggs. If there are still flies buzzing round (or even a fly) you may not have got all the patches. Hubby wrestled sheepy to the floor and I sat on him to give him a thorough going over. Washed wounds with salt water and iodine then summer fly cream. A purple and yellow sheep :). We did have to squeeze a bit of pus out of a couple of wounds when they started to heal but repeated the process and all is good. They are going Tuesday - now they don't look like we've been stubbing cigarettes out on their legs!!!
-
Thanks Ssd and Bb. He is gradually getting better. :fc:
The vet prescribed antibiotic and painkilling injections and advised me to to keep clipping around the affected area. I thought I had done a pretty good job already but when I had a second go I found masses more wet wool with dead maggots in it. I ended up clipping half his back and quite a bit of one flank. Luckily none of the maggots had burrowed into the skin. I sprayed the whole area with iodine to help dry it out and deter any more wriggly things. Poor lamb looks a real mess now and is avoiding me like the plague!
-
Sounds like you're getting there Possum. Dead maggots better than live!
My wee lamb is coming slowly. Saw the vet and got an antibiotic which she's getting daily, also dosed her with Levafas Diamond (thank you Sally) and had the dubious pleasure of washing her very dirty rear end. Today she's bright as a button and there's no fresh scour since yesterday which is brilliant. Will keep her in for another couple of days to finish the AB and then she can go back our with her pals. Thanks for all the advice folks.
-
If we encounter flystrike I get out the clippers and shear a big circle around the area, moving inwards like a Swiss roll. By the time I get to the maggots there's nowhere for them to hide. I use an old 1 litre washing up liquid bottle with a centimetre of Jeyes fluid in the bottom and filled up with water. Even at this dilution it's enough to irritate the maggots sufficiently to make them leave the skin. Any stronger and it's extremely irritating to broken skin. If your sheep is still nabbing at any part of its body, making sudden small moves, tossing its head, grinding its teeth or unable to settle and graze - you've missed some.