The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: trawscoed on December 12, 2014, 09:08:04 pm
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Hi whilst moving the sheep today one had a mishap getting out of the trailer and has broken her front leg below the knee. Since by then it was pretty late I took her back to the barn and put a splint on it.
Now having looked around the internet and spoken to an old farmer it seems that a splint is a good idea and that this might not be an utter disaster. I would gladly take any advice about how to proceed, so far I know that I can get a more suitable bandage at the vets in the morning.
The ewe in question is about 4 years old, and a Llanwenog.
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My friend had a southdown break her leg (I dont know which one) but it was casted for a month (might have been longer) and the ewe is fine now :) She wasn't as old as 4 though
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My experience is that you are better off putting her in the freezer now---prob. not what you want to hear but in an older animal these things take a bit of healing
Good luck though!
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Thanks for the replies. Do you think it is cruel to try to splint the leg or should I cull her instead? I'm in two minds so wouldn't mind hearing what others think. Bear in mind, she'll be on her own in a pen while she;s laid up.
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They really need splinted/cast properly by a vet as soon as the break happens. Fractures are incredibly painful until immobilised and the on going movement further damages the tissue & blood vessels. I would shoot her now not leave her till the morning.
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We had one broke her leg in a similar situation and location, jumping out of the pens. We splinted it and got the vet to have a look at her. He said we could give her a try if we wanted, the splint was keeping it immobile and she wasn't in pain. We named her Peg and kept her in a strawed yard for a wee while then into a level field with just a couple other quiet sheep for company and no competition for food or sleeping space. We checked the splint wasn't slipping or causing friction problems regularly. After 6 weeks we took the splint off and a month or so later she rejoined the flock. For a few months we could pick her out by her slight limp, by the following year she was indistinguishable from the others.
I'm not sure how old Peg would have been, probably 2 or 3 years old. Certainly not younger, could have been a little older.
So if you decide to give it a go, good luck, and if you decide otherwise, sorry for your loss :hug:
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Just back from checking her out, she seems well considering.
Thanks for the input everyone. I splinted it very shortly after the break (clean seeming, no cut) so the leg is immobilised. We don't have the means to just kill her there and then so have decided to call the vet tomorrow and take it from there. I wouldn't say she was in mega pain, it;s hard to tell, but for example when I;ve trimmed footrot over zealously they can growl and buck, but she has been very placid throughout bandaging and splinting.
I know my job isn't going to be textbook but it does the right thing in keeping it from moving so I'm hoping for the best. At the very least hoping that she's not too uncomfortable poor thing. I just suddenly feel very underprepared- which is a bit scary.
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The dear of her :( I know what you mean about feeling unprepared, after a lifetime of keeping animals I still feel a great sense of responsibility (which gets worse as I get older!) when one my creatures is sick or injured and feel inadequate to the situation. Do your best and what feels right, that's all you can do.
Sylvia
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I do feel for you, but as you are not certain she is not in pain then I can't see why you would be waiting to call the vet. If the vet needs to re-set and re-splint, then it needs to be soonest. If she needs pain relief, then it needs to be soonest. If she needs shot, then it needs to be soonest.
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Sheep, being a prey species, are hard-wired not to show pain. If they did it would immediately flag them up to any passing wolf as being a prime candidate for dinner. You cannot use "not showing signs of pain" as the basis of an assumption that all's well.
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here's an update to this story. The vet has re splinted it, though he said it was a tidy job to start with and might have made the difference, so that is a relief. Vet advice was no pain relief as pain is a sign not to use the limb. I concur with this as it is my personal approach if I am injured not to take pain relief, but it's not exactly fair to assume this is OK for anyone else. I will go with the professional opinion. Fingers crossed for a happy outcome in 3 weeks!
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Pain on using is one thing - she can avoid that by resting the limb. Pain all the time is another, so well done for getting the vet to check the splint as you weren't sure. Fingers crossed it knits and heals.
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Hopefully it heals, all the best. :thumbsup:
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My experience is that you are better off putting her in the freezer now
how would you do this in reality if they cant travel to abattoir if lame? is home kill the only option?
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Yes, home kill she cannot travel. But surely you are going to give her a chance now she is cast?
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My experience is that you are better off putting her in the freezer now
how would you do this in reality if they cant travel to abattoir if lame? is home kill the only option?
There is legislation allowing for emergency slaughter on farm. The vet has to sign off that its been an 'emergency' or accident eg. a broken leg, then kill the animal humanely and bleed it on farm before the carcase is delivered to the abattoir in a timely, suitably chilled fashion. Worth it for cattle who break a leg perhaps, but more likely to be better off doing a home kill yourself with a sheep and just keeping the meat for your own consumption.
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I had a ewe "Peggy" who broke a back leg when she was 18 months old and I got it cast by the vet. 6 weeks later I took the cast off and her leg was fixed, except for a pressure sore on her hock which cleared up quite quickly. However, she did not eat much while she was kept in even though she had company and she never really thrived after that. I culled her this October after she became a bag of bones. I don't know why she failed to thrive but I always wonder if the pain of the break or the pressure sore or the upset of being in was just too much. Next time I'd humanely slaughter her right away.
I hope your girl has a better outcome.
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One has to remember that while a human being can understand that he/she may feel terrible/in pain/scared they can usually appreciate why it is and that the situation won't last. Not so with an animal.
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Have 2 ewes in the flock that have had a broken leg , both are on the hill and neither have a limp , so long as its a straight break between knee and ankle then ok, anything else and I kill as quickly as possible
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I have also noticed that the ewe is off her food, but at the same time she's probably not expending as much energy.
I have obviously been checking the leg, in particular the foot, for warmth and I reckon it feels warm, which is a sign of circulation at least. For now all seems well.
Thanks for the info about emergency slaughter rules, that's handy to know. Just to clarify to the person that asked, yes I do intend to give the ewe a chance now that the leg is in a good splint.