The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: moprabbit on July 30, 2016, 05:02:47 pm
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One of my ewes has really puffy swollen ears. She's not going mad scratching them but they're obviously uncomfortable at times - I wondered if it was ear mites. I rang the vet and he suggested Metacam, which I gave her. No real improvement so I got the vet to come and look at her. She said they were haematoma ( broken blood vessels I think) probably caused by fly irritation and Desi shaking her head. She drained them by sticking a needle in and syringing out the liquid - which was easier said than done! Desi didn't like it one little bit! She then took some swabs, gave her a dose of antibiotic and Panamec in case it is ear mites. I have another dose of Panamec for a weeks time. The vet said they would probably fill up again - which they duly have. The swabs showed no sign of mites.
I'm putting fly repellent on to try to help, but wondered if anyone else has had this with their sheep? I'm wondering if the swelling will go down on it's own? Is there anything I should do?
Thank you.
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It is very common in dogs, usually due to some irritation to the ears, which is usually an ear infection but can be something like an insect bite. The blood will keep filling the ears until the broken blood vessels have a chance to seal up, ie the head shaking/scratching is reduced by trying to deal with the initial cause (ear infection/insect bites) which it sounds like you're addressing well with fly repellent, the panomec for mites/parasites/flies to some extent; thereafter, it is time and nature that will heal the swellings.
In dogs, sometimes an operation is done to open the haematoma surgically with sutures and sometimes even buttons sewn onto the ear to prevent it refilling and healing wrinkly. Without the operation, the body will eventually reabsorb the fluid, but it may heal a bit wrinkly like a boxer's cauliflower ear.
It is not so common in other animals but it can happen, I recently did that operation on a cat, which I believe had a haematoma following a bite, and I had one of our own litters of kune kune piglets that were particularly boisterous, and chewed each others ears more than usual and many of them had haematomas which healed on their own just a bit wrinkly - one of them we still have as a breeding sow and it doesn't bother her one bit!
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Could sunburn be a causal factor in setting off the cycle? I know a Shetland breeder who many years ago had 'Lugless' the ewe, who had lost her ears due to sunburn damage :o
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Fairly common especially in rams ( sometimes called iron lugs ) normally drys up but the ear goes hard and wrinkly
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Put her in shade if possible x
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Thank you for the replies. I don't think its sunburn as the sheep have plenty of shade and a field shelter which they use all in the time in hot weather. I glad to hear that it will heal in time and I don't mind if she's got a funny shaped ear. I really just wanted to know if I was doing all I could to help her. I will keep on with the insect repellent and hope that helps to stop the irritation that's caused it in the first place. Thank you
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It could be photo sensitivity rather than sunburn per se. Some plants - bog asphodel, for instance, and I'm told also St Johns Wort - can cause this. It can result in the ears or parts of the ears disintegrating, or they may heal but always be rather thick and lumpy.
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It could be photo sensitivity rather than sunburn per se. Some plants - bog asphodel, for instance, and I'm told also St Johns Wort - can cause this. It can result in the ears or parts of the ears disintegrating, or they may heal but always be rather thick and lumpy.
Ah yes, that's probably right, although I don't know what plants the Shetland breeder had in her pastures. Even white Shetlands have some wool/hair covering on their ears, so unlikely to be sunburn alone.
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Thanks for that Sally. I've looked up those plants and I'm pretty sure there are none in the field, but I will keep an eye open as I'm walking round.