[humphreymctush]

I cant even remeber where I first heard this but for me its almost an article of faith that you should never pull it out. What I would probably do in your situation is load the ewe and lambs in the trailer and take her to the vets so they can sort it out themseleves.

[Castle Farm]

I lambed a ewe a few weeks back, Got the first lamb out with a leg back, so had to invade.

Checked her about an hour later after a trip to the vet for a couple of injections and when I got back she hadn't dropped the second one, so I lambed her again, but this time the lamb was dead.

Checked for a third lamb while I was at it and found nothing.. Two days later she was still dragging the afterbirth around and I went back in and found another dead lamb.

She is fine now even after all that and the lamb is doing fine. Her number is 13 and I'm afraid she will be going on after she rears the lamb.
The rule is check why the placenta is holding, it may be around another lamb. Don't cut it.

[colliewoman]

Sounds like there is a common theme to retained placenta's, this is the ewe who's lamb was head only and I had to go in and help. She was very tight and it was an awful job even with my tiny hands. I did check for another, but found nothing. I will check again incase there is another lurking in there somewhere. thank you x

humphreymctush
Same here, I cannot for the life of me remember where I heard it, but I was told you can kill a ewe by removing a placenta.


I will post later with my findings/decision.

[dixie]

I always thought you shouldn't remove a placenta. Can't the vet give an injection to make her expel. I think it's oxytocin? They do for pigs. Is your vet a farm vet or small animal?

[SallyintNorth]

I've heard about 'peeling it off the cotyledons' but also, in common with everyone else, have always been told and believed that it's a vet job.

Can you take her to the vet for them to do it there?

[in the hills]

Yes, if its not a lamb, my first thought would have been an injection. Perhaps you would feel better if you could get her to the vet and let him have a look.

[Rosemary]

I may be a bit of a woose but I'd be telling the vet to get his a*se over here - if it needs removed, it's his job.

[kanisha]

I had a ewe with a trailing placenta she had been given hormones to close everything down and cleanse but didn't. I did very gently attempt to remove the placenta by placing gentle traction on it. This was done with one person holding the ewe but the traction was sufficiently low to avoid causing her any concern( by her moving. ) i have heard of people tying a waterbag on the end of a placenta to remove it as naturally as possible. I figured my traction should be roughly equivalent. I gently pulled but also was careful to move to change the direction of the pull. the placenta came away although I suspect there was a portion retained and the ewe suffered no long term problems. shes expecting again now.

[colliewoman]

Well the technique is....
Panic, phone the vet, get instructions, buy more gloves and KY jelly worry about it all afternoon. Brace yourself and go to the sheep field to find she's grazing perfectly happily and has cleansed whilst you were out getting supplies!

the vet would have come out, but said it was a job I could do myself, and yes is the farm vet not small animal.

Thanks again all!

[Hazelwood Flock]

Glad it turned out o.k in the end...sheep eh? 
The boss had one at work with a retained cleanse, he just gently pulled on it and it came away. I always gather the afterbirths from my lot as the ferrets love them! saves attracting the unwanted attentions of foxes and ravens too....

[Fleecewife]

Glad it worked out ok 

[VSS]

No, you don't pull it out.

Give long acting antibiotic cover and it will come out on its own in the end.

[suziequeue]

Great 

amazing...... they just know. When we were waiting for one of our ewes to lamb, I said "I'm fed up with this, I'm going in to make some lunch" and after lunch we came out to find that she was suckling a little lamb.

They just know....

[in the hills]

Phew ...... glad to hear it colliewoman.

Hope all goes smoothly for her and her lamb now. 

[Emmam]

Job done!