[Blarter7]

Help for a newbie please!
I have 3 years lambing experience and have a (very) small flock of sheep - if 5 can be classed as a flock - and 15 ish cades.  To date I have been nudging the farmer whom I help for medicines when I feel it necessary, however I feel now is the time to stock a medicine cabinet. 
Firstly, which med's do you guys always have to hand, and what is the shelf life? I ask this as I popped one of the lame cades to the vet yesterday and quizzed her about this. 
Didn't get much response - only that the shelf life of meds is limited (30 days) so better to pop in for a syringe as needed.
Not exactly the answer I was hoping for due to time and (importantly!) finance. I previously purchased metacam for the dog on line with a prescription - large bottles. Certainly it lasted over 30 days but maybe the oral stuff is different in that respect?

Currently lamb is on Metacam (20mg/ml) - .4ml per day for 3 days and Noroclav 1ml a day for 5.
Seeing Metacam pop up so much on this forum I figured I'd ask the experts.

Farmer gives me Amoxicillin to treat them with, the one he uses to treat lambs at birth , which the vet said is not powerful enough.  Not sure of strength - are there different strengths or do i simply give more?

FYI - one lamb has a broken leg - an old break and wound on the hock so I don't hold out much hope for him. Poor bugger. The two smaller lambs are showing the lameness of joint ill without fever or swelling. Checked for trauma. Nothing obvious. Bright and drinking. Have I missed another common lamb ailment as I can guarantee 'joint ill' is the only response I get when I mention a lame lamb! Should I assume its j'ilI? Gah. I hate j'ill

Any help very gratefully received on lame lambs, drug type/dosage, shelf life, and pretty much anything else I should be informed of within those perimeters.  Or indeed outside. Eager to learn.
Sorry if this topic has already been covered in full - please forward a link if so.

Thank you in advance.

[Marches Farmer]

With a small flock it probably is easier to get syringes of the vet recommended meds as and when needed.  We always have Alamycin LA in stock - saves jabbing with a/bs on a daily basis.  What you need depends very much on the status of your flock.  Our own is closed and high health, so a negligible risk of many diseases, but for those raising cade lambs or buying in breeding stock the situationis much more complicated.

[TheSmilingSheep]

We have a small flock.  This last year we bought a bottle of engymycin (sp?!) LA -which is a long acting anti-biotic.  Shelf life is 28 days after opening, however, we have been advised by a vet that it's ok to use it until the batch expiry.  We've used half the bottle in the last year, and now about to discard it.  We also bought a bottle of metacam (as pain relief) - 100ml I think which was way too much for us.... I think the vet can order in 20 ml bottles which we'd get next time.  Use it similarly (ie beyond shelf life but not beyond batch expiry).  Recently told by vet not to use on consecutive days, but at least 5 days apart due to stress on kidneys (mentioned since you said you were using it daily - fine for chickens I think but not sheep...)
I do understand that many wont agree with me, and would never use anything beyond the shelf life.... And I don't mention that we have done to be controversial, simply that we've taken advice from a vet, who we trust, but I've no doubt others have been properly advised differently... We all just do our best, as we see it I guess.
Can't help with the lamb lameness, but wish you luck!

[waterbuffalofarmer]

How about iodine to guard against naval ill?

[Blarter7]

That's fab, thanks all - so it seems that for such a small flock buying from the vet direct as needed is the answer, as opposed to having a small arsenal of cover all in the cupboard.
Thanks Brendon ref the advice on Metacam dosage, taken that on board. Grateful.
Marches Farmer - can you explain this to a novice? " We always have Alamycin LA in stock - saves jabbing with a/bs on a daily basis." Why does it save jabbing with anti - b on daily basis? Sorry! Much to learn!
Waterbuffalofarmer - interesting point: the last 2 years we have dipped navels in iodine solution, but this year Mr Farmer decided not to, after a dicussion with another farmer about the severity of iodine and possibility to cause problems. [Any info on this readily taken]. Last year despite iodine, we had a lot of joint ill.  This year, without iodine,  barely any cases (it is a flock of 500 ewes). I suspect weather has a huge impact, it has been mostly glorious this year compared to last years damp encounter. Views?
As is the rule, some of my cades may not have had enough colostrum as there are only so many I 'know about' from birth - so i suspect half are vulnerable - however I made the decision to 'home school' them this year in clean, prepared loose boxes - rather than using the large  deep litter barn  areas used by the ewes during lambing period at the farm (as last year as I understand the bacteria build up can be impressive) in order to avoid joint ill etc.
Interestingly the farmer visited today and is certain that none of my lambs are showing the swollen joints and behaviour depicted by joint ill - more likely a mild trauma injury. Fingers crossed.
Broken legged chap however he determined has a severed Achilles, which pretty much puts him out of the running unless anyone can advise me different without vast cost - he is a mule lamb after all.  Poor fella.
It's hard being a sheep.

[Hellybee]

Alamycin LA. the LA bit is Long Acting.  Alamycin generally used for respiratory and feet problems. 


We keep ultrapen,it sone of this things not licenced for sheep but we ve had it prescribed. Also pen and strep.  If its kept refrigerated and dispensed carefully, I don't see why they shouldn't be still potent.  I m more inclined to look at its expiry date.


Oh and of course alamycin. 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

also penycillin is good to have in stock too! has to be kept in a cool dark place though

[Hellybee]

They all get iodined here.  Nearly every lamb I've sprayed I've managed to get my hand too, it's really dried it out, so I consider that the alcohol in it dries the cord out pretty damn quick.  Would nt be without it.  We also orojet all of them.