Author Topic: Lamb producing milk like scour (Read 1622 times)

VH11 · « **on:** April 26, 2019, 12:01:52 pm »

Hello, I have read lots of posts on here but this is my first question...

I have a twin tup lamb who is about 48 hours old, I had not noticed any abnormalities, he is bright and feeding well, however I came to process him to turn out and noticed he has pretty much pure milk coming out of his bum when going to the toilet. It is hard to tell but think he may also be producing some normalish poo as well.

Any ideas on what this could be, I have never come across this, certainly not in an otherwise healthy lamb? I am hoping to turn family out and keep an eye on him but would rather catch a potential problem early

His sister was a bit dopey and took some work to latch on to the teat but she is now feeding well, fit and producing normal poo!

P.s I have only ear tagged him, held off castrating and docking for another day when I saw the milky poo!

shep53 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 01, 2019, 01:00:41 pm »

Sorry looks like we all totally missed this post , I assume by now either he is dead or recovered after treatment from what reads like severe scour . Really sorry to miss your first post

PipKelpy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 01, 2019, 08:24:50 pm »

Hi, agree, missed the post, but if something like this happens, try live or bio yogurt! Onken works beautifully though my lot like easiyo, the dogs love it too. Fill a syringe and squirt it in its mouth so it gets it neat and then if necessary dilute it with warm water and drench it or add it to milk in a bottle. Works for ALL livestock!! Junipers first calf had the squits terribly when she was 12 weeks old. I went to check on them and couldn't understand what all the white stuff was on the field! So I got them both in, got Jelly in the alley, held tight and drenched her. Knowing that she would resist again, I left the pair in the shed for a few days (got messy too), but the liquid poo turned to clotted poo and then proper poo in a couple of days (She was dosed about 3 times a day!) I kept them both mainly on hay for a week and restricted grass. Afterwards i was quite chuffed when I could walk up to Jelly and squirt yogurt into her mouth in the field. A vet along time ago once told me to go back to the old ways as New ideas aren't always best!! (And new ideas usually cost more money!)

twizzel · « **Reply #3 on:** May 01, 2019, 10:11:20 pm »

Quote from: PipKelpy on May 01, 2019, 08:24:50 pm

Hi, agree, missed the post, but if something like this happens, try live or bio yogurt! Onken works beautifully though my lot like easiyo, the dogs love it too. Fill a syringe and squirt it in its mouth so it gets it neat and then if necessary dilute it with warm water and drench it or add it to milk in a bottle. Works for ALL livestock!! Junipers first calf had the squits terribly when she was 12 weeks old. I went to check on them and couldn't understand what all the white stuff was on the field! So I got them both in, got Jelly in the alley, held tight and drenched her. Knowing that she would resist again, I left the pair in the shed for a few days (got messy too), but the liquid poo turned to clotted poo and then proper poo in a couple of days (She was dosed about 3 times a day!) I kept them both mainly on hay for a week and restricted grass. Afterwards i was quite chuffed when I could walk up to Jelly and squirt yogurt into her mouth in the field. A vet along time ago once told me to go back to the old ways as New ideas aren't always best!! (And new ideas usually cost more money!)

But if the calf had rotavirus, E. coli, crypto, cocci, then yoghurt wouldn’t have helped and the vet most definitely would have. Yoghurt will help a dietary milk scour for sure but young calves with scour need a vet to diagnose the cause quick before it’s too late. Same goes for lambs.

PipKelpy · « **Reply #4 on:** May 02, 2019, 07:10:56 am »

Quote from: twizzel on May 01, 2019, 10:11:20 pm

But if the calf had rotavirus, E. coli, crypto, cocci, then yoghurt wouldn’t have helped and the vet most definitely would have. Yoghurt will help a dietary milk scour for sure but young calves with scour need a vet to diagnose the cause quick before it’s too late. Same goes for lambs.

Yes, agree. But the vet who told me this to start with had, back in the early 2000's been treating a poorly calf I'd bought from auction. You name it, he tried it! Yogurt was the last resort.

When I had the vet out to Mary in January and told him of the yogurt i put in her milk he said what a good idea as bottle/bucket reared calves are always more stressed than naturally reared and the yogurt would only be boosting all the good bacteria in the stomach.

If you have a local vet you can take a poorly lamb to, then yes, bung it in a box and take it. I have done, saved a call out fee! Took 4 one day all for a good jab under the skin as they wouldn't sell me the individual doses, only the whole bottle. But that was then, when my vet was 5 minutes drive away. Now, they've packed up and the vet is forty minutes away!