Author Topic: Coughing ram-lamb (Read 7393 times)

dyedinthewool · « **on:** December 26, 2011, 05:09:13 pm »

Hi,

This morning two of the ram-lambs had a butting session - quite a confrontation, Lasted for a few minutes.

By the time I got out there they had stopped and where grazing - seemingly the argument was over...

and everything was back to normal.

A bit later I went to clean out the shed they use and he was led-down I cleaned out the girls side (the shed is split into two so that it is shared between the ewe lambs in their paddock and the boys in their paddock without them being together) then hopped over the hurdle to do the boys side and he didn't get up ( not that that was unusual as he's very laid back - infact I have to shut the boys out otherwise they want to help...) he then had a coughing fit, then led back down again had a few more ckecks. He wasn't coughing first thing when they had their morning handful of rolls.

This evening when topping up hay feeders he was still led-down and I heard him have another cough although only as if clearing his throat... They have a bit of hard food in the evening, he came out and ate that but went back in and led down. He was still led down when I came in looking a bit sorry for himself.

Any ideas on what can be wrong or could it be he rattled himself having the headbutting session and given himself a head ache?

robert waddell · « **Reply #1 on:** December 26, 2011, 05:18:27 pm »

not an expert and far from being experienced with sheep we had one lamb cough after getting dry feed to the point it was sick we put it down to guzzling its food to quick we have also observered other sheep coughing even show sheep and nobody seams to bother i also would like others opinions on this

dyedinthewool · « **Reply #2 on:** December 26, 2011, 07:47:35 pm »

Quote from: robert waddell on December 26, 2011, 05:18:27 pm

not an expert and far from being experienced with sheep we had one lamb cough after getting dry feed to the point it was sick we put it down to guzzling its food to quick we have also observered other sheep coughing even show sheep and nobody seams to bother i also would like others opinions on this

Thanks Robert,

Never thought of that - their morning feed is just rolls/nuts they are quite small more like chicken pellets, in the evening I mix some soaked sugarbeet and and coarse mix with them. So that maybe the coughing problem but still concerned about the lying down nearly all day, which is out of character for him.

Anke · « **Reply #3 on:** December 26, 2011, 08:57:26 pm »

I would have thought that lambs can get concussion too... and also their skulls will not be really hard yet, so quite likely that he is feeling a bit sorry for himself.

Hazelwood Flock · « **Reply #4 on:** December 26, 2011, 10:11:35 pm »

Are they vaccinated against pasteurella pneumonia? has he got a temperature?

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #5 on:** December 26, 2011, 11:02:50 pm »

Check his mucous membranes - are they healthy, moist and pink? (I usually look at the inside of the flesh around the eye.)

Rich/Jan · « **Reply #6 on:** December 27, 2011, 02:07:50 pm »

Could it be 'ouest' Any other symptoms?

dyedinthewool · « **Reply #7 on:** December 28, 2011, 08:43:58 pm »

Hi All,

Just to let you know...

He slowly got worse - his breathing got more rapid - he became restless, kicking at his tummy and obviously distressed and in pain (lip curling). Although as far as I could see he didn't seem to have a temperature and his eye mucus was as should be. If it had been a horse I would have said he had colic or at worse a twisted gut.

So phoned the vet - both emergency vets were out on bad cases... Why does it all ways happen on a bank holidays/weekends...

OH had gone off with son in law in our 4 x 4 with no mobile signal...

I ended up taking him to the surgery in my daughters people carrier, which lammy duly christened.

The vet confirmed he had normal temperature/mucus membrane was fine - she wondered if it was 'crystals' which was causing the problem or at worse a twisted gut otherwise she couldn't find/see anything wrong. She did say he could have upset himself with the fight. She gave him a pain killer and I was to give him a 6ml Alamycin LA jab when I got home (as I had some) with a further jab in a couple of days.

After we got him out of the car into his pen he led straight down looking very sorry for his self. I had already moved him away from the other two ram lambs into a pen on his own so I could monitor his condition. Later that evening he had got up and eaten some hay and had a drink though still uncomfortable in his back end all most stiff...

This morning he had dunged which was a relief, it 'hopefully' means he doesn't have a gut problem , he has improved as the day has gone on and ate some coarse-mix this evening.

I now think on reflection that he had got a battering and may be had been jumped on/ trampled on by the other ram who he was fighting with and had been badly bruised as I noticed this ramlamb was having a go at the other ramlamb he is still with. He is a 'pain in the **s' always chasing the other lambs and trying to ride them. It's no wonder they aren't putting on any weight...!

His days are numbered as soon as I can get him booked into a slaughterhouse and butchered the better.

Meanwhile I'll keep the ramlamb in for a few days to make sure he has fully recovered.

Thanks for all your suggestions on what it could have been.

It's nice to know that even on bank holidays/week-ends there is always some one on the TAS who can offer some support/ advice to help us newbies sort out their problems.

Thanks again

D.