Author Topic: Ewe advice needed (Read 9584 times)

Blacksheep · « **Reply #15 on:** April 25, 2012, 06:19:23 pm »

You can buy ruman stimulant powder made by Provita and give this to help stimulate her rumination/digestion we get this from the vets. Also as said above and even better is rumen fluid from a doner sheep, we have managed to 'steal' it from other sheep while they are cudding and this is easier than trying to tube it, you need to put a stick like a gag in the doner sheep's mouth so they chomp on it and then scrape is off the stick, best if you have a fairly tame sheep that will keep cudding on the sheep and not panic/run away!
B12 /Intravit can be given to help stimulate appetite.
We used to give mulitvit injections to any sick sheep as advised by VSS but unfortunately it can no longer be given to food producing animals and is now only licenced for horses not intended for human consumption so you would not be able to give this to your ewe. Would be very interested if anyone knows of any alternatives to this, other than this a vitamin drench might be an idea.
Keep going with the energy drenches /yogurt etc - if you can get hold of live sheeps or goats milk yogurt this will be much better than cows milk yogurt, have also heard that guiness is good for sick sheep! Also worth picking tasty hedgerow herbs, like cow parsley, to try and tempt her with. Why did your vet disapprove of ivy, we also offer this too to any sick sheep?

dixie · « **Reply #16 on:** April 25, 2012, 06:24:57 pm »

An update, a slight improvement. She is now picking at hay and is a little brighter, I gave liquidised oats and actimel, and some greek yoghurt, couldn't get live yoghurt. Continuing with 50ml glycol drench too. Fingers crossed she's on the up! She keeps chewing a piece of baling twine? I've heard of using another's chewed cud as being successful, hoping she won't need it now, managed to get her on grass for 5 mins, she nibbled at it. Still topping up lambs although it's just one that's really hungry, thanks for all your wonderful help everyone

Blacksheep · « **Reply #17 on:** April 25, 2012, 06:55:02 pm »

great news dixie, hopefully her milk will come back ok if you keep the lambs with her, we had a ewe be very sick after lambing, she really loved her lamb though through this time - we had to feed it for nearly 2 weeks and then realised that her milk had come back after she recovered and were able to stop the bottle feeding altogether which was a good surprise.

dixie · « **Reply #18 on:** April 25, 2012, 07:06:01 pm »

That's good, yes it's best to leave the lambs with mum to help stimulate her milk, we had one 2 weeks ago on her way to twin lamb disease, I fed the lambs with goat colostrum, her milk came and she is now feeding them totally herself, think I might need to help this one out though as she has triplets.