[17AndCounting]

I'm looking for advice for helping a sick sheep.

He had scour at the beginning of the week. Wednesday he went off his food (he's on nice grass but is also offered coarse mix) so we drenched him with a mix of weetabix, honey, salt and bicarb. He was up on his feet again then, grazing and drinking water.

Yesterday he was up and about but not grazing so we drenched him again, he takes the drench quite happily.

A couple of times when he's been laying down we've gone to check on him and stand him up and it's as if his legs are dead - he doesn't even try and put weight on them, then a few minutes later he's up and about on his own!

I've just been to check him and it's the same again. He baa-d at me but I couldn't get him standing. He doesn't appear to be scouring now but that might be because he hasn't eaten enough.  He is weeing though.

Any ideas or suggestions that we can try?

 

[bazzais]

Dehydration? - try some rehydrol and maybe some bicamix ?

[bazzais]

Maybe a bit of ivy to get its gut churning again.

[17AndCounting]

I have I ivy, I'll pick him some.

I've seen a suggestion for a rehydration solution of water/salt/glucose powder. I haven't got glucose powder could I substitute honey? Or something else?

[bazzais]

Cant see a problem with using it until you can get something from the farm stores thats made specifically for rehydrating.

[SteveHants]

Haven't you just lost a couple?


I'd start to be worried about pasturella etc. Try antibiotics - alamycin, engymycin something like that. Are the rest vaccinated?

[17AndCounting]

Yes we lost two earlier in the week. They've had all their vaccinations.

[17AndCounting]

Vet is sorting out antibiotics.  In more positive news he's definitely stopped scouring!

[bazzais]

Good news - hope he comes right.

[17AndCounting]

Sadly he's died in the past few minutes. We think it must have been something they'd eaten.

[Bramblecot]

Sorry for your loss .  But being pragmatic, is it worth getting the vet to do a pm. as that is too many to lose in a week IMO. I hope things improve for you.

[twizzel]

Sorry to hear that are you able to move the rest out of the field in the mean time so you can thoroughly check the field over? Might be worth doing if you've got somewhere else to put them. Also how is water supplied to the field?

[smallflockshearing]

Sounds serious - I' d ask your vet to prescribe a group 4 or group 5 wormer for the rest.  If they are hanging around the drinking trough a lot, it might be N. Battus, thin-necked intestinal worm. 

[17AndCounting]

Thanks for all your replies.

They were in a different area to the others, have caught all the remaining ones and checked them over this afternoon anyway though. They seem fine - particularly if speed is an indication!

They've all had wormer/vaccinations/crovect hence why we believe it's something they've eaten. Will do FEC anyway. Water is supplied via a hosepipe to a trough and filled daily.

They were all cade lambs and two of them already had other health issues when they came to us (and the vet had seen them). When I spoke to the vet earlier he agreed that might have made them more susceptible.

Thanks again for all your comments.

[zarzar]

We also lost 3 cade lambs begining of last week had all we could think of checked only thing vet came up with is could be the male goat that escaped from next door mounting them??? all where males lambs.