[goosepimple]

One of our new Ronaldsay ewes had a foaming mouth at 7.30am and was acting drunk, the other is very well in comparison so obviously the foamer has eaten something.  They are on their own food and don't have access to the normal sheep food, we dug up the rhodedendron and the yew which were nearby and made sure they were safe.  There have been sheep in the part of the field they are in for years and nothing has ever happened like this before, but she must have found something - I think they eat different vegetation than other sheep and are more goat like.  It may have been rhubarb leaves (if so vet says these are less likely to kill), so obviously will dig that up but we will have to shut them out of that part of the paddock forever now.
Question is - I called vet, we pounded up some bbq charcoal and mixed to a paste but he said not to give it to her - to give her very strong coffee instead as a drencher which we did via a turkey baster which worked well.  She has had 3 injections - engimycin, vitB12 and flunixin and she is in a quiet shed with fresh bedding.  He said we just have to wait next 24-48 hours critical.  She had been sick before we got to her but can't tell what it is - green slime. Can I ask those of you who have experienced this what your vets said about the charcoal, ours said it was best to drench her and get it out of her system.  She has laboured breathing and is still a bit drunk although foaming has stopped.    We've only had them 2 weeks and thought we were doing everything carefully, now gutted.  Vet says most ewes die of this. 
Thanks for reading, will keep posted.

[kanisha]

I can't comment on treatments but I had a similar problem one winter with a ram who had obviously munched something out of the ordinary ( never did find anything) he was very ill as sounds similar if worse to your ewe. Vet was very negative and didn't think he would make it ( neither did I) but he pulled through. Kepping everything crossed and hope things work out sounds like you couldn't have done more.

[goosepimple]

Thanks Kanisha, have just been across to see her and I think she is as close to death as she is going to get, am going back now to be near her.  I'm gutted.

[goosepimple]

She died about half an hour ago, 2.30pm - that was all very quick - she was running up to me last night quite happily, foaming at the mouth at 7.00am this morning and then dead this afternoon.  The other one looks 100% but we will have to return her or sell her on as obviously we have something which is not safe for them.  All our other sheep (soays,moorits) are fine.  Obviously something she ate and we have inspected everywhere, no laurel, azaelias, rhodi, hemlock or yew that we can see.  Ronaldsays cannot tolerate copper and perhaps there was a plant with this in it we are not aware.  Maybe she drank from the river and there is a problem there.  Devastated and very upset, she was a beautiful looking animal and we had hoped to show them this summer.  Totally totally gutted. Doesn't matter if it was just one of those things and we weren't to know, I feel totally irresponsible.  We got good stock from the Sec of the NR Society and the RBST officer is coming up this week to see them. Gutted.

[Brucklay]

That's awful Goosepimple - especially not knowing what it was, I often wish my girls had some hedging etc around their field to protect them from the bad weather but saying that a bare field and a shelter could be safer especially as I'm not too good at identifying plant. Very sorry for you 

[jaykay]

Oh, I'm so sorry 

A lady in our goat society lost two goats because someone fed them rhubarb leaves over the gate 

[goosepimple]

Thank you both, there is a very small patch of rhubarb - it's not grown up yet, about 6 inches tall with about 5 leaves on it (looks like its struggling actually), there's a tiny nibble on it - looks like it could have been a caterpillar actually so we've pretty much ruled that one out.  I'm going to post some photos of a couple of other patches of things that are not grass - one is well nibbled, but the geese often browse too and are in that area regularly and so its difficult to tell what has eaten what.  Won't rest until we find out.  A bad day.

[woollyval]

If we can help please ask...my husband is a qualified ecologist and I am qualified in Countryside management and landscape conservation so very very good at spotting plants and doing plant ID.....will try and do this for anyone who asks.
I cannot imagine that anything that is so poisonous to N Rons is not to C.Morits and Soays so maybe something that has been overlooked or...fed by persons unknown.....

Rhubarb in all its forms is poisonous and I would not let sheep anywhere near it! My veg plot has 2 stock fences between it and sheep.

Are you feeding hay? Is there something in that? Are you keeping them on ground that has had pigs on it as pig poo is full of copper from the pig food that is excreted onto the ground and can make it quite copery.

Can they get to a box hedge? You know, the sort with tiny green leaves beloved of gardners? These are also very poisonous.

 

[in the hills]

So sorry   

[kanisha]

((((((hug))))))

[Emmam]

So terribly sorry to read this.

[goosepimple]

Thank you all - will post separate thread with photos re plants and would be much obliged if you could take a look woolyval.  All other sheep are fine (thankfully).  Thanks all.

[Rosemary]

Sorry to hear about your ewe 

[goosepimple]

Thanks R, vet said its almost 100% fatal in ewes, rams sometimes pull through in that they are stronger (as you may know).  Have made a post in Identification category.

[Mammyshaz]

That's awful. Big hugs.