Author Topic: Very upset... 8 week cade lamb with scour and cough :o( (Read 8159 times)

Mallows Flock · « **on:** June 15, 2012, 07:29:18 pm »

***BIG SIGH****
I have a big strong mule cade lamb just off 5 bar feeder who started having a little diarrhoea about a week ago but the grass had just come in and I had just white-wormed (Oramec'd) them so initially i wasn't too concerned. They haven't come from the best farmer, as I have since discovered... and frankly I think they have had a lucky escape.
The diarrhoea is pretty bad now - tho all other lambs and the rest of my flock fine. The lamb is walking about fine, strong looking, bright eyed and eating andf drinking but now a cough has been apparent over the last 3 days.
I have pen strep'd her today 1 mil and will give her same dose over next 3 days. I have also just bought some electrolyte fluid to bottle feed into her tonight to keep her fluids and vital minerals up. I have also today wormed her with All Verm broad spectrum wormer in case of Lungworm.
I have the total fear that it may be pneumonia or Coccidia due to weather changes and pretty crap husbandry from previous owner tho think she may have gone totally downhill by now in the way she looks and in terms of grass intake.
Does anyone have any WELL INFORMED ideas and advice please. I have already scared myself to death over this and have decided that if no luck from pen strep by Sunday, its vets on Monday (unless she goes downhill then its vets immediately!!!)
Thank you
Lisa

Mammyshaz · « **Reply #1 on:** June 15, 2012, 08:38:12 pm »

Oh that's a worry.
Hope things improve soon

colliewoman · « **Reply #2 on:** June 15, 2012, 08:47:42 pm »

What colour is the scour hun?
Other things that spring to mind would be pasturella.. Is lambie vaccinated?
Coccidiosis??

jaykay · « **Reply #3 on:** June 15, 2012, 10:11:50 pm »

Yes, what's her vaccination status?

Coccidiosis sounds like a possibility. If no improvement by Mon, I'd definitely talk to the vet. The trouble with cocci is the longer it goes on the more damage is done to the gut. If pneumonia, the antibiotics you've given should have made a big difference quickly (my dog gets it regularly, long story, and recovers in hours with pen and strep).

Get some pro-biotics (or live yoghurt) into her, keep the gut balanced with the antibiotics killing off the good bugs as well as the bad. Other than that I'd stick to water, electrolyte and hay for now.

Blacksheep · « **Reply #4 on:** June 15, 2012, 10:32:40 pm »

I would speak to your vet in the morning rather than wait as they can go downhill very rapidly, I am not sure that penicillan is the best antibiotic for pasturella pneumonia, your vet should be able to give you a dose of an appropriate antibiotic, we had our first case in a lamb this year, he had started his heptavac P course but got it before his second booster was due he had Tylan for pneumonia which saved him. I would also get a dose of vecoxan from the vet asap. Hope he picks up quickly

jaykay · « **Reply #5 on:** June 15, 2012, 11:00:07 pm »

Some info about pneumonia in sheep, including appropriate antibiotics Pneumonia in sheep.

Doesn't explain the scour though really, unless the poor love is just so run down she's caught several things. Always possible

Vexocan good for cocci, may need more than one dose.

BlackSheep is right about how fast they can do downhill $:-\$

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2012, 01:44:56 am »

Cocci scour is dark, may have blood in it. Treat asap, they can die overnight. Vecoxan is the wormer to use.

Our vet has just recently recommended Terramycin as the best a/b for pneumonia / rattley breathing.

Good luck MSP

feldar · « **Reply #7 on:** June 16, 2012, 10:51:13 am »

I would give Vecoxan too, we recently had to do our lambs with this, but we know we have a problem on-farm; so predictable.
I think the weather changing so much this year has kicked it off again.
Hope lamby improves

Bramblecot · « **Reply #8 on:** June 16, 2012, 11:27:50 am »

Jaykay. Thank you for the link

SteveHants · « **Reply #9 on:** June 16, 2012, 02:35:28 pm »

Sounds like cocci to me too. Tend to see it in sheep that have been housed, although given the weather, I bet there'll be outdoor cases too.

woollyval · « **Reply #10 on:** June 16, 2012, 03:24:30 pm »

I would concur that coccidiosis is most likely! Also Oramec is NOT a white wormer it is a clear wormer and part of the ivermectin family. It will not treat fluke either.

Mallows Flock · « **Reply #11 on:** June 16, 2012, 06:55:24 pm »

Quote from: woollyval on June 16, 2012, 03:24:30 pm

I would concur that coccidiosis is most likely! Also Oramec is NOT a white wormer it is a clear wormer and part of the ivermectin family. It will not treat fluke either.

I meant clear...not white... when I was referring to the Oramec. Lambkin was also All-Vermed which does do fluke and is a broad spectrum wormer!

)
Glad to say Lamby is picking up... her poop is now soft but not runny and she was running fast enough that I struggled to catch her this afternoon to give her her 3rd dose of electrolytes. She had another 1mil of Pen & Strep today and another tomorrow! Her bum, legs and tail area have dried right up. I have spoken to the vets who mentioned I should bring in a poo sample on Monday. My fear was Coccidia as her poo was very dark brown.... but no blood.
I looked at Vecoxan yesterday at my local SQP agri merchant but only had huge boxes for cattle so will see if vet can given me a few sachets or something a little less bulk-buying!!
She was a housed lamb up to 4 weeks of age before I had her and the last 4 weeks she has been outside but with a clean, freshly strawed pig ark for shelter. I have been lucky so far and never had any poorly sheep/lambs. She has been vaccinated.... Hep P plus... her first jab given 4 weeks ago and she had her booster yesterday!
She is still coughing tho especially when she runs so terrmycin sounds like a good bet too! Defo chat to the old vet me thinks. Thank you all so very much for your advice and help

)

SteveHants · « **Reply #12 on:** June 16, 2012, 11:21:20 pm »

Quote from: Mallows Sheep and Poultry on June 16, 2012, 06:55:24 pm

Quote from: woollyval on June 16, 2012, 03:24:30 pm
I would concur that coccidiosis is most likely! Also Oramec is NOT a white wormer it is a clear wormer and part of the ivermectin family. It will not treat fluke either.
I meant clear...not white... when I was referring to the Oramec. Lambkin was also All-Vermed which does do fluke and is a broad spectrum wormer! )
Glad to say Lamby is picking up... her poop is now soft but not runny and she was running fast enough that I struggled to catch her this afternoon to give her her 3rd dose of electrolytes. She had another 1mil of Pen & Strep today and another tomorrow! Her bum, legs and tail area have dried right up. I have spoken to the vets who mentioned I should bring in a poo sample on Monday. My fear was Coccidia as her poo was very dark brown.... but no blood.
I looked at Vecoxan yesterday at my local SQP agri merchant but only had huge boxes for cattle so will see if vet can given me a few sachets or something a little less bulk-buying!!
She was a housed lamb up to 4 weeks of age before I had her and the last 4 weeks she has been outside but with a clean, freshly strawed pig ark for shelter. I have been lucky so far and never had any poorly sheep/lambs. She has been vaccinated.... Hep P plus... her first jab given 4 weeks ago and she had her booster yesterday!
She is still coughing tho especially when she runs so terrmycin sounds like a good bet too! Defo chat to the old vet me thinks. Thank you all so very much for your advice and help )

Have you any other sheep? I'd try and stop it getting in that pig ark if I was you - its just like housing it and it wont do it any good at this time of year. At the very least take the ends off so it keeps the rain off, nothing more.

Mallows Flock · « **Reply #13 on:** June 16, 2012, 11:53:37 pm »

Have you any other sheep? I'd try and stop it getting in that pig ark if I was you - its just like housing it and it wont do it any good at this time of year. At the very least take the ends off so it keeps the rain off, nothing more.

Hi Steve
That's a good point. I will hurdle the entrance off and they can have just the open ended pre bend shelter I have instead.
also, yes - I do have other sheep..... 8 other cade lambs that came with her tho they seem fine (except a couple are bonier than I would like but they eat well and do not have any sign of diarrhoea or cough) and another 25 consisting of ewes and older lambs!

SteveHants · « **Reply #14 on:** June 17, 2012, 09:30:59 am »

Quote from: Mallows Sheep and Poultry on June 16, 2012, 11:53:37 pm

Have you any other sheep? I'd try and stop it getting in that pig ark if I was you - its just like housing it and it wont do it any good at this time of year. At the very least take the ends off so it keeps the rain off, nothing more.

Hi Steve
That's a good point. I will hurdle the entrance off and they can have just the open ended pre bend shelter I have instead.
also, yes - I do have other sheep..... 8 other cade lambs that came with her tho they seem fine (except a couple are bonier than I would like but they eat well and do not have any sign of diarrhoea or cough) and another 25 consisting of ewes and older lambs!

Thats good then - the reason that I asked was that if you only had one or two cades then I could kind of see the point in having some shelter for them, but if they have other sheep to hang around with I wouldn't bother with shelter at all.