[Sbom]

The knackerman round here will come and shoot then take it away but do charge for it, only a fiver for a sheep I think, not had one for years. The local hunt will aswell and they take for free ( they don't go to everyone though ) and not sure if the take sheep  think it's jus calves come to think of it
Maggots in the feet is gross, seen it a lot in cows aswell.

[Mallows Flock]

 And if LG hasn't closely inspected the feet, that could be where the maggots are.

maggots in the feet?? really? - havent heard that before. 

Apparently it's pretty common...esp in the wet horrid footrot conditions we have been having. Doesn't help that sheep step in their own poo. The combination of rotting flesh and poo smell drives laying flies wild with delight! Eurgg!
i took a lamb to the vet a couple of months ao after she spiked herself. i had cut back the fleece, bathed with salt water and just needed an antibiotic spray or jab as it was a bit smelly inside the wound. The vet took me into the small animal side, rebathed the wound, pulled the scab off and without antibiotics it cost me £42!!! Moral of the story...... KEEP AWAY FROM THE SMALL ANIMAL SIDE AT THE VETS!!!! LOL

[princesspiggy]

p.s when you talk of 'knackerman' is that the person who picks up deadstick - do they cull too? Or do you mean abattoir guy?

knackerman is the man that collects the dead bodies which u will get at one point or other if u have livestock.
they will kill for u, if the animals are fit for slaughter etc.


u cant send certain animals to slaughter ie they r on medication, not fit for travel, or too thin etc.

[princesspiggy]

thanks mallows, 

[Mallows Flock]

thanks mallows, 

[SallyintNorth]

I wouldn't cost up call-outs on a per animal basis, its whether your enterprise can justify the number of call-outs as a whole.

Absolutely. 

The whole affording thing.... loads of people tell me I should make my hobby into an 'enterprise' which is kinda a nice idea HOWEVER... then I just feel i would be worrying and number crunching.  By keeping it as my hobby, when I have an expense, I simply say to myself and others "OH well, I don't smoke or drink - this is my lifeline and my hobby so its worth any expense!" I do feel I would not be anywhere near at ease if I made it into a business.
Slightly (!??!) of tangent here, but the comments above were very though provoking for me!

And that's how it's done, Mallows.  Our enterprise is on sufficient a scale that we absorb vet fees as a necessary cost.  We do take animals to the vet rather than calling them out if appropriate, but we do not consider the individual value of an animal when deciding whether or not it needs the vet.  We may of course decide to cull an animal rather than embark on a course of treatment, but generally this is more with the animal's future welfare in mind rather than the specific £numbers. 

One of the hardest decisions I've had to make was whether to get some bionic surgery for a collie with a broken bone inside his elbow.  After a sleepless night weighing up the alternatives, I called the vet to say I did not think it was in the dog's or my best interests to go ahead with such an operation.  Since the only alternatives I'd been given were destruction or a life of pain, I took him to the vet's to say goodbye to him.  By the time I got there, they'd had a conference and decided to offer a much more pragmatic, simple op, with a much shorter recovery time and, importantly, a recognition that a working collie needs to work and will, out of choice, ignore quite a bit of pain in order to do so.  And yes, the simpler op was significantly cheaper too.

Every single day, I hug that collie dog with his dodgy elbow, and he and I both give thanks for that sensible vet and his second opinion.   

Sorry, I've topic-hijacked.  Anyway, the point was, as Steve says, farmers make whole-flock or whole-herd husbandry decisions on a veterinary basis; they do not withhold individual treatments on a financial basis.

[mab]

Well if it's strike you ought to be able to sniff it out - I once found strike in a sheeps armpit.

I would certainly phone the vets for advice first - it's one of the ways I use to get my moneys worth out of them  .

One of the hardest decisions I've had to make was whether to get some bionic surgery for a collie with a broken bone inside his elbow.  After a sleepless night weighing up the alternatives, I called the vet to say I did not think it was in the dog's or my best interests to go ahead with such an operation.  Since the only alternatives I'd been given were destruction or a life of pain, I took him to the vet's to say goodbye to him.  By the time I got there, they'd had a conference and decided to offer a much more pragmatic, simple op, with a much shorter recovery time and, importantly, a recognition that a working collie needs to work and will, out of choice, ignore quite a bit of pain in order to do so.  And yes, the simpler op was significantly cheaper too.

Every single day, I hug that collie dog with his dodgy elbow, and he and I both give thanks for that sensible vet and his second opinion.   

With pet animals I think vets sometimes default to the most expensive option - esp. if they assume it's insured.

I must admit I've been reluctant to turn to a vet at times - mostly because of a time or two when I've gone to the vet to have then shrug their shoulders and charge £25 for the shrug and another £25 for antibiotics I could have given myself. 

marcus

[jaykay]

I'm sorry to be blunt too but that animal is clearly ill and you are responsible for its welfare.
Check it for maggots, including feet. Personally I might try a shot of antibiotic in some circumstances, but it's a 'feel' thing. If done and no significant improvement in a day, it needs taking to the vets, cost or no.

As has been said, it's part of what you take on when you take animals. If you keep to farm vets not small animal ones the cost isn't usually bank breaking.

Fingers crossed.

[Fleecewife]

Going back to the original question - <<Why would a sheep start isolating himself? >>
It is natural behaviour for a flocking prey animal to stick with the herd until there is something so wrong that he can no longer keep up - at that point in the wild he would be taken by a predator.  So your lamb is ill LadyGrey, and with sheep they can go downhill very quickly and die.
Possible flystrike has been mentioned, and you have said that he has a bad foot.  Another possibility is something like listeriosis, from which he will die without immediate treatment;  blindness could be another cause, usually from conjunctivitis; he could have pneumonia, or Johnnes disease, or coccidiosis, or any one of many other possible problems.  The only way you are going to find out is to take him to the vet quickly - unfortunately that hasn't happened so you may lose him anyway.  We can only suggest possibilities here but it's up to you to seek veterinary help.
 
I am aware that some of the replies to your enquiry may seem harsh and to the point, and that you clearly haven't realised the significance of your lamb separating himself from the rest of the flock, plus his body language.  What we are all saying is: your lamb is ill, you need to get him treatment quickly, and worry about the cost later 

 

[Pedwardine]

FW is spot on.  Every day that goes by with you doing nothing that lamb has less chance of recovery if it's not already too late. Learn from this Jess, an isolated sheep is never a good thing. Check everything on your lamb, all his feet, (clean and treat if neccessary), look at his rear end, down his back and in his armpits for evidence of flystrike (you'll know!!), has he got the runs? (could be indicative of many things), check his temperature (should be around 39 degrees). At the very least try him with a mineral drench to give him a fighting chance. Is he chewing the cud, is he grinding his teeth (indicates pain). See if he's eating at all. Try with some hay, some creep, anything that might tempt him-ivy, digestives, dandelion leaves. If, as has been said, you can't afford the vet, at least do all you can yourself and then 'phone the vet to run the symptoms you've discovered by careful examination.
He needs you to act fast.

[plumseverywhere]

First thought was maggots.   Twice we've had flystrike here, both times the lamb in question took himself away from the flock and was miserable.


Have a good hunt through the wool, not just round the bum but all over including hooves.


Please consider all options, if he does have bad strike or any other illness he needs help.

[Moleskins]

Bit disappointed to see one or two members jumping rather hard on a relatively new one.


Sometimes we may have taken on animals and then had a change in circumstances which mean we can't afford the vet, even if it were just this month because the car broke down and in two months all will be fine financially.


I appreciate that eventually some good advice did come out which is good.


Perhaps Dan ought to take this thread into his thoughts when he does any reorganisation. of the forum.


Maggots can be anywhere on a sheep if it's a ram don't forget his gentlemans bits.

[bangbang]

Well said, moleskins 

[jaykay]

Yes, it's just trying to get the balance between understanding that few of us have money to burn, not being onhand to look at the animal, which is really what's needed, and saying 'your situation is urgent - that animal really is ill.

No harm meant at all 

[Moleskins]

Thank you Bangbang and Jaykay,


I've had a further thought on this for the OP. It may just be a case of breed. If this odd one is a different breed the others may be ignoring it, mine will not mix, even down to the purebreds won't mix with the crossbreds.
Hence one of ours was nicknamed 'The Diva' because she wouldn't mix with the others.
Also the wet weather may be causing Dermatophiliosis (spelling ?) This can bring them down, and later lead to fly strike because the smell attracts flies. The skin condition alone can drag them down to the point of death though.
Vet advice on mine was to wash in hibiscrub.
My advice after the wash though is to keep them warm and dry.
HTH
I've PM'd this to the OP in case we've put them off altogether.