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Author Topic: Lame lamb  (Read 4211 times)

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Lame lamb
« on: September 14, 2012, 08:14:43 pm »
I've got a very lame Shetland wether lamb. He was born at the start of April and has been fit and (very) full of it until the last couple of days. Sprayed his navel as usual (and I've never had joint ill). He's been Heptavac P'd, wormed and fluked. The only difference from my usual lambing is that normally I lamb indoors and spray navels pretty much immediately. He arrived early and so was born in the field. I guess I didn't get to him until 2 hours after he was born.
 
Now he's so lame he won't join the others when I take a bit of cake up.

I've had a look at him and:
No Footrot - which I don't have anyway
A tiny bit of scald, which I sprayed, but it wasn't enough anyway for how lame he is.
Joints don't seem swollen though maybe I can imagine that the knee is a bit hotter (not sure).
No CODD, again I haven't had this for years.
Hooves a bit separated at the sides - raked (gently) any mud and grass in case it had pushed up and hurt, sprayed here too.

But he's no better today.

I'm at a loss. Any ideas?

He was a bit of a pest, I wonder if one of the ewes has bashed him? But he seems to be holding up his foot, more than anything? The field is rough, could he have twiddled his foot/knee?

What do I do for him anyway, could it be joint ill?
« Last Edit: September 14, 2012, 08:19:15 pm by jaykay »

Mallows Flock

  • Joined Apr 2012
  • Shepton mallet
    • Somerset Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2012, 08:19:47 pm »
Hi Jaykay  :wave:
Sometines when I move my sheep from field to field they limp for a few days/week although their feet seem absolutely fine. I think it's the change in terrain/grass thickness/ land even-ness sometimes. One of m,y Shetland ewes this summer limped and no matter how much we looked we could not see anything. It was only about 10 days later, when it started to push out, we could see the tip of the blackthorn she had trodden on. Problem with blackthorn is it goes in deep and hard so you can't always see it and it takes time and pus to push it out enough to remedy the problem.
I tend to spray any scald with Alamcin spray, trim back hooves as you have done to ensure nothing horrible in shellied-hoof and possibly use a bit of hoof-phast, holding his foot in a bucket for 10 mins plus preferably to a) get rid of any bacteria etc b) soak any horrid thorn out a little!
Hope that helps
lisa x
From 3 to 30 and still flocking up!

ScotsGirl

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • Wiltshire
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2012, 08:29:04 pm »
I've had a few limpers with no real visible signs of scald etc. If spray doesn't resolve in a day or so I find a dose of terramycin LA works a treat.  If that doesn't fix it some Metacam on top usually does.
 
Hope he improves, nothing worse than watching them and feeling helpless.

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #3 on: September 14, 2012, 08:53:37 pm »
Now then, I've still got a syringe full of alamycin in the fridge from last week when I had a ewe with pink eye, cloudy and everything, went to get the antibiotic, next day couldn't see which ewe it had been!

So he could have that in the morning.

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2012, 04:13:35 pm »
And still he limps  :-\

feldar

  • Joined Apr 2011
  • lymington hampshire
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2012, 04:58:29 pm »
Jaykay we get joint ill occasionally in some fields which is why when we lambed outside we always changed fields every year. In my experience joint ill is generally picked up earlier about 4 weeks of age on or even earlier. I would of thought he was too old for that now.Also you would have noticed his lamness much earlier and found it very difficult if not impossible to treat.
I suspect he may have a thorn or bit of grit right up into the wall of the hoof or maybe a bruised sole or heel or even a ricked joint from a fight or charging about.

fifixx

  • Joined Mar 2010
  • Shillingstone, Dorset
    • Bere Marsh Farm
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2012, 05:35:37 pm »
One of my kid goats has severely sprained her leg - the vet x-rayed it and bandaged it tightly for a couple of days.  It's now 10 days and she is still off it (but up trees and on the roof of the house on 3 legs!)

i am hoping it will get better, otherwise I can't keep her

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2012, 05:48:56 pm »
Quote
I suspect he may have a thorn or bit of grit right up into the wall of the hoof or maybe a bruised sole or heel or even a ricked joint from a fight or charging about
I think you're right. He was really full of himself, it's very sad to see him so sore and subdued  :-\

Fifixx I have a goat kid who has dislocated her hock and it had to be allowed to mend crooked, which it has. She can do everything she ever could. It looks crooked and she limps but the only one it bothers is me.

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: Lame lamb
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2012, 07:08:55 pm »
How can he be so fast on three legs  ::)

I, on the other hand, fell over umpteen times, once with my knee landing on the harrow and another, the ball of my hand on a pointy rock  ::). We need a 'numpty' emotiwhatsit  :D

 
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