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Author Topic: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???  (Read 17369 times)

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« on: December 09, 2012, 06:07:06 pm »
Hi there,

This morning went to feed sheep and the ram (who is not mine, I am borrowing him) refused the food and was looking unhappy.

I was out all day (picking up my car up from wiltshire) and by the time I got back this afternoon to feed, he was still refusing the food but a ewe lamb Alice is also refusing the sheep nuts. I got up close to him and his back is hunched, his ears look sad (it looks as if he is depressed  :gloomy: ) and he is grinding his teeth, not sure if I am imagining it but I think he is leaning forwards

Alice is starting to look the same! but not as sad, he hasnt isolated himself and he came when I called him.

They have an extra energy feed bucket, a yellow rockie, hay and I give them 1 scoop (1/2 a kilo) of ewe nuts a day as they have next to no grazing.

I am going to call the man who owns him in the morning (I cant get to his contact details until the morning) and tell him everything and see if he thinks its worth a vet visit.

Im worried as he is a nice little ram and my Alice is a lovely sheep.

Any ideas?


colliewoman

  • Joined Jul 2011
  • Pilton
  • Caution! May spontaneously talk rabbits!
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2012, 06:15:12 pm »
Is his rumen making any noises??
If it were me I would speak to the vet about it on the phone rather than chance waiting.
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jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2012, 06:38:46 pm »
He sounds like his gut hurts.

As CW suggests, I'd be listening for normal rumen noises. Could they have got too much to eat, or something they don't normally have?

I'd talk to the vet.

Remy

  • Joined Dec 2011
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2012, 08:52:28 pm »
I associate teeth grinding with them being in pain and/or stress, one of my ewes did it during a difficult labour when she delivered dead lambs.  Would definitely talk to the vet to be on the safe side  :fc:
1 horse, 2 ponies, 4 dogs, 2 Kune Kunes, a variety of sheep

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2012, 08:58:43 pm »
A tup should not be getting ewe feed - he needs a feed suitable for male sheep.  How long has he been getting the nuts?  Did you start him off on the half kilo, or build the quantity up gradually?
I agree that it sounds like gut but could also be bladder.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

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Padge

  • Joined Aug 2009
    • Facebook
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2012, 09:04:52 am »
Not wanting to alarm ....but many years ago when i first started keeping sheep i kept the Tup in with the pregnant Ewes for convenience and fed him the same leading up to lambing. What i did not know was that Tups should be fed different feed, the symptoms that you have given where exactly the same in my Tup, after a visit from the vet and blood samples taken it was found that his Kydneys had failed and I had to have him destroyed. A hard lesson learnt.
Get the vet asap  :fc:

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #6 on: December 10, 2012, 10:13:02 am »
As has been said, you should not be feeding ewe nuts to a tup.  He could have developed urinary calculi - stones in the urethra.  Get water into him if you can, and get the vet to him urgently.
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Pedwardine

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • South Lincolnshire
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #7 on: December 10, 2012, 04:08:06 pm »
I echo the last three posters. You shouldn't be feeding him ewe feed. Sounds very like Urinary Calculi. Work fast in getting him to the vets or the vet to him or you may lose him. If the ewe is showing similar symptoms maybe they have gorged on something. A little tummy massage should let you know, resulting in some good healthy belching. Mind you any extra pressure on your ram if it is bladder stones may prove fatal.

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2012, 04:25:46 pm »
Hi everyone,

Thanks for your replies

Yes I am pretty sure his gut was rumbling and so was the ewe, I understand about the ram shouldnt be getting the ewes food and so I havnt fed them today.
This morning I went to see them ready to call the rams owner (and then vet) and both sheep are completely back to normal  :thinking:

They had been on ewe nuts that are apparently suitable for lambs aswel so I thought it would be ok, they have only been on this for 1 week but I will no longer feed it to them thanks to your guys advice!!

I think he is sore on his back right foot so will attempt to catch him with some help and check his foot.

Both him and the ewe lamb were burping alot? but both weeing fine..
this was a day after I let them graze in the garden for a change so trying to think of what they may have eaten  :thinking:
cant get hold of his owner so will try again tomorrow as ram has been here since beginning of october and I want to put my sheep all back together now.

I have gone out and bought a pure salt block and put it by there water, I have also filled up another water tub to go at the bottom of the field so now they have two and I have bought them some haylage and I wont feed them any more food.

Will see how he is tomorow

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2012, 04:59:41 pm »
Very glad to hear he seems okay today  :thumbsup: 

 :fc: he remains okay and his owner comes for him soon. 

Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

jaykay

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Cumbria/N Yorks border
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2012, 05:58:19 pm »
Good to hear they're ok today  :thumbsup:
Sounds like it was the change in diet - seems odd to humans, but most animals don't cope with variety very well.

Pedwardine

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • South Lincolnshire
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #11 on: December 10, 2012, 06:03:07 pm »
Well done Ladygrey. If they're weeing fine can't be bladder stones anyway. Hope improvement continues.  :fc:  Always more of a problem when it's someone else's animal...Good luck.

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #12 on: December 10, 2012, 06:31:29 pm »
I don't have a tup and haven't had this problem but just wanted to say how valuable this website is - I wouldn't have known not to feed a tup the same as a ewe and it doesn't stand out as being the sort of thing that you would question doing or having to research as they are all sheep.  Lesson learnt for me, another one to store in the grey cells.  Thanks.  Always worth sharing a problem Ladygrey!  Glad they are all ok.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

smee2012

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #13 on: December 10, 2012, 08:12:30 pm »
I wouldn't have known either, had it not been for our breeder advising us about it. When I went to the farm supplies place I said I needed some concentrates for my new sheep (to get them tame) and said that I'd need something for the ewe lambs and something for the boys. He told me it was nonsense and that both would be fine on ewe nuts. I decided to trust my breeder and bought ewe nuts and lamb creep pellets to feed to the boys. That guy now treats me as though I'm a complete imbecile every time I go in there now, so I've started going elsewhere despite being miles out of my way!

Ladygrey

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Basingstoke
Re: hunched back, refusing food, grinding teeth???
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2012, 08:18:32 pm »
Thanks everyone :) fingers crossed  :fc: it was just something they ate in the garden!
Im rubbish at identifying the plants that are in the garden so no idea as to what they may have eaten (apart from the whole mint bush and I no longer have a lavender bush....)

I am hoping to have all the sheep moved in the next week or so to a field at the farm I work on so at least they can all get some good grass in them.

Lesson learnt and next time will feed ram lamb food :)

Thanks


 

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