[goosepimple]

...well she's on her way to death I'm sure - 9yr old North Ronaldsay looking poorly yesterday and lying zombified but still breathing just now, all the others look entirely fine.  No skitty backside but our sheep field has just become pretty saturated just before Christmas - this last lot of rain has left it a swimming pool in parts, particularly around the animal shelters, we've been quite lucky prior to that.  We moved all the sheep (9) yesterday to a drier field and I thought she looked a bit poorly.  We haven't fluked - had just talked to my vet about that this last week and he said to collect fresh poo for a test first which is why we moved them, to get the fresh poo, but now this, sod's law.  Could be cocci or fluke or don't know.  We've left her where she is not to add to her stress as she's almost away poor thing.  We'll get a PM done on 3rd Jan.  Not the best start to the year which is a pity because last year was trying to say the least on a number of levels. 

[Mammyshaz]

So sorry for you  not what you want to start the new year with.

[Blinkers]

Awww so sorry to hear your news  , this weather has a lot to answer for.   Chin up 

[lachlanandmarcus]

So sorry for the poorly one. It is a very crap year weather wise and it isnt good for sheep at all.
I am itching to get our borrowed ram back to his owner on 5 Jan just so he is away and healthy as altho ours have been fine (they are prob in our driest field)  I do worry about them all keeling over suddenly - and only one has been fluked to date (tho I am considering doing all of them).
Can you fluke and Heptavac P+ at the same time or is that too much of a system overload I wonder?

[Brucklay]

So sorry GP - not what anyone deserves at anytime let alone the first day of a new year - sending you big 

[darkbrowneggs]

Bad luck and commiserations.  Hope things only improve from now on 

[Blacksheep]

Is there any chance that it could be pasturella, which can be treated (not always successfully) with the right antibiotics, although sounds like your poor ewe is about on her last breaths from your post 

[SallyintNorth]

Sorry to hear that Amanda.

We're hearing about big losses to fluke around here    They're needing more frequent treating than usual this year, plus some flocks seem to be getting some resistance to some of the routine drugs.

I do think Heptavac-P and flukicide all at once could be a big hit.  Some flukicides are harder on the ewe than others, so if you do have to do both at once, ask your vet which one would be less harsh on the ewe.

You wouldn't be Heptavac-ing any ewe which was under the weather, though?

[FiB]

Hugs and best thoughts - a part we all dread.   Hope you get some helpeful infomration - not knowing what is wrong is horrid.

[SteveHants]

Re: Fluke eggs - they only show up in FECs at certain stages of the life-cycle so you may miss them altogether in the faeces. Dose your ewes for fluke on a risk-based  model, unless you know you have fluke (abbotoir kill data is a good way to obtain this). So, I would dose your ewes if the ground is wet. I normally have no fluke and have dosed a lot of mine, based on where they are/have been.


There is absolutely no point in vaccinating anything whos immune system is compromised as it will not produce the correct immune response, treat the disease with antibiotics, dose when the ewe is well.


(As a by-the-by, I expect this is the reason people are losing vaccinated sheep this year as opposed to the effectiveness or otherwise of the vaccine concerned, most sheep will have been pretty miserable this summer and could well have had low-level disease)

[SteveHants]

We're hearing about big losses to fluke around here    They're needing more frequent treating than usual this year, plus some flocks seem to be getting some resistance to some of the routine drugs.

I don't know whether she was trying to scare me into buying some Fasinex, but the SQP at my local faem supplies shop told me a farmer round here lost 200 ewes this summer as he refused to entertain the idea he had fluke as hed never had them before.

[goosepimple]

Thanks everyone, called the vet and described what symptoms we could see without bothering her too much, she's burying her head under a platform in the field but was still breathing about 4.30pm (last light before dark), vet says see how she is tomorrow, hopefully she will be Lazarus, will check in with the outcome, can't get her pm'd until Thursday.

[jaykay]

Fingers crossed for her 

[Daisys Mum]

Really sorry to read this Amanda, 

[Rosemary]

  for a good outcome