[Pedwardine]

Guys, have spoken with Remy and suggested it may be pneumonia as Susie is defecating and weeing so likely NOT Hypocalcaemia (I confess I didn't realise it could be dangerous to give calcium injectiions to a ewe who hasn't low levels-good thing to know and sounds like Remy has done right thing with a low dose). We had discussed Twin Lamb drench and concluded it could do no harm. My previous experience of a pregnant ewe with pneumonia was five days worth of antibiotics and steroids every other day (three doses in total). She did lose the lambs but regained her health and has gone on to lamb exceptionally well. Would you concur with the same treatment for this ewe?

[Blacksheep]

We use Draxxin for pneumonia, should only need one jab of this as it gives around 9 days cover, would also be very careful about giving any fluid drenches to a sheep with pneumonia until they start to pick up with the antibiotics. Hope she makes a good recovery Remy.

[SallyintNorth]

We had a bit of pneumonia in one batch earlier in the winter, lost a couple of ewes.     Our vet prescribed Hexasol (yes, for pneumonia in sheep) - and we saved those who got a jag of that. We also fluked and wormed the whole batch, even though they shouldn't have been wormy in winter and they'd been fluked fairly recently (with a different flukicide) which I suspect is why we didn't get another case.

[Blacksheep]

Interesting Sally, so do you think fluke could have been the trigger?  We hadn't seen any pneumonia cases in the flock until last year, I had put it down to the weather in the lambs, we had 3 ram lambs go down with it last winter/spring and, we lost one of them, they were too young I think for it to have been fluke. We also had ram go down with it in the autumn, I think the rams had been fighting so put that was possibly the trigger in his case, but potentially could have been fluke due to the wet year. 

[goosepimple]

Remy, when we had a sheep die of rhodedendron poisoning last year, I explained the symptoms  and it seems foaming at the mouth is only one of two things - poisoning or pneumonia.
 
Good luck with her Remy, try not to stress 

[SallyintNorth]

Blacksheep, we had an abbatoir report showing that 26/29 2012 lambs had fluke in their livers in August.  These were March/April born, ie., 4-5 months old and it was "summer"!

Last year was a dreadful year for both fluke and worms - never cold enough to kill the worms and never warm and dry enough to stop the fluke.

In addition, there are starting to be reports of resistance to flukicides in our area.

So yes, we think the ewes were pulled down by the long wet summer, by a bigger worm and fluke burden than usual, and so a lot less able to fight off disease such as pneumonia.  Not to mention that the abbatoir had reported lungworm in 13 of those lambs too - the already physiologically stressed animals were succumbing to a parasite that normally isn't a problem.

Let's hope this year has a bit more in the way of seasons.

[Pedwardine]

Posting on behalf of Remy who's internet is down. Her ewe is now bloated, flat out on her side with legs outstretched which to me is a classic stance of hypomagnesaemia. She's shakey, weak, drooling also. Her vet advised another Calciject dose so she's had 200ml overall now and is worried that she's given too much and if this is any reason for the bloat. She's going to try Magniject injections. I wondered if a little gentle massage to disperse any accumulated gasses may help and maybe to prop Susie up so not too much pressure on either her organs or her babies. Susie is peeing and pooing and has had twin lamb drench as you know but she wasn't holding her head high as indicative of twin lamb disease. It won't have done any harm though, but I'm not so sure about the Calciject in such a high dose, especially after seeing Sally's earlier posting. If you could respond please people and I'll pass on any concerns/advice to her.

[SallyintNorth]

For bloat generally we might try bicarb of soda, live (probiotic) yoghurt, oil (sunflower/vegetable or paraffin), & ginger.  Massaging yes, you need to see the rumen wave recommence.

If she's laid out flat, make sure the rumen is upppermost (left side up, in other words.)  But yes, it's best to get her on her brisket or even stood up - I've used hurdles, padded with fleeces, laid across straw bales, legs poked through the gaps, bales either side to support, before now.

It's a very good sign that she's pooing and peeing.  Don't give up yet. Try to control the bloat - if you can get her burping again, and a good rumen wave reestablished, things would look even better.

   Tell Remy we're rooting for her - and Susie 

[Pedwardine]

Have passed that on Sally, thanks. Poor Remy is so dispairing, she's had so many sheepy disasters this last year she's seriously considering giving up. I wondered if a last ditch steroid injection was worth while but Remy hasn't anything available only some 'old prednisalone tablets'.

[ZaktheLad]

  to Remy.  Hope Susie makes it.  It really does make you despair when everything seems to go wrong with your flock, with one thing after another making it seem that it really is not worth the stress and tears.  I think there are probably a few of us who have felt the same, I know I have.  Unfortunately there always seems to be something going on with sheep and the saying that a sheeps main aim in life seems to be to drop dead, certainly seems to have a lot of truth in it.  Please tell Remy to keep her chin up and hopefully all the good vibes all TAS forum users are sending her way will help towards a much brighter future for Remy and her flock.   

[Pedwardine]

Susie has died  . I'm sure Remy will be back online soon but she said to say thanks for all the good wishes and your help.

[Mammyshaz]

Oh no  after all her efforts. It is so sad. Sending    to Remy.

[Pedwardine]

She's having a darn good cry. Poor love.

[SallyintNorth]

Is anyone close enough to Remy to go give her sheep a once-over - in case there's something an external eye might spot?

[Pedwardine]

I know Roxy knows her well and sees her at horse shows but don't know of anyone close. I think that's half the problem in that she feels so alone in it all.