[Bionic]

I have a ewe who is due on 17th March. The last couple of days she seems to be lame on her right front foot. I had a look this morning, the hoof is a bit overgrown but nothing exceptional. I can't see anything else that could be causing a problem. I will bring her in this afternoon for a better look but wondered if anyone had any suggestions.
She seems bright enough in herself, is hobbling about and eating well.
thanks
Update

I brought her down to the stable yard on Tuesday where I already have 2 ewes who are due next week. 
Today she is as right as rain. Limping gone. As several of you suggested I think it must have been her lamb laying on a nerve.
She seems to be happy where she is so I will leave her there until her due date now.
thanks everyone

[twizzel]

Abscess? Or stone has bruised the foot? I would spray with purple spray or the blue spray purposely for foot problems (can't remember the name). If there is any heat in the foot I'd hot poultice and see if it draws any abscess out.

[Foobar]

Get her in and have a look, but don't turn her over, and don't stress her out.  Give the hoof a good wash out with a brush and see if you can see anything.  Also sniff it, if she's got footrot you will be able to smell it.  Trim any overgrown bits to get the right shape back.  If you have any antibiotic spray then use that otherwise use some purple foot spray.  If it smells then consider a jab of antibiotic.

[Pasture Farm]

I see this with our sheep quite often in late pregnancy after they have been laid down for a while, i have wondered if its the way they lay and trap a nerv

[Bionic]

I see this with our sheep quite often in late pregnancy after they have been laid down for a while, i have wondered if its the way they lay and trap a nerv

I notice its worse after she has been laying down so perhaps you are right. .

[Marches Farmer]

One of ours once had an abscess hidden by wool, presumably where a thorn had entered her foot.  She was the only ewe we ever had go down with Twin Lamb, presumably caused by the stress of the pain, although she didn't limp at all.

[Hillview Farm]

If shes tame enough. Pen her up and if you have a halter pop it on and tie to the pen or give her a bucket of food!. lift her foot like a horse and cut away all the overgrowth. My ewes went lame pre tupping and there was little tiny bits of gritty stone.... and spray

[goosepimple]

I had a trapped nerve when I was pregnant with my first child    and it was painful and made me hobble about quite a bit and stand in a strange way to relieve the pressure.
 
On the other hand, just check it is the foot, it could be the leg?  We had a cat once who we (and the vet) thought she was limping with arthritis, it turned out to be her lung which was the problem, she stopped limping after the lung was drained, idea of this story being it could be something related rather than the obvious.  Hope she mends and stops worrying you.

[SallyintNorth]

By all means do whatever investigations and trimming and treatments you can without stressing her and without turning her. 

But any little thing that they would normally shake off is exacerbated by the weight they are carrying.  My co-farmer on the moorland farm used to tell me, "Yes, well, you do get footsore, fed up and find moving about hard work in the later stages of pregnancy!"

As long as she looks bright and is eating and drinking well (make sure she can get to fresh water easily if she's not moving about and as far as she would usually), I wouldn't be too worried.

Once they've lambed you can give their feet a good thorough MoT.

[kaz]

I had one hobbling about earlier in the week.I brought her in and could not see anything wrong. I sprayed the foot with Terramycin and kept her in for a dayor so.  I think the lambs just lay on nerves, because sometimes you can see the ewes shifting the weight from one foot to another as if to get comfortable and she is in the later stages of pregancy.

[Bionic]

Karen,
I was able to check her foot more easily this afternoon. Trimmed the hoof but it can't have been the problem as there wasn't too much to trim. Did the purple spray in case there was a thorn or something stuck in there but the foot doesn't feel particularly warm and she didn't mind me touching it at all.
I don't think the problem is her foot at all.  We have decided that if she is still the same tomorrow we will bring her in with the other 2 that are already in the stable.
thanks

[Herdygirl]

Glad the ewe not showing any sign of foot problems.

we had the vet out today, ewe with abcess in foot.  she has a month to go before her lambs are due, so he took the risk and turned her as it was impossible to do a proper job of trimming without doing it. i failed miserably doing it yesterday. after antibiotics and pain killer injections this morning she is already looking a bit brighter this evening.  he is worried that the infection may have affected the bone but i will get him out again if she has not improved in 10 days.