Author Topic: Poorly lamb (Read 3479 times)

Nickie · « **on:** March 20, 2013, 12:46:37 pm »

Hi all. We started our lambing last week. Things were going fine until this morning. One of the twin ram lambs born early Sunday am was missing. Finally found him asleep, but covered in blood.

He looks like he's had a stroke or something. The left side of his face has dropped, droopy eye, mouth open, tongue out. He has had blood coming out of both his ears, it was fresh, but no longer bleeding. He looks very sorry for himself, ears droopy. However, he is warm & feeding from mum, he is able to walk & has been round the field several times today with his mum & twin. He can hear & responds to his mums calls.

Anyone got any ideas?

fsmnutter · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2013, 01:16:23 pm »

Hi there
As a vet, I can tell you that the droopy face, mouth open, tongue out sounds like facial nerve paralysis. The nerve that controls the muscles of the face passes through the ear area, and if damaged, will lead to that side of the face drooping. It would fit with blood coming from the ear that there has been some direct trauma to that area, either a knock to the head that's caused bleeding, potentially something like a crow pecking at the ears, or even a bad infection, though ear infection would be rare in a young lamb.
If he is doing well, walking, keeping up with mum, and is able to feed, then he should be just fine - just keep checking this as he may struggle to suckle a bit if the lip is drooping, but the tongue should still be able to work normally. If there has been a direct damage to the nerve, such as a trauma, then it may never recover, but if the damage was around it, and swelling only is causing the nerve related problems, it may settle down with time.
I hope with your TLC he'll do just fine

Suzanne

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2013, 01:17:23 pm »

Sounds like a head injury?

Good that he's with mum and feeding. You could give him some vits but if he's keeping up with mum and sibling, and feeding, it sounds like he's doing very well in the circs.

Cross-posted with Suzanne.

Nickie · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2013, 04:27:52 pm »

Thank you so much for you replies. Been checking him every hour or so today & he is still doing well. When we found him this morning I didn't hold out much hope & was contemplating putting him out of his misery, but I have to say I feel a little more hopeful now. Well, as hopeful as you can be with sheep, which is always tempered.

Fingers crossed the little mite pulls through.

Rosemary · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2013, 07:24:59 pm »

Poor wee man - hope he makes it

Certainly sounds like he's giving it a good go.

Nickie · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2013, 01:33:02 pm »

Just a quick update.

The little lamb was doing ok, until the awful freezing wind & rain hit us on Thursday so we brought the ewe & both lambs in.

He was being very needy, trying to suckle all the time, mum butting him away & didn't want to know him. We tried getting him on a bottle etc but he was still on at his mum the whole time.

Friday we had a ewe who gave birth to a single dead lamb & managed to get this little one on to her. Seems to have been successful, she's very attentive & he has settled down. He's got a full belly all the time, but is still a little weak & sleeps a lot, bit wobbly on his back legs & still shakes a bit, although he is warm. His face has completely recovered which is good news. We'll keep them in for as long as they need but fingers crossed he'll pull through!