[Pedwardine]

My Gotland Darcie is under a week off from lambing and we thought on Saturday that she was going into labour early so got the ewes into their lambing quarters. It soon appeared that she wasn't taking herself off alone to lamb but that she was feeling quite poorly. We had quite a few cases of Hypocalcaemia last year so were prepared for acting upon the symptoms of it this year. Darcie had a very shakey chin and a few muscle tremors generally, she was weak on her pins and quite off her food. We did a double whammy as she's expecting twins and treated for both calcium deficiency and ketosis. She was still very wobbly yesterday but we tempted her to eat with some tasty tidbits once we'd got her in a hassle free pen with a heat lamp over her. She wolfed down a whole head of broccoli and several parsnips. She didn't want to lie down which I think was due to significant weakness in her legs ie: she couldn't lower herself steadily into a recumbent position seated without them giving way. We spent a pretty sleepless night worrying about her, but, this morning she definately wanted 'out' with the rest of the ewes. It was a good sign and we saw her chewing the cud later on. She's still very unsteady though and easily jostled but determined to hold her own. The oddest aspect about this illness whatever it was/is is that she's holding her head at a permanent tilt and can't walk ever so well in a straight line. She's not going around in circles but there's a definate curvature to her walking gait. It looks for all the world like she's either had a minor stroke or she's an ear infection that's affecting her balance. There's still a little shudder remaining around her jaw too. What on earth does it all mean? OH reckons she's perhaps partilly lost vision in her left eye as that's the way she's leaning towards but having felt her there's like a stiffness in her neck on the right. Very confused    We've experience CCN and she's not as loopy as those symptoms.

[Marches Farmer]

Has she been eating silage?  Listeriosis?

[Anke]

Listeriosis - yes that would be my first thought - so antibiotics would be needed. Depends how old she is and how far off lambing on how to treat?... but of course could also be ear infection or just a knock to the side of the head when jostling for food at the trough...
 
 

[Pedwardine]

No silage. Last haylage about a month ago. Just on hay now. Jostling has been an issue no matter how much room they get at troughs. Always a jostle over last few bits 
Haylage is fabulous stuff. No chance of listeriosis.

[feldar]

Does she look like this a ram lamb we had with listeria, he had it in the summer and caught it from the soil when it was so wet. He used to go in repeated circles all the time. and was paralysed down one side of his face. treat with strong antibiotics if you suspect it is this and get a vet to confirm it

[Anke]

Haylage is fabulous stuff. No chance of listeriosis.

Wrong! High chance of listeriosis - just look at some recent goat posts!

[Pedwardine]

She's holding her head at a tilt rather than it having dropped in any way, thanks for the helpful pic Feldar. She's also constantly refocusing, her eyes don't stop moving and is finding it ever so hard to get into a seated position. She's penned again so we can feed her without her having to fight for it and she's eating well. Vet has advised to continue with administering drench for twin lamb but not to give any more Calciject. She thinks it's very likely a deficiency of some sort which the drench should cover. If she does take a downturn I will cnsider steroids to get the lambs out but really hoping once she does lamb the demands on her boy will be considerably less and she'll pick up fast.
I thought (obviously mistakenly) that listeriosis was from badly harvested haylage/silage where soil and therefore bacteria has got in. Besides which are the symptoms so long after haylage was last consumed around a month ago? She isn't going around in circles guys but seems to do a curved walk due to affected vision.

[feldar]

I would say that was twin lamb, we had a ewe down for nearly three weeks until she lambed. We had to drench her every day and she had a triplet in her, but be warned, she may have no milk, every twin lamber we had this year lost her milk.
Good luck with her, you're doing all you can and at the end of the day that's all you can do.

[Anke]

She won't have listeriosis if she had her last lot of haylage three weeks ago, I was just pointing out that haylage can cause listerioris just as much as silage (or eating damp soil/grass), but hay is fairly safe.
 
Blindness is also a sign of pregnancy toxaemia, but I am surprised that she has got a good appetitie.... My goats with PT always stop eating. So maybe it is something else???
 
 

[woollyval]

I would say that was twin lamb, we had a ewe down for nearly three weeks until she lambed. We had to drench her every day and she had a triplet in her, but be warned, she may have no milk, every twin lamber we had this year lost her milk.
Good luck with her, you're doing all you can and at the end of the day that's all you can do.

SNAP! good luck and keep going!

[Pedwardine]

Been advised to give Darcie a steroid injection to bring on the lambing process. Vet says as soon as lambs are out she should    improve fairly speedily. As appetitie is good and generally senses are bright she should recover. I do hope so...

[Pedwardine]

Darcie's eyesight has returned which is a huge relief. I didn't have the faintest on how we'd accomodate a blind sheep 
She still hasn't lambed despite a 2nd steroid injection. Now I'm beginning to think she's enjoying everything brought to her like she's lady muck 
She stood very steady for about five mins after the first injection, no major leg trembling as before though a bit of a wobble when trying to change position. Now she's just recumbent again. Mind you she is a very large pregnant lady. Should I give some leaway d'ya reckon or have we created a lazy-arse woolly monster? 

[feldar]

I think you've done it now   she will expect first class lady -of -the- manor treatment from now on!
But she's probably worth it and hopefully you'll have some lovely lambs to play with too.