[charlestcat]

Can any one advise on the strange 'item' that one of my ewes has just passed.  The vet thinks it could be a bit of placenta that was retained, but they are not 100% certain what it could be.  My last ewe lambed one month ago, all are well; no signs of illness, discharge or smells or dirty back ends; slightly loose stools, due to being put on new grass on Sunday - before that lovely pellets; Lambs are all feeding well and growing.
 
The 'item'  is in segments, blood and poo-free ( i immediately thought massive tapeworm segments - that has been ruled out by the vet), very pale pink, the segments are loosely joined and  look like they have been cut in half lenghtways are ovalish in shape and have the look, like the texture of (pale pink) tripe! that sort of rippled, rough curly look of tripe (sorry to those tripe lovers!).
 
Has anyone any ideas what 'it' could be.  The vet doesn't think its anything to worry about as all ewes are fine.  But i would love to know what it could be.  Could it be some retained membranes after this long??
 
Thanks

[Fleecewife]

A photo would help clarify if you still have the stuff.  It doesn't sound like something I've ever seen.

[shep53]

Could you be describing intestinal wall

[kanisha]

seems to describe the retained placenta that i removed from a ewe only darker in colour.

[charlestcat]

Thanks for the responses.  I will get a piccy on the site once i have reduced it down to size.
 
Husband states the segments were not joined but were separate
 
The vets have now sent a sample of for analysis as they have no idea and have never seen anything like it before, which is worrying, but they think it could be some kind of parasite!!  Thats all we need in the sheep world.. but what ever it is all the sheep are doing fine and normal sheepy things: eating, cudding, poohing - no discharges, smells or acting out of character
 
Picture will follow

[feldar]

Do you know what part of her it came from if it's being passed from the vagina or the intestine?
We had a problem with Toxoplasmosis quite a few years ago and had a ewe we thought had aborted produce a second fetus and placenta a good 3 weeks after the first. She was on ABs for two weeks prior to that. The second fetus was very smelly and decomposing but she went on to produce live lambs in subsiquent years.

[BadgerFace]

Just a thought, but are you sure whatever it is has come from one of your sheep - did you see her passing it? Could it have been carried from elsewhere by a fox/badger/crow/etc and dropped in your field?

[charlestcat]

Picture as promised.  the segments are sitting on a normal sized garden hand trowel
 
We can only assume they are from a sheep, (we never saw them being passed) as we have found 3 lots of these segments; 2 x wednesday and once yesterday in the field shelter which they use.  The shelter has a smallish entrance/exit to stop the weather getting in and the segments were towards the back of the shelter.  We don't have badgers as we have hedgehogs and i can't see any other animal going into the shelter, with 7 angry Jacob ewes and lambs, to deposit what you see, but....
 
If this jogs any memories, plse let me know
 
Thanks

[charlestcat]

another piccy for you

[lachlanandmarcus]

Alien invasion? We come in peace....

[BadgerFace]

They do look a similar size and shape as cotyledons, but I've only ever seen them 'fresh' and dark red in colour. At a guess I would say these could be mummified cotyledons? Very strange!


This website has some good photo's of placentas.    http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/reprod/placenta/ruminants.html

[Fleecewife]

I suppose I did ask for that pic     It's helped no end with my diet 
 
I love the bit in the placenta link which says 'gross structure of the placenta' - it certainly is GROSS.
 
It does though look like partially rotting bits of retained placenta and definitely better out than in 

[Pedwardine]

Let us know what the vet says. V strange!

[charlestcat]

Thanks for all your help and replies.  The website from Badgerface is really useful and looks a bit like what we have.  I've forwarded it and other bits to the vets to see what they say.  Still waiting to hear from  the lab as to what they think it is.

Fleecewife, you've given me an idea... maybe i could market the piccys as a dietary aid - just stick on the fridge!  Could work..

Cheers

[Fleecewife]

It would work