[JMB]

Hi.
I'm a it worried about one of my boy lambs.
He seems off colour. He stays near the flock but sits away from them.
I take them a bit of food in the morning to bring them in so I can check them all but he doesn't come.
They've all been wormed and I can't see any signs of scouring. They've all had heptavac too.
He still bleats for his mum if they wander off, and she bleats for him, but most of the time he's on his own.
He's 3 months old.
Sorry it's a bit vague. Any ideas?
Thanks
Joanne xxxxxx

[Pedwardine]

Can you catch him and give him a good checking over? It's never good when they take themselves off on their own. Take his temperature, check his feet make sure he's walking ok, see if any signs of flystrike particularly over the spine and around/under the tail. If he's not coming for food and moving with the flock, something somewhere is wrong. Sheep are not lone animals.

[Herdygirl]

If he's not coming for food and moving with the flock, something somewhere is wrong. Sheep are not lone animals.

I agree, he isn't well.

[JMB]

Hello xxx checked him over, no fly strike, no obvious anything.
He still is sitting under a tree in the shade. He gets up when I go over, and moves away a bit, but then lies down again.
We did think he may be walking a bit funny and wondered if he had hurt his leg, or maybe had an infection from being castrated, but we can't see anything.
Thanks
Joanne xxxxx

[SallyintNorth]

What is his poo like?  Is he thin?  Feel along his legs - and swellings / lumps / heat?  Check between the cleats of his toes - any wetness / redness?  Are the hooves healthy or overgrown?

Is his tummy normal or bloated?

Look in his mouth - any signs of ulceration?

Do you have a thermometer to take his temperature?

Can he see?  Are his eyes normal? 

Look inside his armpits and inner thighs and all over his head, behind his ears - any sign of a tick or tick bite?

You can't hurt giving him a mineral drench or vitamin injection, often that perks them up if it's something non-specific, and it'll help him fight any infection if there is one.

[Foobar]

+1 what Sally said.
Defo take his temperature, and go over him with a fine tooth comb, as there is defo something up.

[wayfarer]

Sounds a bit like one of my lambs earlier this year.  He went quiet and didn't want to be with the others but would move a bitif you went up to him.  Took him to the vets in the back of the car  and the only thing they could find was a high temperature so they gave him an anti inflammatory to help him feel a bit better that would also help his temperature ( I guess it is like Nurofen for us) and a long acting antibiotic in case there was any infection they hadn't spotted.  He was much happier that evening and by the next morning was back with the rest eating normally etc.

Hope yours get better as well.

[JMB]

Thanks for your replies.
We are still at a loss having checked him over and over. We've asked people who are more experienced than us and no idea either.
He isn't deteriorating which is good so far.
At the moment he is penned up with mum. He is not eating grass or drinking water and I've tried him with corn, willow and ivy, which mum eats but he's not interested.
He is, however, still suckling from his mum so he's getting something.
I may ask for an anti inflammatory and give that a try, thank you.
Joanne xxxxxx

[Alicenz]

I wonder if it is worth him having some antibiotics? often they really help.

Also in NZ there is also a thing of not worming for tapeworm (many of the drenches dont get rid of it, and some vets dont see it as a problem while others do).   I had a couple very sick weaned orphans i was given that i wormed for tape (they were  in their droppings) and the most massive thing came out, it was terrible, over a metre long aaagghh  i thought they were going to die.  But without the drench they would have.  Is it worth checking for that too perhaps?  A vet would be worth a call.

[Blinkers]

Joint ill maybe  . 

[JMB]

Thank you.
I need to look up joint ill. Haven't come across that before.
I'll have a look for tapeworm too, assuming I'd see bits in his poo?
I have asked our vet about tapeworm before when I found some in the sheep faeces and they said not to worry about it.
Antibiotic was the first thing we tried. He had alamycin on Monday but worth repeating.
Thank you
J xxxxxxxx

[Blinkers]

If it is joint ill (or naval ill), it is soon sorted with a course of AB 

[JMB]

Hello again. Just an update on my lamb. It's still a mystery.
Yesterday evening he was with the others and nibbling a bit of grass, and drinking some water.
He is still lethargic today though and I put a bit of food in thei sheep trough each day to bring them in so I can check on them, and he doesn't come to the feeder anymore.
We decided instead of penning him and mum up all day, which they hated and got stressed about, we'd let them out and just bring him in each day to check him over
We put him in the stable this morning so we could give him another antibiotic and vitamin drench ( as he is now scouring) and while I was away to get a bucket to clean him up, with the bottom stable door shut, he climbed up the straw bales and escaped by leaping out of the top door, and then did the four legged bouncy display.
And he's feisty when I try and give him his rumen supplement.
But now he's back to lying down looking fed up, although he is sitting with the others now.
If he's still being quite active at times, is that a good sign?
Thanks
Joanne xxxxxxcc

[Alicenz]

have you spoken to a vet?  He will only cope for so long without a good amount of food - he will just keep getting weaker.They can be surprisingly feisty even when very crook.

[JMB]

Well, the good news is that lonely lamb seems back to normal.
We gave him another antibiotic.
Thanks for all your advice.
Joanne xxxxxx