[Pedwardine]

Bryony, a current mummy with twin girls, is a very approachable ewe. I'm quite sensitive to all the nuances of my sheep and noticed a couple of days ago that her baa was a bit weak sounding, like she was tired or a bit crook. Next day she wasn't ever so distant but was with her girls a fair way from the main body of the flock, enough of a distance to be odd to me. I caught up with her, checked her over for mastitis and flystrike and any runs. All tickety boo. Today, when I rattled the feed bucket (to show off to a visitor  ) all but Bryony came running. Now Bryony likes her treats so that WAS really odd. She's still eating grass but the present paddock is on it's last legs and we're moving everyone to a new patch on Monday. Went to have another look at her and she was quite up for a fuss, still feeding her girls etc. The only peculiar thing I witnessed was when she squatted for a pee, barely anything but a few drops came out. It just struck me as strange. I mean, when a ewe squats to wee, they really weeeeeeee don't they? OH suggested a water infection which made me think hmmm... maybe. When we get such a curse, it's like you always need a pee but you can't do much more than a dribble. Is it possible. Can a sheep get cystitis? Have given her a quick hit penstrep jab of 5ml but what do you think?

[SallyintNorth]

Yes they can get cystitis.  I'd have given Pen&Strep too.

Do they have plenty of fresh water? 

  she feels better today 

[kanisha]

I have ewes who will squat and pee as a  kind of  submissve urination have seen them do this in front of rams presumably helps the ram determine their breeding status.
I'm not saying cystitis isn't possible but ewes will sometimes squat for a wee even when they don't need to.

[Pedwardine]

Thanks for your responses Sally and Kanisha. It wouldn't have been a submissive pee. She's very secure with me. Reassuring to know you'd have given penstrep too Sally. Water is in plentiful supply. The get a freshly filled IBC tank every week.
 
Would you give any more injections Sally?

[SallyintNorth]

Would you give any more injections Sally?

If she does it again today, yes definitely, I'd do another shot today and probably one tomorrow.  Pen&Strep is a "for 1-3 days" one, so if there's any indication that 1 wasn't enough, I inject again the next day and the one after.  You won't harm her by doing it every day for 3 days, in any case.  And better to inject for 3 days than not knock it on the head with only 1 shot and risk introducing resistance.

Have you checked her temperature?  If that's a little high, that's be another indication to repeat the Pen&Strep.

[Marches Farmer]

Sheep will also empty out if they perceive a threat - a sheep with an empty bladder will be able to run faster and further than one with a full one.

[Pedwardine]

Bryony has had a nice long (but very dark?) wee but no poo. Stupidly didn't mention that Bry also has a barrage balloon of a tummy which obviously hasn't helped things. Didn't think bloat could happen on grazing which is far from rich. All the girls got cigar shaped when they'd had their lambs a few weeks as if they were filling the spaces devoid of lambs with food instead. Then the grass was nice and lush. Now it's parched and they're about to be moved to new grazing and Bryony goes and gets bloat! I really don't understand the why but it can't be anything else. Her tummy is tight as a drum. We've pro-rumened her (this avo) and put a half pint of veg oil down her (this evening a few hours ago). We've massaged her for ages. In fact we've just been over to the field to massage again. We've been rewarded with disappointingly few burps and rumbles but I suppose that's something. Whenever we've been back over to tend to her she's been standing in precisely the spot we left her. She's obviously very uncomfortable, too uncomfortable to lay down which worries me. She's seemingly stood for hours on end. It's made me wonder if she has had any water as the tank is half way down the field and she was at the bottom. Anyway, weeing functions are in working order as I've said. We were concerned about her being on her own so she let us walk her to where all the others and the water tank are and her girls were really pleased to see her. The vet will call out to see her tomorrow if there's no great improvement. Scared of what we might find tomorrow morning. It's going to be a hard night's sleep tonight. We've been through alot with our Bry. Nearly lost her to pneumonia in her first year with us, then she didn't trust us for a very long time as all we'd done was stick needles in her and drenches down her. She got bloat (on rich grass) last year and we feared we'd lose her but we pulled her through. She's only really come around in these last six months and is a sweet affectionate girl nowadays. Couldn't bear to lose her but all we can do right now is wait and hope.
P.S. Vet said just veg oil but I've seen mention of bicarb alot in other bloat related posts. Would you bicarb too?

[SallyintNorth]

Yup. if the rumen is stopped, bicarb and yoghurt along with the veg oil and ginger.

Do you think she could be constipated?  When you first described her trying to wee I did wonder to ask whether it could've been a poo she was trying to do.  Anyway, if she is, the oil etc will help on that front too.

  you get some more burping &c and get her rumen wave back 

[ZaktheLad]

Sounds like you are doing all you can and  that she is better today.   It is really handy knowing your individual sheep and their personalities as I also can pick up on things like this at a very early stage just by having spent so much time with them watching their individual nuances. 

[darkbrowneggs]

Hope she is looking better today 

[Pedwardine]

Vet has been. Bry has been deflated! He's worried that there may be some underlying cause and the bloat etc are just side issues. Thinks it just may be a tumour. When Bryony's sides went down she was very boney. We've got AB's and steroids to try for this next week. If she's no better by the weekend it looks like we will have to put her to sleep 
In the meantime I'm trying to tempt her with treats but so far nothing is appealing plus she's not the strength to make the effort to chew or get up for that matter (she has been standing for a good couple of days so must be weak and I've no evidence that she has eaten)
I'm going to try a drench of watery porridge with molasses for an energy fix. Anything else others have tried with a weak malnourished sheep?

[jaykay]

Fingers crossed it's something fixable 

Runny Readybrek with molasses is what I drench sick sheep and goats with, with live yoghurt added. Just gotta be careful obviously, that they don't inhale it!

Has she had any cobalt/selenium drench? I find that my goats need it periodically, or they start not to thrive, and the sheep also get Coppavit (we're in a copper deficient area).

[Pedwardine]

I got a quarter pint of the porridge/molasses mix down her a little at a time, making sure she swallowed each time. All the other sheep thought it smelled fabulous so it wasn't easy! She tried with some effort to get up a couple of times, clonking her chin on the floor with weakness but staggering up with a little help and moving forward a couple of metres before laying down again. I got the vibe that I was bugging her with my fussing so came home. OH mentioned that it had started raining so, knowing she was out in the open, we went over to move her under the shelter of the trees. She couldn't/wouldn't get up. We put OH's workshirt under her like a sling and basically ended up dragging her a few feet. It was awfully upsetting. We made sure she was sat properly upright again and left her where she was. Thankfully the rain was a passing shower anyway. Walking back home we both felt very heavy hearted and both wondered if the vet should come back out and do his thing. Don't know if we're expecting too miraculous a recovery. After all she's obviously not eaten anything or if she has, very, very little in the last few days plus lots of liquid has been unceremoniously shoved down her. She must be pretty miserable and crook with it all. I did hope the steroid would give her a boost though and it just hasn't. Her belly, though softer and more pliable is sloshy with all the oil etc and she's so very weak. I don't want to have her put to sleep, I really don't but wonder if it would be the kindest thing....We love her so very much.
Haven't a clue where to get emergency suplies like cobalt/selenium drenches from right now as our fabulous merchants has ceased trading. I've got magniject and calciject and a vitamin drench but whilst I'm willing to try anything which may just help, I don't want to bombard her in her easily stressed, weakened state.

[jaykay]

The vet might be right about the tumour 

I had a sheep die the other week from a suspected one 

I hope it isn't with Bryony and that she picks up 

[john and helen]

  for you,