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Author Topic: Prolapse  (Read 6666 times)

wellies

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • Shrewsbury
    • Fairfax Ryeland Flock
    • Facebook
Prolapse
« on: March 12, 2014, 03:50:54 pm »
Half way through lambing. As always it's had its ups & downs, today more of the down. Found my amazing expensive pedigree etc etc sheep with a mild prolapse today. This is my first experience of a prolapse in my ewes & am feeling very grumpy  :innocent:  Some of my other registered ewes don't have the most show stopping lineage (good old fashioned girls of good type but with fewer of the fashionable prefixes in their papers) they sure can throw out a solid pure bred lamb normally without help. I love those ewes  :excited: ,Priceless in their own right!

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2014, 04:06:38 pm »
I've heard a few folk aren't having the best lambings  :( I have a prolapse spoon but never had to use it - I hope this year isn't the year  :fc:

Hope you're ewe is OK. Will you keep her? If they do it once is it more likely to happen in future years?

Me

  • Joined Feb 2014
  • Wild West
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2014, 04:10:02 pm »
Yes it is!

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2014, 07:10:28 pm »
I normally culled for prolapse but one year kept a ewe that did and the following two years gave her 4 injections of Calciject coming up to lambing.  She carried twins that year and the next with no prolapse.  My research indicated there may be a problem with the ewe's ability to utilise calcium in her diet.  I've worked on refining the ewes' diet as lambing approaches and haven't seen a prolapse for about six years.

wellies

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • Shrewsbury
    • Fairfax Ryeland Flock
    • Facebook
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2014, 07:33:50 pm »
I think it is more likely to happen again once it occurs, very disappointing  >:( will make a decision on her after weaning if she delivers the lambs safely. Vets advice was to cull. I'm keen to produce purebred sheep that are fit for purpose & as hardy as possible so I would like to research more about the genetic predisposition. From my preliminary reading it seems it is a very grey area & there are several suspected causes so the jury is still out for her & her offspring. It's my first experience of prolapse too Rosemary & one I'd rather not repeat to be honest. She's got a harness on now so looks like she's done up like a Christmas turkey but it seems to be helping. She is on her due date today so hopefully as soon as the lambs engage it will relieve the pressure. Must admit I'm very nervous about the delivery, I'm not sure I feel confident about this one ??? Husband is typically away & I'm on my own this week! Maybe she'll hold on until Friday & hubby can lamb her :thumbsup:

wellies

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • Shrewsbury
    • Fairfax Ryeland Flock
    • Facebook
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2014, 07:37:02 pm »
Marches farmer I'd be fascinated to learn more about your administration of calciject. Perhaps if she did say I too could experiment with this & diet. Do tell me more...

Tim W

  • Joined Aug 2013
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2014, 09:17:35 pm »
I think the genetic predisposition to prolapsing is a small part of the problem

Diet, being overweight , mineral status and tail docking will all have an effect

The fad for docking sheep's tails so short must  have an effect on the muscle linkage around the vagina/tail etc

prolapsing will certainly weaken the muscles and make the animals prone to a repeat performance

farmvet

  • Joined Feb 2014
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2014, 11:39:43 pm »
if its a small prolapse that is resolved with a harness and she's close to lambing I wouldn't be too concerned.  Its usually just everything starting to slacken off as the hormones change ready for birth. 

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2014, 09:05:57 am »
I agree with TimW regarding docking tails too short - still see some very short in the market. I keep detailed individual records of every sheep and have never found it to be a heritable trait.  I gave the ewe in question 5ml of Calciject once a week in the month before lambing. 

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2014, 09:19:06 am »
I always thought it was mainly a diet thing.


Never seen one though and heres hoping I don't...

sabrina

  • Joined Nov 2008
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2014, 05:30:30 pm »
I have had this in the past, twice before lambing and once after. Each time lambs were a single and big. Ewes were culled on vets advice. At that time I did not have enough experience with my sheep and wondered if I had overfed them.

Sbom

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Staffordshire
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2014, 07:05:52 pm »
It is mainly a diet thing.......seen it loads in fat little welsh halfbreds, saying that it's difficult to feed every ewe right as you will always get some fatter than others and if their scanned for twins  will need the extra feed.
I had a ewe at home that prolapsed very year for three years, each year a little worse til I finally culled her, so I'm guessing once it has happened it creates a weakness which makes it likely to happen again.....
Most commercial folk cull after the first time

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2014, 09:22:37 pm »
 I would say its mainly  a breed  thing with untouched breeds   primatives, old breeds ,  some  hill    no matter how fat not prone to prolapsing and commercial  tampered with breeds very prone  (  never had a swaledale  prolapse  and  blue faces are not  known as a problem  but mules !!!!  )     Then feeding  comes next   as you can  feed different breeds the same diet  and  some will never prolapse and some will big time ,  internal fat is considered by many experts to be more important than how fit the sheep is .    Then comes  calcium   which  experts have thought  can be a problem for last 30 yrs  but  not  certain .    A difficult lambing this year  can  cause a ewe to prolapse in the future due to damage and weakness .      Genetics can   have an effect  ( the most startling iv'e seen is a mother and daughter both prolapsing their wombs within a week of each other )                 The decision weather  you keep a sheep after  a prolapse is up to the individual BUT I  have seen too many sheep die in agony with their intestines or bladder hanging out behind them  to risk giving any  a second chance

Old Shep

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • North Yorkshire
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2014, 09:54:39 pm »
I;m no expert but told that feeding such as beet pulp or too much hay in late pregnancy is one of the many causes.
Helen - (used to be just Shep).  Gordon Setters, Border Collies and chief lambing assistant to BigBennyShep.

wellies

  • Joined Jul 2010
  • Shrewsbury
    • Fairfax Ryeland Flock
    • Facebook
Re: Prolapse
« Reply #14 on: March 14, 2014, 12:55:43 am »
Well the prolapsed ewe has just given birth to two enormous lambs. So far everything is still intact! Thank you everyone for your comments they've been really helpful & thought provoking. With regard to condition of ewe, she's a 3 (we score our ewes regularly in the run up to lambing; small flock & friendly sheep). They do have ad lib hay due to lack of grass (mud everywhere) & ewe nuts starting 4 - 6 weeks before lambing depending on conditions etc. It's interesting as this year we've had a mix of small & large twins even though the diet/management is the same. Singles have been more uniform... Some things to think about for next year

 

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