[Whittsend]

I have been trying to follow my own advice and stop being so anxious about hand rearing little Dylan ( adopted   Welsh mountain lamb, three weeks old now and taking four  10oz  bottles of cool milk each 24 hours ) when I read Twizzel's post about his 5 week old lamb bloating, and dying. Dylan has only just begun to take very small amounts of creep feed, which I offer him twice a day, between feeds. He has also begaun to eat very small amounts of hay. His droppings are still very soft but a darker colour now. Because I know that none of my neighbour's ewes are vaccinated I had asked the vet when he should have his first jab. She recommended any time after three weeks.
When I over reacted and took him to the vet after my neighbour's dog bit off the end of Dylan's tail, she gave him a shot of long acting antibiotic. I was already wondering if that had upset his gut activity and if giving small amounts of live yogurt would help. Didn't know how much, so I was going to ask if anyone on here had ever used it.  Now I am worried that it would be too severe on his system to take him for the Heptivac P injection at the moment and I should leave him until he is older and  he has proper droppings, with the risk that he might  pick up  something  when he comes out for exercise several times each day.  Any suggestions from the more experienced members of this forum would, once again, be very much appreciated.
Alison.

[Hellybee]

if he were mine id have him done, what does the vet say, does she suggest it now ?   but of course its your call,  we doing ours when the weather breaks and we got some sunshine/dry weather x

[ZaktheLad]

I would vaccinate him with Heptavac as it will protect him against a host of horrible diseases including tetanus etc.  Get him done now and then again 4 weeks after.  The benefits of him having the jab now far outnumber the risk he will be in from the various diseases he could contract without having the jab.   He sounds like he is doing very well.

[Hellybee]

Very true Zak

[Whittsend]

Thanks Hellibee and ZaktheLad, that was the original plan but I got a bit rattled by hearing of some bad reactions to the live vaccines in Heptavac P. I know that  the things the vaccine protects against are all very nasty if they get  them and that non of them respond well to treatment, so I think I will stick with plan A and get Dylan done this week. I can also get the vet to check how his testicles are now he is two weeks older and ask when he should go back for 'the chop'!