Author Topic: Scouring in pregnant ewe (Read 6719 times)

Remy · « **on:** April 10, 2014, 04:16:46 pm »

One of my pregnant ewes (Gotland) has been scouring quite badly along with her twin sister. I drenched them with Cydectin a week or so ago and one of the twins dried up but the other is still scouring. Is there anything else I can give her, as it won't be good for her to lamb in such a state! They are all on spring grass but it's only these two who seem to have been affected.

Anke · « **Reply #1 on:** April 10, 2014, 04:20:25 pm »

My Gotlands are also scoury and green at their backend, whereas the Shetlands are clean... they will now have to wait until lambing (10 days) and then will get dagged properly, plus dosed). It doesn't help that they were moved into the lambing field last weekend, which had a lot more grass in than the over-wintering field...

Remy · « **Reply #2 on:** April 10, 2014, 04:50:33 pm »

Yes I'm wondering if it is the spring grass, mine is very lush - although it's only the twins who have scoured. The vet is leaving me a dose of multivits and AB jab and fingers crossed she clears up! I was trying to hose her off a bit today and she kept waggling her tail which directed the dirty water into my face ....

Hellybee · « **Reply #3 on:** April 10, 2014, 05:09:30 pm »

Bucket lick with mag ?

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #4 on:** April 10, 2014, 05:11:29 pm »

Could it be fluke?

jaykay · « **Reply #5 on:** April 10, 2014, 05:36:07 pm »

How does fluke cause scour?

Coccidiosis? Worms resistant to cydectin?

Sbom · « **Reply #6 on:** April 10, 2014, 05:55:13 pm »

Is the scouring one bigger? Maybe she didn't have enough wormer? Or spat/coughed it up?

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #7 on:** April 10, 2014, 07:32:13 pm »

Quote from: jaykay on April 10, 2014, 05:36:07 pm

How does fluke cause scour?

Sheep with fluke often scour.

jaykay · « **Reply #8 on:** April 10, 2014, 08:22:05 pm »

I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but why? The fluke aren't in the gut, so I don't understand how they cause scour? They shed eggs into the gut via the bile duct, but they're not in the gut.

I wonder if they just make the poor sheep so ill that other things then cause them to scour? So same effect overall.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #9 on:** April 11, 2014, 02:34:49 am »

Aye, that could be it. Or maybe there's some connection between impaired liver function and sloppy poo?

Me · « **Reply #10 on:** April 11, 2014, 08:30:54 am »

Fluke knacker the liver, as the liver makes proteins including blood proteins there is less protein (albumin) in the blood, reduced osmotic pressure in the blood = fluid leakage into gut... slightly made that up but without resorting to google or heaven forbid opening a book that's all I've got

(scour is not always seen in flukers, probably this isn't fluke, nutritional is more likely, the best test for fluke is a blood test - its simple; low albumin the main blood protein and higher than normal globulins an inflammatory indicator = chances are fluke)

Me

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #11 on:** April 11, 2014, 11:27:06 am »

Sounds feasible, Me.

Because we are in a flukey area here, I'd do a different test before going for the blood test.

If it's a flukey area, and if she hasn't been fluked within the last 4-6 weeks, and she's thin and scouring - I'd fluke her. (Given that she has already had a fairly broad spectrum wormer.)

Me · « **Reply #12 on:** April 11, 2014, 12:27:19 pm »

The feacal sample type test is a funny one, see eggs you know you have fluke, don't see eggs you could still have fluke. Obviously both together is better but I prefer the bloods as it tells you more, you can add in extra slides for more information than just the two I mentioned, (more cost though!) eg. GGT is bile duct specific so if thats up..