[Bogtrotter]

Hey guys, Riley is the 1st adult ram I have kept, such a doll! He is a four horned shetland who i think Fleecewife would drool over lol!
He came to me in cracking condition last summer at 8 years old and kept his condition through winter. In January i gave him a couple of extra ewes, who he serviced admirably. Haylage and feed as poor pasture.
In March he started losing condition, very quickly. We treated him for both parasites and pneumonia, with the suggestion that it may also be a lung abcess (aparently more common in older working rams?)
Anyhoo, my boy is back something has worked! He is up and about grazing his new pasture, getting a strop if anyone take his place at feed time. But he is still a bag of bones   Any tips for building him up? I have a multi vit injection that apparently isn't for sheep any more??  Will he just come back slowly? He is on the best mixed herb pasture now with browse all around him. I give him a bit of cake a couple of times a day too, I think the pasture is a bit too good at the mo as he is Mr dirty Dags! Good job he doesn't mind being clipped!
ANy advice? If it is of any help the ewes with him on the old pasture have stayed fat all winter 
Oh his teeth are all ok apparently.
I shall try and get a pic of him for you.
Many thanks
BT

[Fleecewife]

Multihorned Shetlands are very rare.  I nearly bought a starter flock a few years back, but on closer inspection they all had split eyelids (SUED), some to a horrible degree.  It's good that they are increasing in popularity, and as the numbers go up so there will be more chance to select against SUED.

For your tup, a few things come to mind:
Which parasites did you treat him for, and what with? Mucky bum could be that he still has something, maybe a wormer resistant organism, or one you didn't treat for.
Had you done a FEC?  If not, do it now.
Did you check his back teeth as well as the front ones? He's at an age where there can be troubles there.
It could still be a front tooth, as even a wobble will stop them eating.
Johnnes?
Does he have a mineral and molasses lick?
How much cake are you feeding, and what make is it?  We feed Carr's 'Champion Tup' (used to be Tup and Lamb).  The amount of that he gets could be gradually upped and see if he improves condition with that. (I'm sure you know he needs a specialist tup feed, not one intended for ewes)
Extra treats of digestive biscuits always help if your sheep likes them.
Are you absolutely positive there's nothing poisonous amongst the browse?
He won't just spring back into perfect fitness like a younger animal, but if all else is ok then he should be fit for tupping again in the autumn.

I'm sure others will have some other ideas, especially about possible parasites and diseases.

[Me]

Consider fluke as well 

[Bogtrotter]

Ain't he loverly?

[Me]

Uuuuuuuum. Yeah?!   

[Bogtrotter]

By the way that's just the 'mountain' you can tell from the bare earth how much they enjoy it!

He was treated with.....
Ivomec injection
Levafas drench
Penicillin (this is what I am sure turned him around as he was heaving his side with each breath)
He has now also had some multivits.
No lick as I though they couldn't be used for tups, though I can get one tomorrow.
The mucky bum has come on since change of ground, it is very lush!
Vet saw the teeth, and said they were ok, I have had a good poke at the front ones and they are suprisingly sturdy
Johnes... have had it in goats, and this just doesn't seem the same, I have never known a Johnes goat improve but with sheep maybe different.
Will get a FEC done asap.
In himself he seems ok again, I just feel awful at the thinness of him poor fella.
I have gone round and round the pasture and can find nothing poisonous, but where he used to be people did chuck clipping over the fence so there COULD have been something then.
Certainly is better for having moved him.
I feed Heygates ruminant mix for 2 reasons, 1 it has no added magnesium which I believe is what causes urinary stones? and 2 they will eat it! LOL. Of course the thing they would all like the most is sugar beet but again i think the boys can't have that?
Thanks all much appreciated, keep the suggestions coming xx

[Fleecewife]

Uuuuuuuum. Yeah?!   

Goats have 2 horns, multihorned sheep have 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8.


He's very smart, bogtrotter, good hornset.

Keep up the good work, and  he soon gets his condition back 

[ladyK]

What a lovely boy indeed! Very impressive set of horns.

Boys can't have sugar beet, really? Can anyone explain why that is? (I thought it was high protein that was a potential problem for males).

[Marches Farmer]

Problem with urinary calculi if not fed correctly.  He's pretty old for a mountain ram.  It takes a month of good grazing to get half a condition score on a reasonably young sheep, with an efficient digestive system.  Problem can occur in older sheep if they lose a back tooth and the matching one keeps growing - very painful. 

[Bogtrotter]

Poor old fella, he got his sparkle back, dried up at the back and started getting stroppy at feed time. All good signs I thought, running around the field and being a menace....
I found him this morning in his usual resting place, passed peacefully away

RIP Riley, I'm going to miss you

[Katrina]

So sorry  he looked amazing

[ladyK]

So sorry... at least he had a peaceful end. 

[Fleecewife]

Oh no, what a bummer    Poor Riley, and what a loss - such a rare lad    

[devonlady]

I'm sorry to hear this, he was a stunning looking fellow. Maybe one of his sons will inherit his horns

[kelly58]

Ah, sorry for your loss  He was a beautiful boy. He lives on in his offspring