[twizzel]

The tin will last a good long while :-) have a look at the mvf lick with biotin too, Shelly hoof seems to be linked with crumbling dry hooves which biotin will help with drastically :-)

[davet]

Womble, ISTR you constructed something with some kind of revolving arrangement protecting them from rain; do you still have some pictures of that? 

Found it here:

http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=71276.0

[davet]

He must be feeling better.  Went down this morning to find he'd broken the hayrack and the hay all over the floor...

We spent a couple of hours with him tipped over yesterday.  His shelliness isn't as bad as first thought (although his feet are in a bad enough way generally), so we trimmed, cleaned and sprayed; didn't use hoof putty yet.  Will keep him in for a bit longer, and keep liming the floor.

[Backinwellies]

I am going to defend my recommendation for the vet ..... I didn't say call one out!   But vet advice over the phone is very helpful (free!)  and encourages a vet-smallholder relationship.  They can talk 'local' issues and may even recommend a local farmer who could help you!   There is far too much 'expert' advice on here which isn't based on current best practice. .....    there is also very helpful advice from experienced people ..... but how does an inexperienced person fish one from the other?

Even you ...Womble ....said this in your other thread ...After research, and talking to our vet, !!!!

[Womble]

Even you ...Womble ....said this in your other thread ...After research, and talking to our vet, !!!!

Yup!  And they were quite bemused to get a call about that sort of thing! 

OK, so maybe we read too much into a one word post Backinwellies, but I understood you to be saying that the OP should call the vet out to look. If you just meant give them a ring, then fair enough.

However, I've found that the quality of advice on this sort of thing depends on who you get at the vet. The vets (and also the receptionist) who come from a farming background themselves tend to be really good. However, vets not from a farming background (including my own dear sister) tend not to be, since it won't have been covered much in their training, and they probably haven't been asked about it much by clients either.

I tend to check known good sources first (e.g. AHDB, SCOPS, NOAH etc). If no joy with that, I search past threads on TAS, and if no luck there, I either post a question on here or phone the vet or both. Yes, sometimes we see people asking questions on TAS which should really be emergency vet callouts, but this isn't one of those. Landroverroy hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned:

for a simple husbandry problem it can be far more helpful to give meaningful advice, rather than make a newby feel that they are not looking after their animals properly because they didnt rush to the vet.   

[Backinwellies]

I do forget that not everyone lives in Wales where a vet not expert in sheep is as much use as a tractor with no engine!