[morri2]

Hi! Anyone help me with this one :  I have a ewe with twins, she lambed about four weeks ago.  Has been absolutely fine until now - so have the lambs, she is one of my best mothers.  Today she was very slow coming to be fed and I noticed one of her lambs had blood on its head.  It appears she is bleeding, although slightly and looks dreadful  - head down, not wanting food, looks very sunken in the flanks.  Basically she looks  VERY poorly.  I have spoken with my 'always unwilling to come out' vets surgery who have given me some alamycin as they think she has an infection - my farmer neighbour however thinks it could be magnesium deficiency and has given me some to inject her with.  Has anyone had anything similar to this and what was the outcome??  Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

[shetlandpaul]

the vet refused to come out for an activly bleeding animal. you really do need to change them. hope the ewe gets well. maybe worth bringing her in a spoiling her for a bit.

[Hellybee]

Get a farm vet to come out, they really should check this out.  We do treat minor things ourselves, but would defo want a situation like that checked out by a vet.

[Freddiesfarm]

You can't harm her by giving the magnesium even if she isn't deficient as it would just pass through her body.  And as for the antibiotic same again.

You could also try some twin lamb tonic or a mollassessed mineral drench.

Two important things to do - 1 - check for a temperature (should be between 102-103 F) 2 - check her teeth.  If she is young and losing her front two teeth this can lead to major loss of condition, or alterntively if she is old and broken mouth again she won't have been getting what she needs.

As for the vets - change!  I had a similar thing with mine a while back and you have two options - report them to the RVCS or change, the second option being preferable.

[shrekfeet]

Unlikely to be magnesium
Who is bleeding, the ewe I'm guessing, from her back-end? Did she deffinately pass the placenta after birthing? Is she drinking/chewing cud?

[morri2]

Thanks for the help everyone : Yes I do need to change my vet - I had this problem with them last year but I gave them the benefit of the doubt as they (said they) were very busy!  If this present phase of treatment is unsuccessful I will be ringing someone else to some and see her. 

I cannot be sure whether or not she cleansed properly.  I did clean up some 'bloody stuff' mixed in with the hay and straw which I took for the placenta, but I could be wrong.  That said, the bleeding (from the ewe) stopped some hours ago.

We have since tried to dose her with the magnesium (having looked this up, I don't think thats the problem) but as she needs 80ml we can't get it into her by injection as her skin has become so tight - she's obviously dehydrated.  She has had the anibiotic, so see what that does.  Meantime, I need her to eat or drink something.  Other half has gone to get some Glucose (Gluconate I think) which will give her a boost and possibly hydrate her.  Local farmer friend has suggested warm cereal or nuts mixed with milk which I'm doing now.  Same farmer friend also told me he had one the same last week - it died yesterday!!!  At the moment my biggest dilemma is what to do with the two lovely fit lambs she has - do I take them off her and bottle feed them or not?? 

[doganjo]

If you can, I'd bottle feed them as they'll be a drain on her, but keep them near her.  Someone on here sugegsted pouring lucozade down her throat

[shetlandpaul]

you need a vet now. ring them and insist. if they won't call another. if still no use call the rspca and ask for help.

[jembo]

Where is she bleeding from?

Lucozade is a must the original fizzy sort, not sport. Do the full 300mls as a drench. This will not cure the problem of the bleeding but it will keep her alive.

She will also need a heavy dose of a long acting antibiotic, and get a vet urgently.

Good luck

[Padge]

I hope she recovers Morri     I have read that a retained placenta will clear with antibiotics and also the lucozade recommendation    ours can't resist coarse mix with molasses      as previously suggested and as with our sick ewe  we are going to feed the lambs but keep them with mum to minimise distress


Good Luck

[morri2]

Thanks again guys!  Bleeding has been from the vulva, although it was slight and stopped quite quickly - no blood since yesterday lunchtime.  She has been having Glucose/vitamin/hydration drench which is in a sachet mixed with a litre of water and she takes it OK because its quite sweet - literally have to tip it down her though.  She is fortunately still with us this morning (I was wondering what I was going to find when I went in the shed).  So far cannot get her to eat anything although she is nibbling a bit of hay and picks out the odd sheep nut.  She will not have the lambs near her - they try to feed and she pushes them out of the way so we've had to put them in separate pens next to each other.  One lamb will take a bottle but the other one is flatly refusing it although they are both eating hay and creep.  Just hope that if the ewe recovers, she hasn't dried up.

Spoke to very helpful new vet yesterday evening - said we were basically doing everything they would do, other than put her on a drip which, in the circumstances, might be too stressful as she's so ill, but as she is taking the drench there would be no urgent need for this and she's not bleeding now. But if things look like they are taking a turn for the worst she will come out to her (thankfully).   Just going out for more of the drench and lamb mix ... watch this space....

[shrekfeet]

Morri you are doing a great job, must be very stressful for you. Chin up and good luck. Hopefully you are treating early enough to make a difference and the antibiotics will have kicked in by this morning and you should see some improvement. Please keep us posted
 

[Freddiesfarm]

Have you tried sugar puffs? 

I know it sounds absurd but they are sweet and sugary and always make me feel better if I am ill - I also find that if I have a sick ewe like that it is just about the only thing they will touch, plus a good squirt of bio yoghurt or yakult type stuff to get her gut working again

[shetlandpaul]

if its a retained after birth. then if its like other animals its going to kill her. the vet needs to check it if thats what you think it is. a dose of antibiotics may improve her but she will get ill again. is there any nasty discharge coming away. our vets being busy would still comeout. if they really can't get to you take her to them.

[morri2]

Suger Puffs, haven't had them for ages... might end up eating them myself! 
Looks like jabs have kicked in - she's looking depleted but is eating.  I soaked some sugar beet overnight and she is lapping it up nicely. Really useful that they like sweet stuff at least it makes it a bit easier to tempt them to have something. Still doesn't want to know the lambs though.  Both are now taking a bottle, although one is really not keen. 

Shetland: Thanks very much...There is no nasty discharge, in fact her rear end is very clean now.  The vet made a point of asking about this and in the circumstances she said it was unlikely to be retained afterbirth, especially as the bleeding was only slight and stopped quite quickly. That said if there is any sign of unusual discharge I will be straight on the phone and she has said she will come out asap as she is only working a few miles away from here today.

Cheers everyone!