[Jon Feather]

Good morning.  My hand tame Shetland ewe has gone down the same as in the summer: listless & not bothered about food. It looked like staggers in the early summer and she got over it after I took her off grass and gave her cake and willow. (the vet couldnt find a cause).
She was the same yesterday so I penned her with water and cake but this morning she cant stand and she has a slight head shiver.  She is eating a bit from my hand but not really bothered. The vet couldnt find the cause of it earlier this year and she got over it in a day or so but I dont want to take that chance.  I have Magniject 9 and Heptivac-P plus.  Would it help to give her a shot of each.  The Magniject says 75ml which is 15 injections with my syringe?? The Heptivac says 2ml.  I havent used either before but understand that the Mag goes into the muscle and the Hep under the skin.

Really need to help and advice here please.

[Sbom]

Give her the mag, the heptavac wont help at all.
I'd also give a big dose of antibiotics in cas e of listeriosis, and give multi vit jab if you have any.

Have they been fluked? It's a bad year for it this time because of all the rain. Is she thin?

Check her bag in case it mastitis related

[shep53]

You need to read the instructions  75ml of magnesium and calcium goes under the skin in several different places  , 5 ml is about the max for injecting into a muscle  .  Hep p is  a dead vaccine to build up immunity so will do no good .   STAGGERS  is exactly that animals stagger about then fall down on their side and start kicking legs and throwing their head then DIE  unless treated very quickly .   If the vet can find nothing obvious  then not looking good  could be many things internally  ( head shiver GID ? )

[Jon Feather]

Thanks guys. Ive given her 2ml of Strep.  Ill keep and eye and give her some more tomorrow.

[Anke]

I would definitely give her a shot of Combivit, 5 to 7ml into the muscle. It can't do any harm and if she is short on vit B it will help.


I have found with my goats that a shot of an NSAID, like Metacam or Flunixin, will also perk them up, just a painkiller, but has done wonders for really quite listless (and sick) animals for me.


Unless you have either of them to hand, you may have to get the vet out.

[Marches Farmer]

Grass Staggers generally kicks in a few weeks after lambing, due to lack of available magnesium to help convert calcium to milk.  At this time of year my first thought would be pneumonia and I'd get her in the shed and give a long-acting antibiotic.  Have you taken her temperature?

[Penninehillbilly]

Any chance of a worm problem? some of mine have gone off food, been miserable etc, some were a bit messy back ends. All wormed with new wormer (from Noromectin to Rycoben) and good results, all but one looking good, but she went really thin before I followed my own instincts instead of a friends. she is coming round slower.

[Jon Feather]

She's out of the weather and no worse than this morning.  Worm count was extremely low at the last count.  Lambs actually had zero.    ?

[Jon Feather]

Well, she has been out of the weather and wind for 3 days now with a 2ml injection of Duphanen + Strep each day.  She was up on her feet and a showing a bit more interest on day 2 and the same on day 3. 
I still dont think she is back to 100% health and she seems a little skinnier than the others so I will keep her in for another day or 2.

She is on a diet of sheep mix and water and no boubt she will discharge herself by jumping out of the pen when she is ready. 

[Anke]

What - no hay? She will develop acidosis in no time....

[Backinwellies]

Anke is right she must have adlib hay ...

[Marches Farmer]

As well as ad lib hay I find coarse mix tempts the appetite of sheep feeling a bit under the weather.

[SallyintNorth]

Could be fluke.

Could also be metabolic if the weather has suddenly turned chilly.  BH's sheep could collapse at almost any time of year if the weather turned suddenly and there was an underlying weakness.

Agree the combivit as well as antibiotics.  That combination covers three or four possible causes and does no harm

[Jon Feather]

Thanks all.  I let her out yesterday so she is back on grass but she was under the weather again today: not interested and looking skinnier now. 
Vet was out when I rang but I have got a fresh sample of droppings from her this morning and this is now with the vet surgery.  Waiting for him to tall me when he gets in.

[Jon Feather]

Vet just phoned: worm count in poo sample is very low.
He thinks that it is pasturella and that she will always be challenged in bad weather.  He gave me Engemycim to give her at 2x 10ml  over 3 days.  Looks like she's just one of those that isn't a good doer.