[Backinwellies]

Lambing time is upon us and I'm sure there will be many questions so I thought maybe a thread which includes important information from those of us who have lambed many sheep may be helpful ....   I have learned something new already this morning posted by SiN who I hope doesn't mind me posting .......


Staggers / Staggering sheep
Last year our vets produced a really useful one-sheet guide to Staggers in Ewes.  I haven't asked them but I'm sure they won't mind my reproducing it here.

Before Lambing
is usually due to a lack of calcium caused by taking in too much magnesium
Administer 50ml No 6 (blue top) below skin
If not up in 2 hours, administer 50 ml No 2 (green top) below skin
If further treatments are required, use No 2 (green top)

Any ewe which goes down before lambing can develop Twin Lamb Disease.  These ewes need a twin lamb drench as a precaution and watched closely in case they develop signs.  If signs appear, drench aggressively and give vitamin injections.

After Lambing
is usually a true lack of magnesium
Administer 50ml No 6 (blue top)
This can be repeated up to 4 times.

Note that all injections must be warmed to body temperature before being given.

(The numbers and bottle top colours refer to the Dunlops bottles.)

[SallyintNorth]

Good idea, Linda, and no of course I don't mind.

I'll just add something about hypocalcaemia that I've posted on another thread this morning, in response to someone saying she thought it wasn't likely to be hypocalcaemia as she was still a month off lambing.

Twin lamb disease itself is usually closer to lambing, I agree.  My experience with the hypocalcaemia up north was that a) they didn't go on to develop TLD; they either got up within an hour of being treated, or died very quickly, and b) they could get it any time they were under severe physiological stress - so being pregnant plus a sudden change in the weather could do it, as could being gathered while pregnant, being disturbed by a dog they didn't know... it was harsh up there, so any additional stress could tip them over.  We could and did get hypos from shortly after tupping right up to lambing.  And often just found a dead ewe, no sign of anything wrong, no loss of condition, etc, and assumed that many of them would have gone hypo after the previous check and died before being found.  (We checked twice a day from tupping onwards, but sometimes she'd be dead by the time you got back with the warmed calcium.)

Not saying this is what happened with yours, just that they can get hypo at any stage, and it kills swiftly.

In fact, when conditions are harsh, they can develop TLD anytime in the last 6-8 weeks, when their need for sugars (and calcium) is very high and they may not be able to take on the nutrition they need.  Our Mules used to bulge with their growing lambs, it was easy to believe they simply didn't have room to take on and metabolise enough forage to meet their nutritional needs!  So with those sheep in those conditions, we used to give a molasses lick plus supplementary feed for the last 8 weeks.

[Marches Farmer]

The only case of TLD we ever saw was a ewe that turned out to have an abscess on her leg (hidden by wool - she was a Southdown).  She was treated promptly for both and made a full recovery, producing a couple of cracking lambs 3 weeks later.

[Fleecewife]

There's no mention of what 'no 2 green top' or no 6 blue top' actually are - what med.  Every vet may be different in what they prescribe and have for sale, so could you be more specific please, with the actual dose and name of drug. I don't recognise the descriptions as anything we have used here.




I have now seen the original thread, I think, and Calciject is mentioned there, but it does need to be specified in this thread too.  Our vet actually uses the cattle version of Calciject so the volume given is small, but the proportions are perhaps different to those found in the sheep version, hence the need to be specific.

[Backinwellies]

the blue top ......


http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/calciject-20-cmd-400ml

[Marches Farmer]

As I understand it, hypocalcaemia (Twin Lamb Disease) has a different cause to hypomagnesaemia (Grass Staggers).  The first can be prevented by correct feeding and lack of stress in the lead up to lambing, the second by turning out onto pasture that's been shut up since the beginning of Winter and grown slowly through the preceding months.  If resowing a sward high magnesium varieties of grass can be selected.  Hypomagnesaemia tetany is due to a lack of both calcium and magnesium.

[Fleecewife]

As I understand it, hypocalcaemia (Twin Lamb Disease) has a different cause to hypomagnesaemia (Grass Staggers).  The first can be prevented by correct feeding and lack of stress in the lead up to lambing, the second by turning out onto pasture that's been shut up since the beginning of Winter and grown slowly through the preceding months.  If resowing a sward high magnesium varieties of grass can be selected.  Hypomagnesaemia tetany is due to a lack of both calcium and magnesium.

Thank you MF.  Could you describe the symptoms of each please?  We have only ever had twin lamb disease and that was years ago.  This year we are breeding from 4 elderly ewes so we need to be on our toes for problems.

[Marches Farmer]

TLD symptoms are ewes may hang back, stand still, kneel or lean against a wall or tree for long periods.  The classic symptom is "star gazing" where they'll sit on their haunches with hind legs pointed forwards, like a dog.  They may grind their teeth and make chewing movements although not eating, facial muscles may twitch or they may appear blind.  Their breath has a sweet smell, like peardrops.  This is caused by ketones formed when the body attempts to break down fat into glucose in an attempt to correct the sugar level.  They may also breathe rapidly and sometimes have a discharge from the nose, which could be mistake for pneumonia.  If they're lying still with chin on the ground or head tucked into their flank then death is near.  If a ewe has TLD then it's a signal to look the feed regime and/or stress factors for the rest of the flock. 

GS can take hold very quickly and the first symptom is often sudden death.  Stiff gait, twitching facial muscles and frequent urination may be seen.  They will grind their teeth, look wild-eyed and then lie on their sides with legs out straight and neck rigid.  Convulsions follow and the thrashing legs can dig up the turf, which is sometimes seen beside a dead ewe.

[Fleecewife]

Thank you MF - that is very helpful.

[sheeponthebrain]

correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't tld caused by a build up of chemicals in the system during a period when the ewe is having to burn fat off her back because she is not getting or unable to take in enough nutrients.  therefore a sheep can get TLD  without even being in lamb ( and without even being female)

[Ermingtrude]

sheeponthebrain

Not my answer - I asked one of the vets at work.

He said yes, any of the metabolic imbalances can happen when the imbalance is caused, and they get the names ( TLD, grass staggers, milk fever etc ) as that is the most common cause. He said you'd need a mix of other issues ( he mentioned kidney issues, feed issues, malabsorption from worm burden and others ) that could help tip the balance, but the most likely reason is the one the issue is usually named after. He then talked about men with breast cancer, where the diagnosis is often late, as it is just not the first consideration.