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Author Topic: Ewe not eating much + scours  (Read 1964 times)

Gremlin

  • Joined Mar 2018
Ewe not eating much + scours
« on: March 18, 2018, 08:49:25 pm »
Hi, a friend has a ewe (2 yrs) with lamb at foot. Since lambing 2 weeks (twins but in died after 3 days) ago she has barely eaten anything and is desperately thin. Friend gave her some twin lamb treatment to boost her and she is now on sheep mix - thought she may be changing her teeth and having difficulty with the nuts/rolls. She developed scours after eating the mix and having the twin lamb treatment - coincidental or reason? She nibbles at hay and is eating approx half a sweetcorn tin of mix/day which is prob half of what she needs (she is a small ewe). She has had antibiotics and a painkiller to try to cover all possibilities.
Any suggestions, esp to build up her appetite, welcome,

shep53

  • Joined Jan 2011
  • Dumfries & Galloway
Re: Ewe not eating much + scours
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2018, 02:02:39 pm »
Hope your friend is bottle feeding the lamb as  it is draining the mother trying to feed it  and from your description  its either going to run out of milk or the mother might die .  When was the ewe last wormed ,  the stress of lambing  can make her very vunrable  to worms multiplying rapidly .  Calcium borogluconate  and  vit /mins  may help her . The best medicine is grass  ,maybe pen her on the lawn during the day

bj_cardiff

  • Joined Feb 2017
  • Carmarthenshire
Re: Ewe not eating much + scours
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2018, 06:18:41 pm »
I think the ewe might be seriously ill.  Take the lamb off the ewe and hand rear it and give the ewe antibiotics, can you take her temperature? I suspect she has a raging infection somewhere..

You could try offering her ivy, that can perk them up a bit?

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Ewe not eating much + scours
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2018, 06:56:26 pm »
Has a vet been consulted?  If not, then I recommend it asap.  If yes, then another call is in order.  This ewe sounds seriously unwell.

TheSmilingSheep

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Ewe not eating much + scours
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2018, 07:47:25 pm »
If you've a ewe who's not eating (enough) and low on energy then try drenching with 60ml  (up to 100ml - depends on her breed/size) of propylene glycol - it will give her the energy she needs and keep her rumen in good working order..... It may be she needs this for a few days, and once her energy reserves are built up then hopefully she will regain her own appetite....
I'd promote ivy, digestive biscuits etc... whatever is her thing...

But, of course, this sort of suggestion is no substitute for the vet......

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Ewe not eating much + scours
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2018, 01:19:30 pm »
Could need worming, I always worm just after lambing and kidding, something with hormones that keep the parasites down while pregnant, then massive growth just after birthing.

TheShepard

  • Joined Mar 2018
Re: Ewe not eating much + scours
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2018, 10:23:29 pm »
Hi,  you could try a cake of alfalfa hay and molasses mixed with water. Both are a good source of calcium and the molasses helps if her sugar is low.

 

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