[Gunestone]

One of our ewes lambed last night, when I came out she had two healthy lambs. Brought her in and gave a brief check over before turning them out again. There was one afterbirth in the field where she lambed, but no signs of another. She seems ever so slightly "off"  sometimes standing with her head lowered and panting more than usual, though they are all panting a bit as it has been quite warm here today. Still eating and cudding though. Could she have a retained afterbirth or could there be something else wrong?

Thanks!

[shep53]

Check her udder for mastitis and take her temp , retained after birth does not affect them as quickly and you should be able to see some of it hanging out the vagina . From your description sounds like she has expelled it ok

[SallyintNorth]

She may well have eaten one afterbirth, or a dog or fox or badger has, or a bird has had it...

However, I have had a newly lambed ewe off colour and nothing to see, but she did turn out to have retained afterbirth.  (I've wondered since whether she had a low-level infection in addition to retaining the afterbirth, and because she was low, didn't expel all the afterbirth.). Antibiotics got it out, but my delay in getting them into her made her proper poorly and we ended up topping up her lambs for the rest of the lactation. 

If your instinct is that she has a retained afterbirth, you may well be right.  Watch her temperature, be suspicious if the lambs aren't well fed and happy - and (despite my usually promoting 'no antibiotics without patent infection'), if you are worried, I would give her antibiotics - and minerals and vitamins too, if you can get some.  Better safe than sorry in those circumstances.

[shep53]

Identical twins share one placenta

[SallyintNorth]

Identical twins share one placenta

This is true!  Are the lambs same sex and otherwise identical?

[shep53]

Fraternal twins if both on the same side of the uterus can have 2 placentas that can fuse together

[SallyintNorth]

Fraternal twins if both on the same side of the uterus can have 2 placentas that can fuse together

I've often wondered that -thanks!

[Gunestone]

Thanks for the replies, she does seem better today and both the lambs are well fed and healthy. They are both ram lambs, but not identical. There is nothing hanging out her vagina, and no sign of mastitis so  she'll be alright.

[shep53]

Thanks for telling us the outcome ALWAYS nice to know