[Jill2305]

Hello I wonder if anyone can throw any light on this.
I have a 9 week old lamb, born a single, normal birth, very well mothered.
At around 3 weeks I noticed it didn’t rush anywhere. Lay around a lot but came to creep feeder, sucked well off it’s mother. It was as if it was just very aloof and lazy. I was concerned as it just wasn’t right but nothing I could put my finger on. So explaining this to my vet was difficult, though she did come out and take a look and wouldn’t you know we couldn’t catch it!
It’s been downhill from there.
It’s still on its feet but starting to look emaciated. We have taken it to vet.  It had been wormed, mineral drench and at 6 weeks or so had its first heptavac though I wouldn’t normally vaccinate sick lambs. Slight temperature, now slightly sore on back legs, vet has given antibiotics (noraclav) for 5 days. The pain relief injection helped and for the first time in ages it suckled. It drinks water but doesn’t feed. It’s hungry. It licks its lips when the creep feeder is replenished. It goes in with the others but doesn’t actually feed, it looks like it grazes but just goes through the motions, doesn’t actually take grass. It goes to its mother underneath but doesn’t suckle. It’s kept alive with srynge feeding sheeps yoghurt and a touch of honey. It swallows. There doesn’t appear to any blockage in its mouth. The eyes are dull and crusty and so is the muzzle. There is no discharge and no rattle in the chest. I give up now. Any ideas? Vet is stumped too.

[SallyintNorth]

Sounds like pine (cobalt deficiency.). Has it had further vitamin and mineral drenches since that first one?  Maybe add some, along with Rehydion and TLD remedy to the feed you are syringing it?

Have you looked in the mouth?  Maybe it has sores in there which make eating and drinking uncomfortable except when it has pain relief?

[shep53]

Personally I would have been looking at the mother not the lamb , it reads like  a classic lack of colostrum then lack of milk . Just because a ewe has a decent size udder and the lamb suckles doesn't mean she is producing enough , its been  a common complaint this year

[Jill2305]

Thankyou Shep53. She had plenty of colostrum and lamb was well fed and growing well to three weeks. Ewe still has milk (well did) it’s now fading through lack of stimulation. That was one of the first things and we always make sure there is plenty of colostrum and always supplement if there’s any doubt.

[Jill2305]

Sallyintnorth, you know all along I have suspected some kind of deficiency as it tends to nibble dirt with no problem. Vet was sceptical (but she thinks I’m neurotic anyway) seriously, our vet is very old and very experienced, I have a brilliant relationship with her. The problem is, I tend to pick up issues very early on before they become really really noticeable, so it’s always difficult to present the issue clearly until of course it’s almost too late.
My neighbours have several hundred sheep and I always run it passed them too and very often it can be resolved and occasionally not. But fear not........we shall carry on until it becomes clear there’s no point or there’s suffering. Thank you so much for your reply.

[shep53]

Lamb growing well until 2-6wks old is also  classic ,then demand slowly outstrips supply . Pine (cobolt deficiency ) is normally a flock problem not an individual  and is very slow to show normally around weaning time, I have a cobolt deficient farm and all lambs will be treated this month ,oldest lambs at the moment 9wks and no signs yet . After you gave the mineral drench at 6 wks did it look better ? did its fleece look a little less dull . A picture may help ??  does it seem pot bellied ?
.

[Jill2305]

Hi shep53. No potbelly no bloating, just stiff on back legs (till you try and catch it!) and that’s what got me...why that one and not any of the others? But all the time deficiency nagged at me. I first thought selenium and vit E. There was no improvement after drenching multi vets and minerals twice. It passes urine and stools are scant but firm. Neighbour has just given me some mineral powder. I have put it out and all lambs came to see what it was, a few tried it then walked away. Would you believe this lamb sniffed it out and took quite an amount. It’s slightly perkier this afternoon after some lectade this morning. I’ll try and post a photo. Thankyou it’s much appreciated.

[shep53]

Stiff on the back legs joint ill in the hips ? a minor spinal abcess ?  damage to the spine ? selenium /vit e  deficiency is more  a muscle weakness than stiffness. Has your vet considered coccidiosis  not always affecting the faeces  but failing to thrive ?

[Jill2305]

Morning sheep 53. Coccidiosis I think is a possibility, BUT this morning it has made its way somewhat painfully to the creep feeder. It has eaten a small amount and drank some water. The poor thing is making such an effort not to die but is in great pain now very obviously. Ears down and will not put weight on one of its back legs, holding it up near its body. This back end issue has been very subtle up to now and only me actually noticed it, and I did suspect this rear leg. There is no swelling and no undue warmth. I have loxicom injection so that should relieve the pain but still no nearer to finding the reason. Vet thought it might be some general infection coursing through the system and there was a very slight temperature. Spinal abscess...hmmm..again a possibility but I can’t feel anything and there’s no specific reaction to palpating along it. Still haven’t got a photo as I keep forgetting my phone! Maybe joint Ill in the hip. Today it’s going to get loxicom and vit B12 injection. I’m loathe to give more antibiotic but that’s a possibility as I’m popping into vets to pay the bill and I’ll see what she says. Thank you so much for your input.

[SallyintNorth]

If it is a spinal abcess then steroids can work miracles. Along with antibiotics of course.

The only other thing I’ve wondered is ticks.  Ex-BH had a few years of a few lambs each year going off their legs lame but never anything to see.  He started treating for ticks in the fields where he’d had problems and the problems stopped. 

However, once the lamb is ill then of course the tick preventative isn’t going to help. But if you think it’s a possibility, it might affect the vet’s choice of a/b. (We used to find Alamycin most effective on our farm.)

The other differences are that it usually happened with lambs quite a bit older than your one, and they never lost their appetites - even grazing lying down!  But I thought it worth mentioning nonetheless - ticks carry more than one disease, after all.

[Jill2305]

Sallyintnorth. Thankyou for the information it’s much appreciated. You can see what I’m up against...it’s all maybe it’s this, maybe it’s that. It’s so frustrating and drags me down to a big black hole. In the meantime the poor thing is starting to suffer, I just so hate it so much. (Not the lamb, the situation ?) I have hardened off a wee bit over the years but still one will get to me. Usually with my arsenal of drugs, natural remedies, bloody mindedness, vets help and farmers help we get somewhere, but alas this one is particularly irritating. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if the lamb wasn’t trying so damned hard itself to stay alive, if it wasn’t it would be despatched humanely, but I feel an obligation to keep going at the moment. The tick thing is really interesting.
Alamycin (I have) is the next thing if we decide on an antibiotic. It’s already had pen and strep, no improvement, noraclav, no improvement. So as you can see the poor thing is an experimental pin cushion which isn’t fair. At least the loxicom will ease the pain.

[Jill2305]

I’m well aware I’m waffling on a lot....it’s kind of thinking out loud and hoping something switches on in my head. You know, that feeling of missing something blooming obvious. ?

[shep53]

A course of pen step or noraclav  which are different types should have treated  any joint ill from any source even tick borne  or spinal ( to a degree, its very difficult to treat )   Cocci is very easy to diagnose just a faecal sample to vet  . Sounds like you are running out of time !   Don't know how much it costs but would an x-ray help at all ?

[shepherdess in France]

Hello,
We keep a small flock of sheep in France and have done so for the past 12 years. Last year a friend who also keeps sheep had a lamb that became ill and lost appetite and couldn't get up and stand. The vet came but didn't have a diagnosis for the lamb but  gave antibiotics and mineral drench etc. but didn't expect the lamb to live.  There was no improvement after the course was finished. I read on a sheep forum about the use of beer which was given as a drench once the beer had gone flat. My friend decided that as the lamb was at the end of it's life then it was worth a try. After a few days of giving the beer the lamb started to show signs of improvement and started to get itself up onto his back legs to start with and then onto it's front legs. It was a little wobbly at the start but regained all strength and use of his legs and made a complete recovery. The beer she used was canned Guinness once it had gone flat and she drenched him morning and night with around 30mls. I know this all sounds very strange but there are lots of minerals in beer and maybe the lamb was deficient in something that was in the beer. Good luck with your lamb whatever you decide to do for him I hope it works.

[Jill2305]

Shepherdess in France. Absolutely brilliant! I bet it was vitamin B or iron. Thankyou. I am going to give this a go since all else appears to be failing. I’ll let you know how it goes.