[Foobar]

Good on your vet for giving her a go, many wouldn't bother.     for the little one.

[SallyintNorth]

If it were an older sheep with those symptoms I'd be saying CCN.  Treatment is antibiotics and B vitamins.  It's truly amazing the recoveries you can get, so  this little lamb comes through.

Oh - and I think listeriosis, which they can get from the soil, has similar symptoms.  That's maybe more likely in a lamb.  The treatment is the same.

[Hellybee]

sending positive thoughts, hope the little dot pulls through xxx

[Daisys Mum]

If she isnt suckling are you tube feeding her, I have done it for the first time this year, terrified but a quick tutorial from youtube and  was away. Wont hesitate in future if its needed.I do hope she pulls through its horrible when you lose them.

[ZaktheLad]

Keeping everything crossed for her 

[moprabbit]

Fingers crossed for your little lamb - you've done everything you can for her- well done you. I just hope she pulls through.

[Backinwellies]

A farm local to me has just had lambs diagnoses with 'drunk lamb syndrome'  .... a new one on me and the local farmer ......   display odd behaviour .... and is fatal.  Treated using bicarbonate of soda!

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/potential-treatment-found-for-drunken-lamb-syndrome/53599.article

[Hellybee]

very interesting

[Anke]

A farm local to me has just had lambs diagnoses with 'drunk lamb syndrome'  .... a new one on me and the local farmer ......   display odd behaviour .... and is fatal.  Treated using bicarbonate of soda!

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/potential-treatment-found-for-drunken-lamb-syndrome/53599.article

It's called "floppy kid syndrome" in goat kids.

[Tania]

Just to update you all - following a five day course of extra strong anti-biotics the lamb (now known as 'Lucky'!)  is doing remarkably well. Back in the field with all the others and gambolling around. Slight limp but otherwise looking quite normal and her eyes are bright again - not a sign of cloudiness. Hopefully her recovery will continue. Fortunately, none of the others are showing signs of illness. Thank you to everyone who commented for your advice and good wishes.
 
I have to admit that none of our sheep have ever been vaccinated. We acquired a small flock 18 months or so ago aged between 6 and 24 months and they had never been done and another acquaintance who had kept soay sheep for a number of years had also never vaccinated. I am sure I have also read somewhere that it isn't always necessary to do so. HOWEVER, folowing a bit of a lecture from the vet, we managed to get a local farmer to assist and they are now all done - including this years lambs. I would be interested to know if everyone else with Soays vaccinate?

[in the hills]

Hi Tania, that's really good news.    Hope Lucky continues to thrive.

Our Soay are vaccinated with Heptavac P. Our neighbour, a very experienced sheep farmer, thought it was really important that we vaccinate. The lambs we bought (about 5 years ago now) came from an unvaccinated flock but our neighbours opinion was that it was asking for trouble not to vaccinate. He explained that with the diseases covered by the vaccine there wasn't a lot of prior warning that sheep were ill and no time for treatment. First you would probably know they would be legs up as he put it. Since we had no sheepie experience and were relying on his help we took his advice. Also as new keepers we were afraid of missing symptoms due to our inexperience. Seemed easiest and safest to vaccinate.

I do know someone who had an unvaccinated flock and no problems for years but then lost quite a few sheep to diseases that would have been covered. Not sure if there is any evidence anywhere to say that Soay are less likely to succumb to these diseases than other sheep and if people have had no problems it could just be that they have been lucky.

[shygirl]

our first flocks (soay included) werent vaccinated but mainly down to our inexperience, naivity, and a laid back vet who always said no point in a small flock of sheep -or pigs for that matter (probably as to him they werent worth much to replace)
when we restocked with pedigree sheep, we vaccinated as they were worth alot to us emotionally and financially. (and next time we get breeding pigs, they will be done too.)

[Backinwellies]

When you are as surrounded by sheep as we are here not to vaccinate would be daft!  When teaching sheep husbandry my first lesson started with

'A sheep's worst enemy is another sheep'  and the first symptom a sick sheep often shows is death!   

 so prevention is the name of the game.