[MudJunkie]

Hello all!  I'm new here, so hopefully I'm posting this correctly.  Your help is greatly appreciated.  I have a sheep 'situation'. Two days ago, there was a collaborative effort between llamas, sheep, and chickens. 'Someone' knocked over the grain can, and someone else ate it. There was only about 3 inches of grain left in the bottom, but that's a pretty significant amount for even all five of them to finish off in one day. I found chickens in there eating it, but most of it was gone, so someone else got some too. Fast forward to yesterday. Bonnie (shetland sheep) has diarrhea instead of normal pellets. She's kind of groggy, and I don't know if that's because she just feels terrible, or if she has bloat. I looked at her from the front and back, and she's not sticking out on her left side, but I'm concerned. I mixed up some baking soda, water, and vegetable oil and got a little bit (four syringes full) in her before she really started kicking and I let her up. She's not laying in a corner or anything, she's out grazing with everyone else, but acting like she feels sick. Not eating too much, doing a lot of snuffling whereas Brownie is eating normally. What do you think? Should I get some commercial bloat medication, or try to get some more baking soda mix in her, call the vet? Thanks. 

[redborneschoolfarm]

If it's bloat her stomach would usually be enlarged and tight like a drum so that when you bang on it it makes a drum sound. Bloat also usually kills very quickly so if she has been like this for two days it probably isn't bloat. It's most likely that the grain is swelling slightly in her stomach causing some discomfort and grogginess, she will pass it as quickly as possible probably causing the diarrohea. I'm not sure how prone sheep are to this but I know goats suffer from pH inbalances in their guts by addition of acids or Alkalis called Acidosis so I would be very careful pushing to much Bicarbonate down her as this is an alkali and will react with teh stomach to produce more gas. Let it pass and if very worried call the vet.

[wonderpupp]

You can get some gaviscon, or generic type gaviscon from a pharmacy which will help with the stomach upset. Maybe 5ml syringe at a time, few times a day. £3 for a big bottle.
 
I found baking soda mix didn't help Colin when he had broken into the feed store and gorged on wild bird seed, and coarse mix. But he did like aniseed flavoured gaviscon.
 
 

[SallyintNorth]

jaykay hasn't been about, but she usually recommends live (probiotic) yoghurt

[jaykay]

She does  syringed in after the mixture that MudJunkie has given the Shetland - well done!


I think you've done what's needed and if she's out and grazing and not blown up, the chances are she'll recover. She's probably uncomfortable but it doesn't sound dangerous.