Goosey Lucy Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 So sorry to hear about your poor sheep. It must be really hard to lose one. *hug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helly Welly Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 So sorry Lesley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Oh no Lesley.........I'm so sorry I hope the PM finds what went wrong and that it won't affect the rest of your ewes sending (((((big big wooly hugs))))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Dreadful news Lesley, I'm so sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Breeds that are quite hardy are the most prone Lesley basically they are used to living of scrubby land and not eating concentrates and quality pasture and hay When they are pregnant they seem to lose interest in the nice food but the important thing is to get them eating anything they want so long as they are eating Sometimes they will take sugar beet the stuff you feed horses and sometimes they will eat bizzare things like apples and bananas Things like Dorset which are lowland pasture sheep are much less prone to these problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 WOW Louise, your knowledge never fails to impress me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 I have a very sad life Paola I know a farmer with Scottish Blackface sheep in a lowland area and he has major problems if he ever has to bring his ewes indoors especially at lambing for the same reasons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 10, 2008 Author Share Posted April 10, 2008 Thanks Louise. They do seem to be eating, well, eating the grass and hay and some concentrate anyway The grass is quite good at the moment, but not too rich. We didn't hear from the Vet today........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Lets hope they don't take too long to get back to you Lesley. and that they don't come back with any bad news. sending a hug A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missuscluck Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Hi Lesley Sorry to hear about your ewes Are you sure it was twin lamb, how long were they ill and what were the symptoms? You can get twin lamb drenches from the farmers coop which might be worth trying if anyone else starts looking a bit dodgy. I'm also wondering if it could have been hypocalcaemia, might be worth treating future cases with calcijet? I hope you get the postmortem results back soon, must be a worry Cheers alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 11, 2008 Author Share Posted April 11, 2008 Thanks Alex - we're just witing to hear from the Vet. I have phoned and am waiting for her to call back. As soon as we know what it is then hopefully we can keep something handy in case any of the others show any signs. The problem we've had is that it has been so sudden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 11, 2008 Author Share Posted April 11, 2008 We had the PM results this afternoon - it was a Clostridial disease, which causes sudden death. Most sheep are vaccinated against this but we bought ours initila 6 ewes from someone and vaccination wasn't mentioned. We will have all the sheep vaccinated but in the meantime we have to inject the 6 we have left with penicillin. We already had some penicillin left from the sheep who had mastitis last year and carl collected a supply of syringes and needles from the small animal vets on his way home. Now, all that reains is to catch them now we've let them out into a large paddock The Vet also said that she wasn't in lamb, which is good news in a way..... only one life lost...... ..... and she was far too fat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missuscluck Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Its all that good life!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 11, 2008 Author Share Posted April 11, 2008 - it certainly is...Carl was worried that he hadn't been feeding them enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I am glad you found out what it was. Plus, at least it's preventable in future. We had the same thing happen actually - we lost a lamb one year at 3 months old, just found him dead on eday from Pulpy Kidney which is a clostridial infection. All of the flock except his mother and aunt had been vaccinated. We vaccinate/booster all of them now annually with Heptavac P+ which is a seven in one vaccine. The smallest bottle is 50ml which treats 25 sheep! We buy it from the local famers supermarket Countrywide, it only costs about £15. I used to do them myself but I now live near my friend who is medical, so she comes round and does them for me. Hope the others are all ok. Cheers Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 11, 2008 Author Share Posted April 11, 2008 Thanks Alex - we have to go to Countrywide tomorrow. Is it a muscular injection, or intravenous ? - our book says inject at the top of the neck i think that is only so that if they form a blister then it won't spoil the hide for resale purposes, which won't apply to most of ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfamily Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Glad you have found out what was wrong Good Luck catching the sheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Well, I'm glad you know what it was and what to do for the others. Sad that you've had such a hard time of it, but it's amazing how much you've learned along the way. Best wishes for a better time ahead. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Hi Lesley It's just a subcutaneous, so not too bad. I have had to do intramuscular several times and hated it (mainly because I am squeamish! the vet said if I hit the bone, withdraw a couple of mm ) I do the side of the neck by habit but I think like you say that is only to protect the valuable bits of the carcase so irrelevant for me really. I was also shown to do between the front leg and the chest, sort of the armpit, where there is some handy loose skin. When I have had to do it on my own, for some ewes I have needed to turn them and then either the neck or armpit are handy to do without assistance. It's like dog and cat vaccines, when it's not a booster you need two jabs to start them off, two weeks apart, and after that it is once yearly. I don't know if you can do it if the ewe is pregnant. Ideally you boost a few weeks before lambing to protect the lambs, but otherwise you can treat them quite young if necessary. I forget when exactly - 4 to 6 weeks old perhaps? Anyway, hope all your other sheep are doing well, and I hope you will get some lovely lambs in a few weeks. We only have two lambs so far (the second of which arrived this morning at an indecently early hour!) but expecting another seven from five ewes, according to the scanners anyway. Best wishes Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Only just caught up with this Lesley, so sorry you lost a ewe. At least you know what it is now and can protect the rest of your flock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I'm glad you have found out what it was Good luck catching the others, you never know if you ask the others they may queue up nicely for you ready for their injections Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Am glad that it wasn't the twin lamb syndrome.....like you say....only one life lost. I don't suppose it ever becomes easier though. At least you are prepared for next year re vaccinations etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hi Lesley It's just a subcutaneous, so not too bad. I have had to do intramuscular several times and hated it (mainly because I am squeamish! the vet said if I hit the bone, withdraw a couple of mm ) I do the side of the neck by habit but I think like you say that is only to protect the valuable bits of the carcase so irrelevant for me really. I was also shown to do between the front leg and the chest, sort of the armpit, where there is some handy loose skin. When I have had to do it on my own, for some ewes I have needed to turn them and then either the neck or armpit are handy to do without assistance. It's like dog and cat vaccines, when it's not a booster you need two jabs to start them off, two weeks apart, and after that it is once yearly. I don't know if you can do it if the ewe is pregnant. Ideally you boost a few weeks before lambing to protect the lambs, but otherwise you can treat them quite young if necessary. I forget when exactly - 4 to 6 weeks old perhaps? Anyway, hope all your other sheep are doing well, and I hope you will get some lovely lambs in a few weeks. We only have two lambs so far (the second of which arrived this morning at an indecently early hour!) but expecting another seven from five ewes, according to the scanners anyway. Best wishes Alex Thanks Alex - I went and read the book properly afterwards Subcutaneous doesn't sound too bad Are your Shetlands difficult to turn? - our are a bit of a pig to do - perhaps because they're a bit too fat. Probably not the best thing to do in case they are pregnant anyway. We turned bigger sheep with no problem at the Ag. College - just ours that are difficult. If I'm not back in here later then you'll all know why Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louisdog Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hi Lesley Yeah the subcut is ok I guess, although I did nearly do a Trude Mostue on one occasion (but realised in time!) Some of my shetlands are ok to turn, generally the slightly bigger or older ones. Some OTOH are a right pain! It sometimes seems to be the tamer ones that are most resistant, perhaps because they are not scared to take us on in a fight! The massive mules we've done on various courses have always been easier! Our shearer had a lot of trouble one year with a couple of the smaller ones, he said most sheep are not that lively when turned. The joys of shetlands I guess. I try not to turn them if possible and definitely not when they are pregnant. I usually have them stand alongside a wall and then back them up against a corner if there is one, then just gently press on their front shoulder to keep them still, turn the head a bit to expose some neck and then get jabbing. Definitely easier with two people though. What are yours like, are they quite tame? Ours really vary, even among the ones we have bred so handled from a young age, some are friendier than others. Several mob us and jump up for strokes when we go into the field whereas at the other extreme there is one who is a complete nightmare to catch, refusing to even be bribed with the great digestive biscuit. Mainly they follow a bucket ok and are calm in the yard. Cheers Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
