6 week old lamb looking "uncomfortable": how sick is sick?

Goatsandsheep · #21 03/29/07, 08:10 PM

Some gardening place carry ammonium chloride. G&S

frazzlehead · #22 03/29/07, 08:52 PM

Okie dokie: we have a bottle of aluminum chloride and the sheep has had some, dissolved in water. He is looking much less uncomfortable, not heaving as much in the sides and just seeming more relaxed in general. He is eating, and I think I'll put him back outside tonight - although I'm keeping him in for a bit to watch for pee quantities.

The Boy got home before me and said there were at least 4 hand-sized (okay, HIS hand) puddles (dried up) on the bathroom floor, so clearly he was urinating during the day.

He's nibbled at the feed he has in front of him (alfalfa hay, a bit of creep and some dried molasses sprinkled on it for incentive) but seems mostly to be resting.

Guess we'll see how things play out from here... not much to do now but keep dosing him, watch, and wait.

Thanks again, all!

frazzlehead · #23 03/30/07, 01:28 AM

Later this evening, things with the lamb took a turn for the worse: he was totally plugged up and clearly in a lot of pain. I decided to call in the vet: yep, an expensive trip, but I knew that she could either fix things or end it peacefully (I have yet to acquire the technology to euthanize an animal myself - I own no lethal weapons and the chemicals required are vet-only in Canada).

Unfortunately, things with Cupid the market lamb had gone beyond fixing. The Boy was asleep for most of the work done attempting to solve the problem, but when it was clear we couldn't save the lamb, I went and got The Boy, who came and sat with his lamb while he was put down. Doctor Sarah is very kind and the end was super quick and painless ... which is good, as Cupid had been in pain for a few days already and it really needed to end. I am so relieved that we called her: I learned tonight that a sheep can take days to die when this happens (the urethra had, in fact, burst inside), in horrible pain the whole time ... so it was definitely best to get it done quickly.

Looking at the economics, it was still worth the cost of a vet visit: now I know what to look for if we run into this problem again. I would have had no idea what I was looking for when physically examinining a sheep and been afraid to euthanize an animal thinking maybe it still had a chance to get better. Doctor Sarah explained what to look for and how to make the call as to whether or not things are beyond hope, and that is good knowledge to have. She is a good teacher.

The Boy is very accpeting of all this: he feels, rightly I think, that as long as we do our best for our animals and try our hardest to keep them safe and reduce their suffering, we have been good shepherds. For this year, he will continue on in 4H with his breeding ewe, Cherub. She is a lovely lamb with a gorgeous fleece, I'm sure he will do well with her!

So, although we lost a lamb tonight, we gained valuable knowledge and we have the peace of knowing that we eased a fellow creature's pain.

We sent Cupid to the Good Shepherd with all our love, and with thanks for all we learned from him.

Thanks to all of you for your support and help.

YuccaFlatsRanch · #24 03/30/07, 09:16 AM

Frazzlehead - so sorry for your loss.

Was the powder you got ammonium Chloride or aluminum chloride as yoou wrote. They are not the same. Please tell me that it was AMMONIUM Chloride.

Goatsandsheep · #25 03/30/07, 09:49 AM

Sorry you loss him. G&S

frazzlehead · #26 03/30/07, 10:05 AM

Eek, yes, AMMONIUM! Pretty tired after all this. :S

Good catch...

YuccaFlatsRanch · #27 03/30/07, 12:01 PM

When you get your new lamb start giving him a healthy pinch 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon on his grain daily. If you feed the grain more than once a day, divide the amount into smaller pinches.

Other than not tasting so good - salty and bitter (I have tried it - accidently, and yes it burns if it gets in a cut - have tried that too) you can't overdose him (within reason).

My custom grain mix has it added in and I still add more when I feed - just in case. Mollasses added to the grain helps mask the flavor of the AMMONIUM Chloride. I also have BOVATEC (lasolacid) added to my feed mix to control any possibility of coccidiosis.

Urinary Calculi happens quickly and either recovery or death happens as fast - as you well know. Like my vet says - its so much easier to prevent, than to cure.

You all are in our prayers. However a good lesson in life for youngsters is death. It makes them appreciate the successes and wonderfulness of life.