[Ark]

The small sheep we rescued a couple weeks ago is going down hill.

I'm pretty sure she is around weaning age, however she likes goat milk in a bowl and will drink it twice a day. Maybe a pint each time. She wont drink more than that.

She is spending more and more time laying down.

She shows no interest in the goats, who are nice to her, since it is kid's area that she is in. They just ignore her now, and she ignores them.

It's hard to tell how thin a sheep is, but I was feeling of her upper legs through the wool and I was horrified at how little meat there is on her bones!

I really want to help her.

What can I do? She wont eat much of anything. A little grass, but nothing else that I offer her. I even bought some lamb creep feed, medicated. What about calf feed - could I give her that? It has molasses in it, so she might like it, but I dont know if that is good for lambs. I've offered her hay, oats, alfalfa pellets, and the milk.

ETA: When I bought calf feed at the feed store they gave me a bag of lamb feed, saying was the same darn thing!! :shrug:

 

[MTDeb]

I'm not sure what you've done so far as far worming, antibiotics, etc.??

Just don't give her goat feed or goat mineral blocks. It's got too much copper in it for sheep.

 

[susieM]

Bring her into the house and spoil her rotten.

 

[susieM]

Maybe bottle feed her to help her to feel loved?

 

[Ark]

I gave her a shot of antibiotics the first day we got her. She really perked up for a few days, and was eating the alfalfa pellets and oats that we feed our goats and was very happy. The goats minerals are in the milk room, so she cant possibly have gotten to them.

She wont take a bottle, even when I tried to put it in her mouth just so she could figure out milk was coming from it. It freaked her out, and she drinks happily from the bowl, so I'll just let her do it how she wants to. I wish wish wish she would drink more than 2 bowls a day because I think she really needs the nutrition.

Going to check what wormers I have so I can see if they are ok for sheep...

Worms are SO bad this year! And coccidiosis too!

 

[Ross]

Sounds like a worm problem at first glance a series with Safeguard might help but split the dose over 5 days. You can drench in some sulfa cocci treatment. Avoid dexamethasone but maybe some strong black coffee would perk the lamb up. Say half to three quarters of a cup.

 

[hintonlady]

I agree with worming, however if she won't eat, worms are a mute point.

I suggest a stomach tube and feed through that. Very common remedy where you insert tube through mouth into stomach. Must be super careful not to go into lung or she is dead for sure. Then you feed her whatever her age requires, too much all at once causes scours. It sounds hard but isn't too bad, your local feed store should have soft rubber tubing and if you are desperate you can improvise. Get it slick/wet and feed it down by "force", she'll fight but you have to work with her swallow reaction. Listen to it and if no whistle you should be in gut. Please look up online or in book prior to trying. My explanation is rough at best.

Sick lambs die super fast. good luck

 

[Goatsandsheep]

I would worm her and start give probiotic and B complex oral daily. Are you feed any hay? If not I would start feeding some and keep up the milk. Have you check her temp? G&S

 

[Ark]

:shrug:

DONT HAVE MUCH TIME - will try to answer questions.

We are having a lot of coccidiosis problems. Goats, calf, chickens, so maybe the lamb too?

She doesnt have any diarrhea, and I have not checked her temp - just got a replacement thermometer so will do that ASAP.

This morning, she's weaker. She did walk from her spot under the deck where I had water, hay and feed for her, al the way over to the goat's water bowl, and has been by it since last night. Goats are totally leaving her alone. Even when I let the milkers out of their pen, and they went to get water, they didnt mess with her at all.

Mostly lying down this morning. At 5:30am I gave her a Nuflor and Vit B shot, and about 2 cups of milk.

At 8:30 am she drank about 1.5 cups of milk with a little salt and sugar in it. Weird, I know, but I was desperate to get some nutrition down her - didnt have any Nutridrench type stuff, and the sugar may boost her energy? Salt is in gatorade? WEll, she liked it!

Safeguard doesnt seem to do much good - the worm problem is gigantic. Vet told me yesterday that it's the "year from he**" for worms. Lots of animal deaths.

Looked at her eyelids - they are totally WHITE!!

 

[hintonlady]

The white eyelids is often a sign of heavy worm load (can be other too) they get anemic from lack of blood due to parasite issues. If her dam or she weren't wormed she is susceptible. Losing lambs is common and a sad fact of sheep life. Worms kill more sheep than most imagine.

If she is at weaning age she should have been eating grass and grain already, unless she is a milk fed roaster, but unless slaughtered young she would have to have other nutrition.

As for cocidiosis, I'm not an expert but my impression is that if it is a problem you should make sure the poultry are seperate. I am under the impression their feces spreads it and those poultry like to poop in feed and watertanks. If the other large stock are affected you may want to research how long they darry it and are contagious. Some diseases go unoticed in healthier animals yet manage to strike down the weak.

If you can afford it you really should consult a vet. I have had half dead lambs saved from a proper diagnosis. The money is worth it if you consider lost breeding potential, at least to me. Lambs slip away so very quickly. her hours are very numbered if she is lethargic and eating poorly. Every tiny symptom and decline in status is a "nail in her coffin".

 

[Ark]

We rescued her a few weeks ago -dont have any other sheep.

I dont want to save her any less than I would if it was one of my goats I have had for years though. She is a sweet girl, and if I didnt do everything in my power to save her I would feel terrible.

Talked to vet again this morning- we'll be treating her for cocci first, using primor.

She WAS eating, a few days after we got her, she perked up and begin to eat hay, grain, grass. Has now stopped eating.

Poultry are separate. I've been told that cocci is different by breed, cant be passed, but I am starting to not believe it! I have my doubts...

 

[hintonlady]

just so you know.........

I never judged you or your intentions. It's so easy to get signals crossed online.

know how frustrating and sad the process of trying to save an animal is, especially babies.

I lost 18 baby rabbits, 3 total litters one at a time over a couple weeks of bottle raising. the heat was a disaster for my whole rabbit population.

Believe me I feel your pain and wish you the best.

Let me know how it turns out, I would like an update. I'll cry or smile with ya and we both can walk away with more experience.

 

[Goatsandsheep]

I've been told that cocci is different by breed, cant be passed, but I am starting to not believe it! I have my doubts...

We used to have geese that we let roam though all the pastures. We start have problems with cocci every time I turn around someone had it. I finally penned the geese up and got rid of them and we haven't had a cocci problem sense. Also they don't always have scour with cocci. Can you get a fecal count done? That will let you know worms you have and if you have cocci. Also she may be missing other sheep even if you have her with the goats. G&S

 

[Ark]

just so you know.........

I never judged you or your intentions. It's so easy to get signals crossed online.

QUOTE]

oh no no no no!! I didnt think you did. I just meant to clarify "No, she is not a valuable breeding animal" or anything like that. I looked back, and saw that I neglected to mention that she is worthless. LOL. Not really, but you know what I mean. I simply dont want to lose her. You're right, it's so hard to tell what someone is thinking without facial expressions.

So sorry about your rabbits - those kinds of things are so hard! Especially when you have tried so hard to save them. It hurts.

She's perked up a little since her shot this morning. No fever, BTW.

 

[hintonlady]

I am sooo excites she perked up.

My lambs whohad pneumonia came back quick after vet care. I was mazed at the speedy recovery, especially when I thought they were gonners beforehand.

How about some photos of her when she is on the mend : )

BTW did you mention her breed or anything? Just curious.....

I loves da sheeps..

 

[Ark]

The meds from the vet arrived in the mail today and I got her dosed. She was already acting a bit better, and I got a pic of her in the wee hours of the morning.

Go here: http://fourmilefarm.com/AboutUs.html
And scroll down - the pic is at the bottom of the page.

She probably weighs 30 pounds - that wool is deceiving! I am going to have to borrow some shears because she still has some painful sticker burrs.

 

[mawalla]

Recovery from blood loss anemia takes a while. It would be a good idea to give her at least an 18% protein grain mix as well as good hay to help her start producing more red blood cells. I would also give her an iron supplement. (I've used the stuff for pigs with good results.) She looks to be old enough to wean, but I wouldn't add anymore stress upon her now. Keep giving her the milk but have the solids there for her, too.

You treated her for coccidia but did you also worm her?

 

[kesoaps]

How's she doing today?

 

[Ark]

uhhhhhhhhh oh.... I dont know. I wish I could say she was better, but she is really just about the same.
Poor baby. She just isnt eating much at all.
:Bawling:

 

[Ark]

Last night when I got home from being away all day the sheep was very weak. Couldnt get up. So, I worked with her trying to get some liquids down her for a long time. She drank from a huge syringe - no problem.
I checked on her at 4 this morning and she was alive but not doing well.
At 5:30 she was dead. :Bawling: