# Newborn lamb EMERGENCY, please help!



## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

One of a set of twins from this a.m. has issues. I'm trying to decide if she is injured or has a deformity. Calling a vet is not especially prcatical due to cost vs. potential viability of said lamb. (unfortunate reality)

Her neck seems crooked to one side but with no lumps I can feel. Her shoulder seems to have a hump. I figured she could either be sadly deformed or have a dislocated joint from birthing. The hump is only big enough to seem odd but not grossly anatomically incorrect. She is small and the issues so well concealed that pictures would not show anything.

She tried walking, legs seem level on ground, just a bit weak and having trouble balancing. We had to help her get colostrum, sadly not enough I am sure. Trying to give her a bottle. i realize she may not live, just trying to decide if she is breedable in future or if she is straight slaughter.

This is the only breeding this season from a few pure bred registered animals I keep amongst the commercial flock. 

How do you handle a dislocated shoulder if it is one?


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Hinton, what do you think about trying to gently pull her forelegs up so that she is standing on her 2 rear, sort of a gentle manipulation. Also do you think Bo-Se might help her? If you could get her some more colostrum and buy her some time, perhaps this will just work itself out as she moves around?


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## Blossomgapfarm (Jan 23, 2007)

Could it be from positioning in utero? I know sometimes feet can be turned a bit funny and work themselves out in a day or two. Hope she gets better.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Sounds like something that Vitamin B complex and BOSE may be able to take care of, besides patience and some TLC.
First of all did you get her to take a bottle or get colostrum in her ?
If not, I would tube the colostrum asap.
Give her a shot of BOSE, and vitamin B.
I had a lamb with the similar description years ago when we were dealing with selenium issues and the results were amazing, as well as the patience of the dam (mom) had with her and within a week you couldn't even tell there was ever a problem. If the ewe is not wild and will not trample her, keep the lamb with her in the pen.
Most likely she was just crowded in the womb and her neck should relax. It wouldn't hurt to massage the muscles too.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions or you want to give me a call.
Also....if her legs are affected, vitamins A&D wouldn't hurt either.
Deb


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Upon closer look her shoulders may be okay. I think one looked humped due to her neck crook. She holds it noticably to one side and that may exagurate her appearance. I really hope it is just stiffness. i would hate to lose such a well bred ewe. (culling should come later on)

She got a little colostrum and I am going asap to get a tube of the fake stuff. 

She took a bottle very eagerly from me. In my haste to "save" her she is with and may have bonded to me. mom is flighty so to reintroduce may be bad. I was also concerned about mom managing the one good lamb.

Baby probably overate, had 4 oz. so will do electrolyte next. So far very energetic but has trouble getting up, like Babmi in the cartoon. 

Dangit, another one I won't be able to eat and if she doesn't make it I will probably have to cry..............


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Good that she is taking a bottle !
I would just milk the ewe, I know you said she is flighty...tie her up.
Depending on the size of the lamb, about 4 oz. about 2-3 hours (longer between at night ), for the first 24 hours. Don't see a reason to give her anything else except a shot of those vitamins and Bose.
No lamb chops and no tears...bet she does fine


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

She is looking a bit lethargic. At first I thought she was just tired from a full belly or had a slight tummy ache.

Now she seems lethargic. I keep worrying as if she were a new human baby...."has she napped too long?"

I should have stuck with the bottle. I got some colostrum supplement and she didn't like it. I may have inadvertantly gotten some in her lungs. Those jerks make squeeze tubes that are hard to push the pluger on then it just shoots out. NOT especially helpful.

So although she may have needed it I should have possibly left well enough alone. At least before she was an eager eater and slept less. I dunno.........

Either way it is a bit frustrating but a valuable lesson in farm life. got to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. I just hate to see them linger or suffer. Meat is a fact of my life but I need it to be happy and humane. So the waiting makes me sad for the lamb. 

Had two ewe lambs from my best pairing this year, that is a miracle in itself! I hope he (sire) throws a lot of ewes, have to wait and see. If the ewe lamb lives I plan on using her first ram lamb for charity. Either donate sale proceeds, raflle his meat for a non profit, or feed him to a soup kitchen crowd...let them have a feast worthy of kings.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Just wondering are you feeding her the ewe's colostrum and have you given her the injections ?


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

She may have had a few mouthfulls of her moms colostrum this morning as we held her to the teat. 

Didn't give her injections due to most of those vitamin needs being in the colostrum tube, another one with yogurt type stuff in it to get digestion working and the milk replacer also have electrolytes.

For example B 12 was in one tube but as injectable said 5 ml for 100 lbs body weight and urged strict caution in not over dosing. I have such a cocktail of confusion and things going into her that I'm at my wits end. I am upset because I could have made it worse.

No one in area has selenium or BOSE except in bulk powder which does me zero good.

One farm store went to just carrying a sad supply of cow/hog stuff, like a handful and tons of horse stuff. Don't know when they ditched real farmers (horses are nice but a hobby unless your a breeder) I hate subdivisions, they pop up and mess things up. I'm cranky, could you tell? : )

How long should she sleep? She doesn't seem to want to stay awake long, stopped bahing and refuses to stand or even try. i think she is on her way out sadly.....................

Dang cutie pie wakes up and makes a funny bah when she has to have a BM, sort of warns us.

She has peed once and pooped 3 times.

I also figure if she is deformed in some way there is no way to tell what all is going wrong inside. Just a twisted waiting game and we all fell in love with her. (even my DH)


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Sorry if my tone is moody guys, this whole thing is depressing

As soon as I got off my last post ms. lamb decided to talk to me. she wolfed down another 4 oz. voraciously. 

Maybe she is just well fed and sleepy, sort of that new born daze some of them seem to fall into.

I imagine walking can come later when she is over the immediate danger and has some nutrients in her system. Afterall she has to be weak and having some sort of "issue" makes it harder.

She is a registerable Dorset with gorgeous parents. She is all leg, they are two times taller and longer than her torso (same for sister). This one has a short tail as if she came out docked at the humane length. I was surprised. Her sister has the regular ole long tail.


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

BoSe is not a powder, you need to get it from a Vet, they shouldn't have any problem selling you some. Also B's aren't processed well orally under stressful conditions they need to administered SubQ. Ditto on the A&D. For many sheep farmers it is standard procedures to administer Bo-Se at 1-2 days, you should talk to a large animal vet or State vet school. This is what they do at VA Tech, but dosage is extremely important, so talk to someone in your area so they can advise you on amount. B Complex & A&D are carried by most farm stores and extremely cheap too.


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Called vet to see if he could fit me in. He was too busy, BUT he spoke with me in depth over the phone and at his office when I picked up a few meds. The man is a saint. 

He gave me some BO SE for the sick lamb and her twin. He also gave me some baytril for a slight labored breathing she started. I also got coccidiosis (sp?) meds for 30 sheep and C D & T for 10 doses (was out of larger bottles).

Besides that I got a teat dialator for the Momma who has other issues.....(dangit)

Grand total $36, no charge for LONG consultation. 

The lamb is skinny and in an attempt to give shot pierced skin and lost meds out other side. Had to drive another 1/2 hour. Then he gave me a second dose for her for FREE.

this same vet was cool and saved some lambs last season from poor weather with naxcel and baytril. one lamb we took in, the next day he just let us pick up meds for second sick one.

His office visit is only $35. He does my DH grandfathers cattle. Has a wonderful reputation with local farmers. I will NEVER go anywhere else. In the city I used to live vets were as notorious for rip offs as mechanics are. (my DH does tech work, so I am just illustrating a point, no judgment)

Just in case you are nearby Sparta Animal Clinic, Sparta Illinois.

Lamb is lethargic and sleepy. doesn't want to stand or walk. She also eats like a shark feeding frenzy so I hope that is a good sign. She may still have a congenital deformity, won't know till she is up and better. At least she has a chance now, then we will see what happens.

Hope is good enough for me. She has a strong will to live, that is usually a big help.


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## Blossomgapfarm (Jan 23, 2007)

Hoping for the best for your little lamb.
Dawn


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Sounds like you have a great partner in your vet. Best to you and the lamb.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Your lamb sounds like a fighter, have you given her more in the way of vitamins ? This might perk her up some as well as work with the other physical symptoms.
Are you working with her standing or her neck tightness ?

Sounds like a great working relationship with your vet !
You are very lucky to have a vet to work with, unfortunately it isn't often the case. Over the most recent years I have been working with a wonderful vet here, but if I decide to relocate, it may be worth checking out your area


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Someone mentioned I should try working on her neck and standing. In arush and couldn't find the exact post. I felt shamed by it because I was neglecting that. I was so afraid of starvation and pneumonia that I glazed over that part. This process is a little depressing.

The lamb eats so well but sleep immediately after. She is just to weak to stand and refuses to try.

Today I started rubbing her neck with some horse linament. Usually she seems to object to touch but I gave her a mini massage and seemed to be okay with it.



Then I was struck by the lightning of homestead innovation. I was thinking about those jumpers that people hang in doorways for babies to learn to stand. 

I took an old bathroom carpet and laid it on my floor for traction. Grabbed on of my husbands saw horses and a wide winter scarf. I use the scarf as a sling under her belly and tie it to the saw horse. she is just high enough to hang in it and stand a little at a time if she wants to try.

I have to watch for her breathing because it seems a bit unatural for her to be slung, she also slips in the sling so I may need to cut leg holes so it fits her les loosely.

So far she has perked up, has been awake for the longest since birthday. Her tail will wiggle once in awhile and she makes little attempts at standing/walking that look like awkward jumps. I'll just do it a bit at a time but this thing is awesome. It als helped her process some urine/feces she was not letting go of. I guess the laying around was bad for food processing.

She has been touch and go, yesterday I thought she was gone for sure. Today I have hope again.

I wish I could post a pix. If anyone could explain it to me I would appreciate it. i am computer savvy but on this forum I just can't get it right.


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

That's great!


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## Blossomgapfarm (Jan 23, 2007)

How is she doing today?


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

I thought today was put her down day for sure. She hadn't pooped in over a day and was listless. Slept 23 1/2 hours a day and I thought it was just cruel.

It was hard because this morning she sat up for the first time on her own. She is thin an lost condition but has gained weight.

Had her in the sling most of day and she would sleep, then wake, try to walk or turn a bit and sleep again.

THEN IT HIT ME! As I saw her try to go boom boom (she has a baby like cry bah to say it's time) it looked way too big and would not come out.

This is where my home health training with disabled people saved me. (fixed a deep wound in my LGD the other day from same thing)

I had ....yes, manually disempact her bowel. Not a pretty thing to do, especially to such a small animal. (sorry to be graphic)

Now she is going on her own just fine. Eating well, color in eyes/nose is brighter. She has also tried to sit up and balances better several times tonight. Now she can move herself out of her pee spots so I can sleep tonight.

We survived rock bottom and may just be on the path to recovery. Good timing too because the strain was causing me stress induced depression/anxiety. I really put my all into her. Haven't been away from her side for more than a couple hours since Saturday. I figured I wouldn't give up till she did. 

Good thing my husband likes her becauise she will remain a pet until her final day.


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

For future reference, a warm soapy water enema will help out constipated lambs. I use about 12 ML. It has straightened out many a constipated lamb at my place.


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Now that would have been so nice to know earlier : ) lol

Desperate times require quick thinking. she was ready and I had no time to run to store.

I'll keep some extra on hand for emergencies though.


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## Blossomgapfarm (Jan 23, 2007)

I am glad she is doing better. Hopefully this will be the upswing for her. What is her name?
Dawn


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Mitzvah


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

No need to run to the store! I soak a bar of soap in a glass of warm water for a while, maybe squish it up a bit to speed things along. When the water is cloudy I call it done. Then I pull up the 12 ML in a syringe and proceed. Sometimes I can't find one of my 12 ml syringes so I'll use 3 3mls or 2 6 mls, I've always got used syringes, and new ones, around. You probably do, too! If not, I bet your vet will give you a few used ones in various sizes.


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## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

One of the ball syringes you use to clean out babies' noses works great to give soapy enemas to lambs. I forget where I learned that.  
Lisa at Somerhill
www.somerhillfarm.com


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

That would work well, too. It would have a softer tip than a syringe as well as a taper instead of an abrupt shoulder like that on a syringe. Thanks for the idea!


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Had to put her down today.

She kept seeming as if there were no hope, then moments before I decided it was it she would perk up. This went on for a couple days.

Yesterday she seemed almost spunky in her sling, but I noticed her eyes looked milky as if she were blind.

Today she was shaking, what I read was from pain. Although she had started to gain weight she all of the sudden seemed bony and hadn't been peeing. I also noticed her belly was very full, not just the way it is after eating.

We decided that was enough because she was in pain and may have been permanently crippled/blind. I regret trying so hard since I only prolonged her misery. It was a valuable learning experience for our quickly growing flock. Sometimes it is just best to let nature take it's course. The best we can figure is she had white muscle disease. In the end her sad loss will save us countless issues in the future, like I said we have a quickly growing flock. A full breeding season of the same issues would do us in.

Like someone else said the learning curve on sheep is harsh. My one consolation is that her twin is the cutest, sunniest and happiest lamb I have ever seen. Since we need to supplement her with bottles (Mom has udder issues, NEVER buy from Jody Kabat of Woodlawn Illinois) she runs to us like a happy little puppy. I spent so much time stressing over the sick lamb I almost forgot what a joyful blessing the one I have left is.

Thanks for all the support.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

I share your tears, glad she is no longer suffering. 


So glad you have another lamb to share your love with, what is her name ?
What is the issue with the ewe's udder, is she not producing milk or have a hard udder ?


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

eieiomom said:


> I share your tears, glad she is no longer suffering.
> 
> 
> So glad you have another lamb to share your love with, what is her name ?
> What is the issue with the ewe's udder, is she not producing milk or have a hard udder ?



Named her Simcha

The ewe had a hard mass inside one side of her udder. I bought her for my first brood ewe and didn't think to inspect her udder until much later (pre pregnancy). (The guy who sold her is a show fanatic and seems to broker in animals he keeps for one season to try to breed "perfect" animals. Does a lot of linebreeding too. I was duped, now I know better)

That udder seems to have a blockage. She has an udder the size of a cow but one side will not milk. Tried to unplug it because thought it was a plug. Nothing but a couple drops came out and it was hard to do. Since I noticed the mass in it months beofre lambing I assumed that it was the issue and probably not too easily fixed.


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Oh yeah, tried a teat dialator and it did not work even a little.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

I'm glad the little one is gone and free. Glad also that her twin brings a smile to your day.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Sometimes mastitis can be undetected (maybe at weaning time) and doesn't show any signs till the following year.


In some of our high producing dairy ewes their udders get so enlarged that they actually get injured. On a couple ooccasions I found this out the following year and in both cases after first lactation.
They produce enough milk though on one side to feed and raise 2 of their 3 lambs, year after year.

Not sticking up for this person but maybe the breeder really did not know ?


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## hintonlady (Apr 22, 2007)

Agreed, he may not have known. However he is a young guy who fancies himself a breeder. He is really just a show chaser and brags all day about countless shows he won. (of course these are small nickel and dime shows not worth bragging)

It just makes me mad because he obviously has a lamb "puppy mill" in order to chase glory. Rather than having one nice flock to represent his work he has tons of breeds represented in a mid sized flock in which he crosses indiscriminantly trying to get one perfect specimen. Not sound if you ask me. He has a revolving door of sell offs from big breeders who he uses one season to see how it goes and then passes them on. (anybody worth their salt realizes that even a perfect ewe will have some nice and some not so nice lambs. It takes time and consistancy to develop good stock)

I bought from him a long time ago and this is my senior ewe. I didn't know better at the time. Since then I have learned a sad fact, don't trust anybody in the sheep business. (of course I do but am more selective about it)

With any livestock owners/breeders there are two types:
1. Those who do it for the love of it.
2. Those who do it for the love of the profit in it.


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