# Treating bloat



## PKBoo

One of our ewes was a little bloated tonight, so we brought her into the barn and gave her 3 mL vegetable oil and left a bowl of baking soda free choice, along with hay and water.

Specifically how much oil should be given? And is a bowl of baking soda powder the right way to provide it? I looked all over the internet and could not find specifics...

Her belly still feels hard, but the bloating is not as pronounced. I gave the other ewe 3 mLs of oil too, just in case. Is there anything else I should be watching for?


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## eieiomom

Here is the treatment I have used with success over the years.
This can vary too depending on the size of the sheep.

Vegetable oil is not recommended:

Drench with :
2 T. baking soda
1/2 cup mineral oil (vets say not to use veg. oil).
1/2 cup water 
Plus:
Pepto Bismal (based on animal weight)
Vitamin B injections.
I also have added yogurt with acidophylis (or probiotic)
If already scouring, leave out mineral oil.
Anti-bloat formula, can get this at farm store or the best is a product called DSS 5% solution, from the vet.

Encourage mouth movement with stick in mouth like a bit.
Encourage walking.
Flip on behind and rub belly.
Encourage eating grass hay and drinking water.
In severe cases, you can put feeding tube (in lambs) down into stomach to expel gas. Would need a longer tube for mature ewes.

Is she chewing her cud ?
Did she get into an abundance of grain, if so when ?
Hope this helps,

Deb


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## PKBoo

Thanks so much Deb - I will going to the store tomorrow to get mineral oil. Do you know why no vegetable oil? Just curious

She's been up and walking, acting normally the whole time - I just noticed the bulge on her left side. She ate a bunch of grass hay and drank a bunch of water too. I just checked her and her belly feels a little softer and jigglier now. 

How much Vitamin B? I just got some (I've been building my "first aid" kit). Is there a chart on the side? I haven't used it yet, obviously 

I mowed the pasture today, then it rained, and our pasture has waaaay too much clover, which probably got spread all over when I mowed. We're fencing another area so we can rehabilitate and rotate correctly, but it won't be done for another month or so.


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## Bearfootfarm

> vets say not to use veg. oil


Vets aren't always right:



> administration of *vegetable oils alone*, such as peanut oil, sunflower oil, or soybean oil (cattle: 60 mL; sheep: 10-15 mL), also *relieve acute frothy bloat *when given PO.


http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/190312.htm


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## eieiomom

Thanks Bearfoot for the link and very true about vets.
Merck is a great reference.

Mineral oil was recommended to me and has worked well here.

It's good that your ewe is not in any distress and rumen is probably distended from lush pasture.
If she is eating, drinking and acting fine, I would not treat her with vitamin B. Possibly just Pepto and baking soda in a drench with water.
Not a vet, but this is how I would treat sheep here, if it were a concern.
I have one ewe here that looks like she is going to blow up everytime she goes out to pasture. I worried about her initially last year and realized it must just be her make up....

It does help to give them some hay to fill up with in the early season and each day before turning them out to pasture.

~Deb


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## PKBoo

I brought the other whether into the barn tonight - he was a little distended, so I tried giving him the mineral oil/water mixture. I used a turkey baster, and more of it ended up dribbling down his chin instead of inside him!!

What is the best way to get that mixture into them? :teehee: Learning so much every day... I'm glad to be trying this now before it's an emergency


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## PNP Katahdins

I like this small-flock drencher from Premier at http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=219&cat_id=8:










I have seen them in various sizes, 30 ml is good for us. Other suppliers have this item too. The long drench nozzle puts the liquid in the back of the throat instead of in the mouth. It's really safe to use.

Peg


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## Bearfootfarm

> I like this small-flock drencher from Premier


I use mine all the time.
I LOVE it!

I have an "auto drencher" if I need to treat a bunch at one time, but I use the small one most often


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