# Sick Lamb-URGENT!



## HorseGirl31

Our lamb is sick. He is a bottle lamb, 2 weeks old has been very healthy except today. We are new to this so help would be appreciated! He is lethargic, doesn't want to follow us around, extreme loss of appetite....
PLEASE HELP!


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## RiverPines

What are you feeding him and how much, how often?
Has he been wormed and are his eyelids pink?
Whats his temperature?
Is he kept alone?
How are his poops and pees?
Has he had any vaccinations?


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## RiverPines

Did he get any real colostrum before he was put on the bottle?


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## HorseGirl31

We feed him 3 bottles(lamb milk repalcer), one at 6:30AM one at 2:00PM one at 8-9PM. Only has had 11/2 bottles of milk today, altho we offer it.Not sure what his exact temp is, but I stuck my finger in his mouth, it was warm, not real hot. No worming, going to get that and vaccines done this week. He normally poops and pees regularly but today all he did was pee, hadn;t seen him poop-? Yes he is kept alone, we were searching for another lamb for him for company. I dunno about colustrom, we got him at 3 days so unsure.


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## RiverPines

One thing I do that jump starts a lousy feeling lamb or kid is a shot of vitB complex. It keeps the gut moving and stimulates the appetite and helps immune system.
It cant hurt. It can only help.

I would also give him probios to see if that helps with his gut and lack of appetite and poo. I use the probios in the large tube for the gun applicator. 
Probios cant hurt either.

A temperature on that guy would help. Makes a big difference in what to do.
If he has a fever I would throw him on PenG right away.

I would have got him his first CDT because he gets no immunities from a ewe. I would have done it at 1 week old. 
But since he hasnt had the vaccine, first I would try to get him a better than hit him with the CDT. I wouldnt want to stress a weakened system.


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## eieiomom

Does he stand in a hunched position ?

Does his tummy look/feel bloated ?

Hold him close, do you feel him wheezing when he breathes or does he sound congested ?

He may be bloated, constipated and/or have an infection.

Deb


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## HorseGirl31

No, he is not wheezing, *maybe* congested....maybe.... No, not bloated. No, he really doesn't stand in a hunched position.


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## bergere

I have used a Sheep Nutri Drench with good results and it might help your lamb out.

http://www.bovidr.com/sheep.html


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## HorseGirl31

How do I order/buy it bergere? Would a vet's/farm and fleet have it?


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## bergere

You can call and check with your local Feed stores or order it online.

http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc...=H4WCPT44SWGW8N7HG97LHKE25HRF71HA&pf_id=16750

Or I think you can also buy from the company...though not sure.


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## shiandpete.1

Your feed store should have nutradrench.


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## RiverPines

HorseGirl31 said:


> How do I order/buy it bergere? Would a vet's/farm and fleet have it?


Farm and fleet has it along with VitB complex, Probios and PenG.

Did you get a temp on him yet?
A tiny amount of congestion can be bad.


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## HorseGirl31

Sick lamb:
2 weeks old was drinking 3 8 oz bottles of lamb milk replacer a day
Was very active, running around etc. Now very lethargic, only stands and walks around a little. Content to lay down and sleep. Very little movement.
Was always very talkative, always crying for us, now hardly any noise at all.
His temp is a 103.4-no clue what his normal temp is. He is not congesting at all. There is no bloating and stomach feels soft.
Yesterday he didn't want his first bottle and only drinks half what he did today and yesterday.
His stool is normal and he is peeing fine. We were not careful about cleaning out his bottle everytime. We are new to this. Now we make sure to sterilize. Any ideas??


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## RiverPines

Normal for a lamb is 102-103.
He may be beginning to run a fever. I would watch that close.

This is my concern on lambs with no background about colostrum intake because its fairly common:




> Baby lamb pneumonia is caused primarily by the bacterium Pasteurella hemolytica, sometimes mycoplasma. It is characterized by fever, increased respiratory rate, *failure to nurse*, and death in untreated cases. Lambs appear gaunt and *lethargic*. Lambs that do not consume adequate colostrum are particularly at risk for developing pneumonia.


From here. Sheep 210 care of newborn lambs.

I would be getting the Bcomplex and PenG in him and probios since PenG kills the bacteria in the gut too.


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## HorseGirl31

All right, I think we will get him that, riverpines.


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## HorseGirl31

His temp is now 104.8-yikes. We are working on getting him that stuff, is Bcomplex and PenG like a shot or something? We are quite new at the sheep world.


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## RiverPines

HorseGirl31 said:


> His temp is now 104.8-yikes. We are working on getting him that stuff, is Bcomplex and PenG like a shot or something? We are quite new at the sheep world.


I was afraid of that!!
Both are shots. Farm and fleet has both!
The instructions are on the bottles and go by weight. 
Bcomplex I believe has the amount specifically for all lambs on the bottle in the instructions.
Syringes are at farm and fleet too. Get the smallest ones. 21gz is as small as farm and fleet goes. All shots are SQ.

If you never have given a shot before nor tended a sick animal like this, call a vet or someone that has done these things. Time is important as lambs can fade quickly. This lamb is already in very dire straights with not eating enough and now the temp going up.
There really isnt time to spare in practicing shots for the first time or stressing the lamb.

PenG is needed once a day for at 'least' 5 days. Some go 7 days.

He may need tube feeding too if he isnt getting enough through the bottle with his lack of appetite.


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## HorseGirl31

We went to his previous owner and she had everything. Going back to get him more. He already seems to be perking up, Thank God! He is having about 2 bottles a day, in small increments. 
Thank you so much for all of your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:bouncy:


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## eieiomom

I hope your lamb continues to improve.

He might benefit from a shot a BOSE, depending if he had gotten one at birth and where you are located. 

It is important to find another lamb for his company and stimulation, as soon as possible. 
Where are you located ?
There may even be someone here on the forum, with bottle lambs available.

Deb


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## HorseGirl31

Update:
After he had antibiotics, Bcomplex, and a sellenium shot, his appetite perked up. Then, about 2 days later he cam to a point that he could not even stand. AGH! I am not kidding, it was so bad that you put him up and he went over immediately. So we then called the vet(last night) and he said keep doing what we were doing. FF to today. This morn as we left for church, I was sure there was no hope for him. He was probably a goner. He was the same when we got home, could not move etc. Not drinking too much. Then we called his previous owner and asked if we could get him some more sellenium. We then went out to her farm and got more Bcomplex and Selenium into him. Within 2 seconds of that he was able to stand, and walk 2 steps before collapsing. It is a miracle. YAY! We then got home and he was walking, eating, urinating. YAY! YAY YAY! So now he is much more alert, able to hold himself up, is talking to us, and his appetite is totally back. We are not out of the woods yet but I think he is on the road to recovery. 

Thanks so much!


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## eieiomom

I would continue with the vitamin B daily as well as the type of antibitiotic you are treating him with, as long as there is continuing improvement.

I am currently treating a lamb with white muscle disease symptoms too....

Deb


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## Ernie

HorseGirl31 said:


> Update:
> After he had antibiotics, Bcomplex, and a sellenium shot, his appetite perked up. Then, about 2 days later he cam to a point that he could not even stand. AGH! I am not kidding, it was so bad that you put him up and he went over immediately. So we then called the vet(last night) and he said keep doing what we were doing. FF to today. This morn as we left for church, I was sure there was no hope for him. He was probably a goner. He was the same when we got home, could not move etc. Not drinking too much. Then we called his previous owner and asked if we could get him some more sellenium. We then went out to her farm and got more Bcomplex and Selenium into him. Within 2 seconds of that he was able to stand, and walk 2 steps before collapsing. It is a miracle. YAY! We then got home and he was walking, eating, urinating. YAY! YAY YAY! So now he is much more alert, able to hold himself up, is talking to us, and his appetite is totally back. We are not out of the woods yet but I think he is on the road to recovery.
> 
> Thanks so much!


Glad you got him back up to par. I don't usually see them recover once they've gone to the point where they can't stand.

How much selenium did this animal end up getting total before he started to recover?


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## HorseGirl31

Well, he is still not 100% better, more like 70%. But doing much better! he had 2 2cc shots of selenium and we are mixing kelp, which is an herb that has selenium in it with his milk. So he is doing better. YAY!


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## HorseGirl31

Hey! I figured I'd update you on the lamb. He is doing so great! It took him forever to recover, but now he is doing amazing! Running around, etc. Just like a normal lamb.:clap::happy: 
We are so glad he is doing better! Thanks for all your help!


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## kabri

Wow, that's great that your lamb is recovering! Congrats!!! :goodjob:


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## HorseGirl31

Well, our lamb got sick again and ended up dying. Poor thing. we are all quite upset. He grew on us! We all miss him, but are glad for the 2mo. we had him.


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## Starsmom

I'm sorry you lost your little lamb. They can grow on you, especially if you have to really care for one that got sick. If he had a severe case of white muscle disease (thus the need for bo-se) that is probably why he was sick. Usually the muscle is in the legs that is affected and they can recover from that. Sometimes the muscle affected is the heart and they do not recover from that. They may improve, but will eventually die and usually sudden.

Just remember all you learned and if you have another one get sick, you will know the signs before the lamb gets too bad. I always give bo-se immediately after birth.


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## Babypig

My neighbours have a sick lamb. They had two, one passed away before they noticed it was ill. The other is quite ill thrift but still with us. Temp. is normal (38c) now but was at 40.1c. We are giving it regular fluids including hydrolite and honey water and he is eating a little of the hay and some grass but not much. He is moving around but he is not standing up on his front legs just crawling on his knees.
I thought maybe he was dehydrated because it was so hot yesterday but it has been 24 hours now and he is still not standing up properly and seems quite weak.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There is no vet in the area that will treat a lamb.

Thank you.


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## Bearfootfarm

I'd give Vitamin B and a Selenium supplement.
http://www.sheep101.info/201/diseasesa-z.html
https://www.sheepandgoat.com/


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## Babypig

Bearfootfarm said:


> I'd give Vitamin B and a Selenium supplement.
> http://www.sheep101.info/201/diseasesa-z.html
> https://www.sheepandgoat.com/


Thank you. We will start that now.

Hello from Australia.


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## odieclark

Good advice above

Vitamin B complex and Thiamine injections
Selenium. Bo-se

Keep it up the B12 and B complex, days after he is better. Don’t quit. Give every six hours or as Vet suggests and all you can do to help him along.

He might benefit from a buddy obviously, long term anyhow.

Sheep are herd animals, it’s their nature.

Update and thanks for trying so much with him!


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## odieclark

Oh gosh, so sorry you lost him. My heart breaks for you. We lost some goat kids, some due to deficiency at first as well. Selenium and Copper on the goats. I said, never again, if at all possible! It is heart breaking, to say the least!

Keep in mind much of the US is Selenium deficient! So boosting selenium in your stock is so important!

Carefully, the same is true in copper deficiency -GOATS need copper! Sheep and cattle, careful with the copper.

Deficits can be deadly, and often in the young, you just can’t make up for the deficits.

You sure tried, and the suggestions were very spot on. Know you did your best. I am sure he knew you cared about him!


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## Babypig

odieclark said:


> Good advice above
> 
> Vitamin B complex and Thiamine injections
> Selenium. Bo-se
> 
> Keep it up the B12 and B complex, days after he is better. Don’t quit. Give every six hours or as Vet suggests and all you can do to help him along.
> 
> He might benefit from a buddy obviously, long term anyhow.
> 
> Sheep are herd animals, it’s their nature.
> 
> Update and thanks for trying so much with him!



Thank you.

We have him on those vitamins. He is quite perky but still not standing on his front legs.

We are keeping up fluids and just hoping he will recover. He is very sweet.

Sorry for the delay in the update.

Regards


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## Babypig

odieclark said:


> Good advice above
> 
> Vitamin B complex and Thiamine injections
> Selenium. Bo-se
> 
> Keep it up the B12 and B complex, days after he is better. Don’t quit. Give every six hours or as Vet suggests and all you can do to help him along.
> 
> He might benefit from a buddy obviously, long term anyhow.
> 
> Sheep are herd animals, it’s their nature.
> 
> Update and thanks for trying so much with him!



I forgot to tell you, we have a buddy in with him. She actually is very good and stays close to him.


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## odieclark

Babypig said:


> I forgot to tell you, we have a buddy in with him. She actually is very good and stays close to him.


Aww good work! A buddy helps! Hope the recovery continues! Your sticking with him and prompt interventions help!


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## Babypig

odieclark said:


> Aww good work! A buddy helps! Hope the recovery continues! Your sticking with him and prompt interventions help!


Good Morning again from Australia.

The little boy lamb is doing a bit better. He stood up today for the first time in a week!

We are keeping up the Vitamin B12 and B complex and the selenium.

Thank you for all the caring.


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## Bearfootfarm

Thank you for the update.
It's good to hear he's improving.


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## CountryMom22

Glad to hear he's doing better. Hope he continues to improve!


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