# 3.5 month old lamb with weak legs



## equinecpa (Mar 21, 2011)

I need some help.

In August a maiden ewe of mine had twins. One was the smallest lamb I have ever seen and the other was a breach birth. They seemed to do OK but now at 3.5 months old are not nearly as big as the two month old lambs I have, and are frail.

One has fallen a couple of times going in and out of the barn...and today couldn't get over the step into the barn. It's like her leg muscles are wasting away. She eats well but tonight she looks totally drained and has no strength at all in her front legs. All four of her legs are weak. 

I gave her some Nutri Drench in hopes of boosting her energy levels but I have no idea what else I can do for her. She hasn't been wormed-should I perhaps give her a dose? 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I fear she will not make the night.

Carolyn


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## equinecpa (Mar 21, 2011)

I've brought her inside as it's cold outside...she's very listless and I fear the worst for her. 

I'm concerned about her twin as she too has spindly legs...she's not showing any symptoms of failing at the moment but she has the same skinny legs and I fear she too could develop the same condition.

I wormed the ewe about 2 months before lambing, but haven't wormed the lambs.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Vitamin E selenium? You need to ask a vet for the therapeutic regime for treating white muscle disease. Could be other things like chronic joint infections. Too hard to guess online.


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## equinecpa (Mar 21, 2011)

I was wondering about Selenium but I'm in CO and per the map not much of CO seems deficient in Selenium. A quick google of white muscle disease yields enough similar symptoms that this is a diagnosis worth ruling out. I have the common problem of lack of veterinarians who treat ruminants in this area.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Are you feeding locally grown crops or imported?


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

I'd also do a fecal to check for worms and coccidia.


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## equinecpa (Mar 21, 2011)

Ross said:


> Are you feeding locally grown crops or imported?


Unfortunately I don't know-I bought the hay locally but it is not from the farmer. 

I lost the little lamb last night but I'd like to take preventative action for her sister-she looks very similar. Reading up on the white muscle disease I'm suspecting that-the lambs have a particular hunchy look to them, weak legs (as in no muscle). The remaining lamb seems spunky enough so I'm hoping I can do something for her-she's with the flock eating and drinking like normal. I called a vet this am and they wouldn't sell me the BoSe shot without bringing her in..an examination is $50.00 plus medication. I don't mind doing that IF it will help develop a rapport with the vet so I can buy medication in the future but I can't realistically do that every time. 

I'm going to buy a microscope too so I can start doing my own fecals. I went around looking at eyelids today and only one of the ewes looked even pink the rest were good and red...but that's only diagnosis for one kind of worm isn't it?


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## ShadowfaxFarm (Jul 23, 2011)

If you're wanting to develop a rapport with the vet $50 isn't to bad. I would definitely go ahead & deworm at 3.5 months of age.


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

Get the Bo-Se.

I used to live in Colorado and had issues with selenium in my goats. Just because an area shows adequate levels of soil selenium doesn't mean that its the right KIND of selenium, or that there are not other things in the soil that inhibit uptake or absorption of selenium in both plants and livestock.

Made the mistake of listening to my DH's most favorite vet when I started having trouble with my goats, who was ancient, and SWORE to me that livestock in Colorado could not POSSIBLY be deficient in selenium or copper.

Eventually talked to another vet who diagnosed my whole herd as severely selenium and copper deficient. He explained that because the area that I lived in was also high in molybdenum and sulfur (Colorado IS volcanic, after all) that uptake and absorption of both minerals was inhibited, and that I would need to supplement to have a healthy herd.

So, go develop a rapport with your vet, and save your darling lamb. She needs Bo-Se.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Do you get lots of twins? If not, strange as it sounds in sheep, you could be copper def.!


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## equinecpa (Mar 21, 2011)

CaliannG said:


> Get the Bo-Se.
> 
> Eventually talked to another vet who diagnosed my whole herd as severely selenium and copper deficient. He explained that because the area that I lived in was also high in molybdenum and sulfur (Colorado IS volcanic, after all) that uptake and absorption of both minerals was inhibited, and that I would need to supplement to have a healthy herd.
> 
> So, go develop a rapport with your vet, and save your darling lamb. She needs Bo-Se.


How did that vet do the diagnosis? I did give the lamb the BoSe gel which I found I had in my lambing supplies last week. She doesn't look any different. I also noticed there is added Selenium in my feed so I don't want to overdose.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Well thats where a vet can tell you the dose for treatment of white muscle disease rather than just the supplimental dose on the bottle. Selenium is toxic but its surprising how much is used to treat white muscle disease. It could be other factors too like weak kidneys or even poor lung function.... just sickly. The damage from whichever might be irreversable too.


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