# My little lamb was choking Help!



## Fowler

I got home last night and fed my older lambs a bit of feed to have them come into their stalls, like I do every night. Well my new 3 week old ram decided he wanted to try eating some feed. He started choking really badly and I jump in the stall and lifted his head and started rubbing his throat. He continued to choke and I felt the small grains inside his throat and tried pushing them down the passage. I told my sheep to "Come on sweetie or else I am going to place my fingers down your throat". I have never had this happen to me before and I must admit I panic, but my instinct kicked in to try to save my little lamb. He finally took a breath and stood in one place trying to swallow and breath. I backed up and squatted down in the pen and was watching him to make sure he was going to be okay. He was also watching me. After about 3 minutes of us watching each other, he slowly walked over to me and I laid my hand out and he nibbled at my fingers and my palm. As to say thank you.
Ever since I had him banded he has never came up to me. But he did last night.
I do not know if what I did to save him was the proper procedures. And if it did not work then what do I do? Please help me if you know a better way. I did not like the helpless feeling.

Once again, 
Concerned Mother Hen


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## perridox

We had this happen to one of our lambs last year. We separated him to ready him to go to a new farm. The little guy had never had grain all to himself, always pushed out of the trough by the bigger sheep. He slurped up the handful of grain I gave him and immediately choked on it! I wasn't sure if I should intervene and so watched a few minutes. He bucked and shook his head blew gross brown liquid from his nose but then he was okay and went back to eating. 

I suspect sheep choke more often than we think. One thing to watch for after an episode like this is bloat-- the pressure on the rumen when it is closed off in this way (I think) can cause the lamb to bloat after choking. Or so I've heard.

I'm glad your little guy is alright.


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## Fowler

Sorry if I sound stupid. But what is Bloat?


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## perridox

I'm sure there are many more experienced shepherds here who can answer your question more fully, but bloat is when the rumen (part of the stomachs) fills up with gas and the sheep can't get rid of the gas and dies. Bloat can be caused by a sudden change in food or a restriction (like choking). You probably don't have to worry about bloat in your lamb if you haven't seen it yet. I think it would happen almost immediately if it was going to. Just something to be aware of. 

I have had sheep for 3 years and haven't seen bloat yet (knock on wood) but it can be deadly.

Your little lamb sounds like a sweetie. Good luck with him.


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## Bearfootfarm

It's not unusual for sheep to get choked eating grain. 
Most of the time they get over it in a few minutes.

If they GO DOWN, you need to "tube " them IMMEDIATELY to clear the blockage.

If it happens often with the same sheep, you can put a little hay on top of their grain to force them to eat it more slowly


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## feelingsheepish

I had this happen to a sheep last fall ~11 pm at night. I noticed that she was distressed - she could still breath, but she couldn't swallow normally. The vet said to massage her throat, the whole length to try to help the blockage pass, but if it didn't, then he would come and tube her. After ten minutes of rubbing, nothing improved, so I had just hung up the phone to get him to come, when she suddenly swallowed and went back to her normal self. Luckily the vet's wife was able to catch him as he was going out the door.


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## kirsten

My ewes ate fast a few times when they were lambs too. I have never heard of massaging their throats though. I picked them up and hung them upside down and shook them a bit to get them to cough it out. When people choke- they spit it out, not swallow it down. Getting it out makes more sense than trying to get it to go down. Massaging could break up lumps, I suppose... I heimliched them- or however you spell it. I held them upside down and squeezed their guts to get them to blow it back out. I think you guys are lucky your lambs didn't die from choking with your strategy.

Also, with bloat- even having never seen it before in your life- you know it when you see it. It is exactly what the word means/says. It is really obvious.

kirsten


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## eieiomom

kirsten said:


> I held them upside down and squeezed their guts to get them to blow it back out.
> 
> kirsten


This is what I was taught to do.
Hold up their back end and smack their sides.
It only has occurred in mature ewes here, so if you have a second person or a bale around, that helps too.
Sometimes this helps, sometimes not.
I keep an eye on them later to make sure they don't have signs of aspiration pneumonia.

It seems that the same ewes "inhale" their food and as Bearfoot said, putting some hay in their feeders, will slow them down. 
I have also heard the recommendation of putting rocks (bigger) in their feeders, that they have to eat around..


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## 6e

When we had Hamps we always had sheep choke. Seems they were more prone to it then some of the other type of sheep we've had. What we ended up doing was putting large rocks in the troughs that they had to eat around and that slowed them down enough that they didn't choke. Also, wetting the feed a bit so it's not so dry also seems to help.


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## Fowler

Thanks a bunch Barefootfarm for the suggustion about placing bits of hay on the grain. It work they chew slowly now. After discussing what happend to my farm vet she stated rubbing my lambs neck was appropriate and last resort would be tubing. Thank you all for your advice.


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## feelingsheepish

Instances of choke in sheep where it is a clump of grain or other food trapped in the esophagus, not impairing breathing, but making the sheep extremely uncomfortable, and more critically impairing the sheep's ability to belch properly, which will lead to bloat, it doesn't matter if the food goes down, the clump just needs broken up so the esophagus can clear. If the sheep actually can't breath, then 'hemliching' would be more effective, as the air in the lungs will clear the blockage.


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## Goat Servant

eieiomom said:


> This is what I was taught to do.
> Hold up their back end and smack their sides.
> It only has occurred in mature ewes here, so if you have a second person or a bale around, that helps too.
> Sometimes this helps, sometimes not.
> I keep an eye on them later to make sure they don't have signs of aspiration pneumonia.
> 
> It seems that the same ewes "inhale" their food and as Bearfoot said, putting some hay in their feeders, will slow them down.
> I have also heard the recommendation of putting rocks (bigger) in their feeders, that they have to eat around..



This is how I do it too only happened once with a goat just starting out on pelleted grain, I think a pieice of it got lodged sideways. He gota modifed version of the Heimlich. I now break up the extra long pieces for the babies. I dont know about sheep but with goats you cant really hurt them by slapping them around.


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