Sheep Ailments/Illnesses

AntrimGlens

Thought I'd start a thread on this as there's nowt like sheep to die.

I've a ram thats failing badly and pretty much skin and bone, he's only a two shear so it's not old age. He began failing in the Spring and it's only when i clipped him a fortnight ago i realised just how thin he was. In the Spring he got fluke and worm drenched, got his iodine & selenium bolus in the autum (2013) and when i had him in again in April for another fluke drench and footbath i noticed a serious length of tapeworm after passing through him.
He began to pick up as i started to feed him meal and then i noticed that he was salivating a lot, not just ordinary saliva but green chewed grass, it looked like he was dropping his cud so checked his mouth and sure enough he was cutting another tooth behind his existing incisor. i though this might have been the reason for the green saliva everywhere but i had a hold of him again last night and whilst the old tooth has gone and the new one through he's still salivating and not picking up as well as i'd hoped.
had him at the vets a fortnight ago and bloods checked, nothing out of the ordinary with them, but his lungs were a bit rattly and vet said he's had a fairly bad case of pneumonia at some stage, and his temp was up a degree. Gave him some antibiotics and vitamin injection but vet didn't think tooth was a big problem for the wasting away.

So question is did anyone have any young sheep with similar problems and any prognosis? Can't afford to lose him.

Green farmer

I had a young ram that was wasting away also, but turned out to be fluke. It wasn't until he got a dose of trodax that I reversed his condition. Turned out that Previous attempts to control the fluke using yellow and white doses hadn't killed the immature fluke.

greysides

Given the internal abscesses and lung abscesses/adhesions I see in the sheep abattoir it's a wonder many sheep live as long as they do. Don't under-estimate the severity of the pneumonia sheep get, it's a very severe, very lethal form that's often just a septicaemia, which if they are strong enough to live long enough, will present with signs that relate to it's source, the lungs. It's not that they are born with a death wise, more that they are much more of a herd animal than cattle. They will keep up the pretence of perfect health far longer than cattle. Sick animals in a herd/flock are the slower ones that predators look for first as easy prey. Sheep are much more far gone when you can notice them sick than cattle.

Chronic pneumonia will certainly cause ill-thrift.............. as will an abscess under a molar which will cause excess salivation.

Ill-thrift and salivation could also be one of a multitude of hard-to-diagnose stomach problems.

Zoo4m8

Some years ago started to have ewes with those symptoms, running the cud and pining , when getting them in one would be bound to lie down and refuse to move... Turned out it was cobalt deficiency , age didn't matter in fact it was mostly bought in hoggets. Dosed now at fairly regular intervals and never a problem.

razor8

Came across this website when I found a lamb with what I thought was swayback, turned out he got an infection up through his tail after it fell off and infection transferred to his spine

http://www.abbey-vetgroup.co.uk/sheep.html

ganmo

We have a couple lambs that have orf, not unusual but it also has transferred to their legs.
we're treating the lesions the same as the orf but we'll see

razor8

Vaccinate here with scabivax and have no problems.
What are you treating with? It's usually bad once it gets to feet

Username John

ganmo wrote: »

We have a couple lambs that have orf, not unusual but it also has transferred to their legs.
we're treating the lesions the same as the orf but we'll see

Found a lamb the same Friday when I had em in.
A few lambs have the sore mouths, not so bad - but one lamb was very bad around the mouth and on the feet as well.

We'd have the lambs get it every now and then, but it would usually pass easy enough. Haven't had it bad enough to go to the feet in a while...

We don't treat it really - if the lamb is very bad, I'd treat em with 'purple spray' (it's alamycn I think) but I would normally just let it run its course and do nothing.

Conmaicne Mara

ganmo wrote: »

We have a couple lambs that have orf, not unusual but it also has transferred to their legs.
we're treating the lesions the same as the orf but we'll see

Get salt blocks out. They help with the orf around the mouth and help prevent other lambs contracting orf.

As for the legs, not got much to say, was talking to a local farmer earlier on in the year and he reckoned the "brine" from bait fish works on it. Same thing basically, very salty water.

In the past we've tried ovaloids, blue spray, all types of "drying out" type sprays usually containing alcohol and other things. None would have passed my test of "working".

With the salt blocks now I don't separate orf lambs from the rest, or catch them at all. Greatly reduces the labour and also minimises the chance of contracting orf, been there, done that.

ganmo

theres only one thats bad with it, only 4 with a bit of it and 2 of them have it on their legs.
we're treating them with norf...seems to be working fairly well. have used <modsnip> in the past.

We have a theory that there are various strengths of orf.

[mod]
That's not the type of medication we want to see recommended on boards.ie, whether it may work or not, as it does not show up farming in a professional light. [/mod]

Green farmer

This year I have a lamb with weak front legs. It looks all wobbly. Not broken, more like weak joints. He seems perfect everywhere else. Thriving away perfect, quiet fat really. Any one come across this before? I also had one lamb with the same complaints last year. Vet didn't really know what was wrong with him. Last years last just grow out of it ? I was thinking the ewes might have been lacking some vitamin ?

ganmo

could be manganese deficiency.
it affects bone formation so maybe the joints are poorly formed

greysides

ganmo wrote: »

We have a theory that there are various strengths of orf.

There are. The one used in the vaccine is a very weak strain but it is the real-live deal. Hence it's not recommended for use in flocks with no history of Orf.

Eliminating secondary infection with antibiotics gives the lambs a good chance to shake it off. If mouths/legs are badly affected then the lamb will need TLC to ensure it's getting enough feeding.

homersimpson

AntrimGlens wrote: »

He began to pick up as i started to feed him meal and then i noticed that he was salivating a lot, not just ordinary saliva but green chewed grass, it looked like he was dropping his cud so checked his mouth and sure enough he was cutting another tooth behind his existing incisor. i though this might have been the reason for the green saliva everywhere but i had a hold of him again last night and whilst the old tooth has gone and the new one through he's still salivating and not picking up as well as i'd hoped.

What breed of ram is he??

AntrimGlens

Charolais..

AnFeirmeoir

greysides wrote: »

There are. The one used in the vaccine is a very weak strain but it is the real-live deal. Hence it's not recommended for use in flocks with no history of Orf.

Eliminating secondary infection with antibiotics gives the lambs a good chance to shake it off. If mouths/legs are badly affected then the lamb will need TLC to ensure it's getting enough feeding.

I've had a terrible year with orf. They all got it more or less. lasted 2-3 weeks on most, Sprayed them with foot spray don';t know if it helped or not
But I have 2 lambs left that still have it very bad on feet and mouth. I've been cleaning the scabs off these 2 lambs for 3 weeks or more now and spraying with a antiseptic spray i got from vet. Also injected alymycin for a few days. nothing seems to be working to be honest. One is healthy looking but the other is weak.
He's eating ok at the moment though. This is a vicious strain of orf i got out of the blue this year. I'll have to vaccinate next year.

solerina

We have a good few lambs with orf this year (some years are worse than others), some have it on both mouth and feet. Usually give them pen strep and spray them with antispetic, they cure up in a week or two usually. Must try the salt licks next year

greysides

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

Also injected alymycin for a few days. nothing seems to be working to be honest.

You could ask your vet about a change of antibiotic, it just might hit the secondary infection better. It won't do anything about the virus underlying cause though.

jt65

we have an awful problem with ewes going blind this , at this stage we must treated about 40 to 50 (over 10% of the flock)

not the usual pink eye , seems to come on very rapidly, with just a slight glaze on the eye but with severe sight loss, most ewes go totally blind and we house them for their own safety & our convenience

recovery is slow but most eventually get total or partial sight back , we have also culled some older ones

at this stage we have given up on using eye tubes as a waste of time & find amoxiicillin inj. works eventually

we have treated for ticks flies lice etc etc


any advise on prevention or treatment appreciated

greysides

I suggest you talk to your vet. Antibiotic choice depends on the causal organism and the injection you are using may not be appropriate.

ganmo

jt65 wrote: »

we have an awful problem with ewes going blind this , at this stage we must treated about 40 to 50 (over 10% of the flock)

not the usual pink eye , seems to come on very rapidly, with just a slight glaze on the eye but with severe sight loss, most ewes go totally blind and we house them for their own safety & our convenience

recovery is slow but most eventually get total or partial sight back , we have also culled some older ones

at this stage we have given up on using eye tubes as a waste of time & find amoxiicillin inj. works eventually

we have treated for ticks flies lice etc etc


any advise on prevention or treatment appreciated

its a curse! not sure if its the same thing but we started toppin so that the headed grass wouldnt be making contact with their face.

we put them into the shed too but found they started to get reinfected from touching each other at the feed barrier. had to pull ewes that were improving out to a different pen

MayoAreMagic

Yes we have had issues with blindness too, just as you describe. I find a drop of engemycin into each eye cures them effectively. Just hold the eye open and let it sit on the eye for around 10 seconds. Most cure well, although some quicker than others. Cant understand why they are getting it, it is usually something they get in the winter with prolonged rain and little shelter. Its July FFS!

jt65

I'm wondering did I buy it in ?

bought some ewes with lambs at foot last spring, and a couple of the lambs developed a slight clear discharge from the eyes shortly afterwards however they didnt lose their sight

it was mostly our our ewes that got the sore eyes,

some days we loaded 6 or 7 into the trailer totally blind in both eyes,

we still have an odd one getting in one eye , hopefully they will build some sort of immunity

Lano Lynn

bought a ram a few years ago and he infected the rest of our rams and then the ewes most have developed imunity at this stage I use mastitis tube on bad cases

rangler1

Has any of you had any white sheep suffering from photosensitization, never had it until this year, but had my fifth case this morning

Cran

rangler1 wrote: »

Has any of you had any white sheep suffering from photosensitization, never had it until this year, but had my fifth case this morning

Never white sheep, but saw some pedigree rams from a breeder at a show this year recovering from it real nasty. He said left them in a field without shade and didn't think about it, was lucky they survived

Green farmer

What's photosensization ?

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

What's photosensization ?

Reaction to the sun, head, ears and eyes swell up
This is how mine looked this morning
http://commons.wikivet.net/images/3/3f/Sheep_Medicine_10.jpg

Have one that got it 3 weeks ago that looks like this, a lot of hair gone from the head
http://www.vetnext.com/fotos/middle.jpg

Green farmer

Nasty. Also you'd think now their all sheared that it would reduce risk of overheating as well

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

Nasty. I would have thought black sheep would have suffered more from that instead of white sheep. Also you'd think now their all sheared that it would reduce risk of overheating as well

It's my Lleyn lambs that are getting it, none in the vendeens

Green farmer

How's it treated ?

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

How's it treated ?

Cortisone and tetracycline, cortisone would cure it but they seem to be prone to infection in the eyes so we give the antibiotic as a preventative...cant send to the factory for 28 days, but it's not a problem as it knocks them back a month anyway

greysides

Green farmer wrote: »

How's it treated ?

Plus, remove from the immediate source of the problem.... light. House in a dungeon.

jt65

had a charolais ram get it (of course he was the most expensive ram I ever bought)

dark house,

got it again second year didnt even hesitate straight to factory

razor8

Used to see it the odd time when shearing contracting, they look to have extreme end of it

Green farmer

Between all the things sheep can or do get, you can see how you need 20 % replacements in your flock every year.

rangler1

jt65 wrote: »

had a charolais ram get it (of course he was the most expensive ram I ever bought)

dark house,

got it again second year didnt even hesitate straight to factory

Two more cases this week, one died, all of the infected ones are Lleyns....

jt65

rangler1 wrote: »

Two more cases this week, one died, all of the infected ones are Lleyns....

nasty dose,

can only think of 2 cases in sheep the ram & a lamb by him , had a very white fr cow with it about the same time

are all the Lleyns the same bloodlines?

rangler1

jt65 wrote: »

nasty dose,

can only think of 2 cases in sheep the ram & a lamb by him , had a very white fr cow with it about the same time

are all the Lleyns the same bloodlines?

you could be right, the flock had four rams with them, there could be one of them prone to it.....it's not a big problem ....just annoying

Green farmer

Have a few lambs here with sores or red blisters around their lips ? Any one come across this before, ? could just be nettles or something causing it .
Thanks !!!

Username John

Green farmer wrote: »

Have a few lambs here with sores or red blisters around their lips ? Any one come across this before, ? could just be nettles or something causing it .
Thanks !!!

Orf?

EDIT : Google Orf in sheep for a few images, and it'll tell you (I wont now, cos I'm at work)

We got a very bad dose of it this year. We'd often get a small bit, but they got it on their mouth and feet bad enough this year. We didnt do anything really to treat, maybe some iodine on the very bad cases, but we just let it run its course.

greysides

Orf is nasty to humans too. Wear gloves.

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

Orf?

EDIT : Google Orf in sheep for a few images, and it'll tell you (I wont now, cos I'm at work)

We got a very bad dose of it this year. We'd often get a small bit, but they got it on their mouth and feet bad enough this year. We didnt do anything really to treat, maybe some iodine on the very bad cases, but we just let it run its course.

We get it here too, mostly ignore it, as long as the skin isn't broken on it it'll take its course, but if they're short of grass and have to graze near thistles, nettles, or briars, they will get infected and that's when the trouble starts

Green farmer

Thanks guys. Was weaning some lambs off ewes when I spotted it. Then coming down the field I saw a lamb with bad case of maggots.this will be the Last year I use ectofly. Next year back to click. The 6 week cover period shoots by so quick and next thing you know ......

sea12

[quot. Then coming down the field I saw a lamb with maggots.this will be the Last year I use ectofly. Next year back to click. The 6 week cover period shoots by so quick and next thing you know ......[/quote]

Same here. Last week after tullamore show has to get lambs in as sure lamb had maggots. When I got them in she was quite raw and had had maggots but were gone out of her. Don't find it as good as click. Will be back to click for next yr.

Green farmer

I read up the old threads here from rangler and Con in relation to orf. They recommended salt lick blocks. Sourced a weather proof mineralised salt lick that had magmesium, zinc, iron , iodine and cobalt in it , so left it in field with lambs. Was cheap at €13 in the coop, for 20kg of a block. Thanks for yer help.
Should clear it up.

rangler1

jt65 wrote: »

nasty dose,

can only think of 2 cases in sheep the ram & a lamb by him , had a very white fr cow with it about the same time

are all the Lleyns the same bloodlines?

Bought a new ram last year, DNA'd him and three of the sick ones....he was the sire of only one of them, so no connection there

westman1

get it occasionally treated the two affected with vit b12 they turned in side out but havet had any this year so cannot test theory again

rangler1

Was dipping today, had one batch, 120 hoggets that were shorn at Tulamore show., 11th aug ...at least 5 had maggots,
so it's revving up again

Green farmer

My heart is broken with them. I'm putting ectofly on every week now and the maggots keep coming. Was thinking of going buying a dip product and mixing it up in a knap sack or something. Putting click on early next year.

razor8

Green farmer wrote: »

My heart is broken with them. I'm putting ectofly on every week now and the maggots keep coming. Was thinking of going buying a dip product and mixing it up in a knap sack or something. Putting click on early next year.

Same here, some waste of money,