Found an aborted lamb in shed

farawaygrass

When bedding today I found an aborted lamb. Lambs are due in four and a half weeks time. Obviously a bit worried. I had toxo two years ago so them sheep should be immune, but bought in some breeding hoggets this autumn too.
I wondering Do toxo and enzootic infections cause abortions at different times in pregnancy?

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

When bedding today I found an aborted lamb. Lambs are due in four and a half weeks time. Obviously a bit worried. I had toxo two years ago so them sheep should be immune, but bought in some breeding hoggets this autumn too.
I wondering Do toxo and enzootic infections cause abortions at different times in pregnancy?

Both can affect them at this stage, they can get toxo anytime and enzo would be in the last 2- 3 mths pregnancy,

razor8

farawaygrass wrote: »

When bedding today I found an aborted lamb. Lambs are due in four and a half weeks time. Obviously a bit worried. I had toxo two years ago so them sheep should be immune, but bought in some breeding hoggets this autumn too.
I wondering Do toxo and enzootic infections cause abortions at different times in pregnancy?

Have you vaccinated against either? Did you know if aborted one was bought in this year?

wrangler

razor8 wrote: »

Have you vaccinated against either? Did you know if aborted one was bought in this year?

Do you give them both abortion vaccines.

farawaygrass

Don’t know if it is one of my own or a bought in one that aborted. Didn’t vaccinate either. I was talking to the vet earlier in the year and he said to inject all ewes with an antibiotic closer to lambing to fight off any Enzo if it was present. Will give him a call tomorrow for his opinion too. Hope it’s not the start of something 😟

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

Don’t know if it is one of my own or a bought in one that aborted. Didn’t vaccinate either. I was talking to the vet earlier in the year and he said to inject all ewes with an antibiotic closer to lambing to fight off any Enzo if it was present. Will give him a call tomorrow for his opinion too. Hope it’s not the start of something ��

I wouldn't think much of a vet prescribing antibiotics ahead of vaccination, it's no wonder the rules are tightening on animal treatments.
We used antibiotics here in the face of a storm but it only protected them for a fortnight , if that, and there was also a lot of weedy lambs that were infected in the ewe before we injected , Enzo affects the supply of blood to the lambs in the ewe.
Enzo vac was scarce a few years ago and on an English discussion forum they were discussing giving the first antibiotic at scanning and every three weeks after.
It'd be great job for the feet problems I suppose

Westernrock

wrangler wrote: »

I wouldn't think much of a vet prescribing antibiotics ahead of vaccination, it's no wonder the rules are tightening on animal treatments.
We used antibiotics here in the face of a storm but it only protected them for a fortnight , if that, and there was also a lot of weedy lambs that were infected in the ewe before we injected , Enzo affects the supply of blood to the lambs in the ewe.
Enzo vac was scarce a few years ago and on an English discussion forum they were discussing giving the first antibiotic at scanning and every three weeks after.
It'd be great job for the feet problems I suppose

Agree 1000% antibiotics to try prevent enzo is nonsense! I tried it once with two pedigree ewe lambs that were bought after we had vaccinated our own, 10ml of oxytet every 10days from 100days of pregnancy one still aborted about 120-130days and tested positive in the lab for enzo the other had a weak lamb (they were twin sisters and must have both been exposed as lambs I guess) maybe why they were sold 🀔🀦

farawaygrass

Story now is.. keep a good eye out for any more aborted lamb and straight to the lab. Then go with antibiotics if results are enzo.
It was a different vet I was talking to and he strongly recommended vaccination going forward, so for peace of mind I would gladly do it.
Fingers crossed I’m not staring down the barrel of a gun this year

Green farmer

Fingers crossed, you might be lucky and it might be nothing. I can remember often getting one or two loosing lambs 4-5 weeks out and everything still going fine. The one year I had an toxo abortion storm, from memory, I think they lost lambs a week out ? Have to agree with the rest of the lads, in so far as vaccinating is the only way to be sure.

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

Story now is.. keep a good eye out for any more aborted lamb and straight to the lab. Then go with antibiotics if results are enzo.
It was a different vet I was talking to and he strongly recommended vaccination going forward, so for peace of mind I would gladly do it.
Fingers crossed I’m not staring down the barrel of a gun this year

Make sure to bring some afterbirth to the lab as well, that's very important. It takes ages to get a definitive result but you'll know for next year. I never got a quick result any way, but they'll know after about 48 hrs whether it's toxo or not. I just went with the antibiotic after the second or third abortion
Vaccination is dear the first year when you have to do every sheep but not so bad after when only doing the replacements, If it is enzo you 'll have bit's of it for a couple years after starting vaccinating.

farawaygrass

Thanks for your opinions. Would I be right in thinking that because I had toxo two years ago, all my own ewes should be immune to it, and only bought in hoggets are at risk?
With the toxo outbreak then, it was a lot closer to lambing when ewes aborted iirc

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

Thanks for your opinions. Would I be right in thinking that because I had toxo two years ago, all my own ewes should be immune to it, and only bought in hoggets are at risk?
With the toxo outbreak then, it was a lot closer to lambing when ewes aborted iirc

Yea they would be immune to toxo, I don't think they get an immunity to enzo,
If a ewe picks up the lambing fluids of an enzo ewe, the bug will stay dormant in her until she herself is 2 -3 mths in lamb and flare up then ,that's the reason it's so easy buy it in, Toxo comes from vermin or cats on your own farm. A neighbour had a toxo storm one christmas and put the rams with them again.

Green farmer

I can remember a ewe loosing lambs abit early before and sending the lambs off for autopsy. Results came back afterwards, that it wasnt either toxo or enzo, but was something else, vet said it was one off thing. So, even though the main culprits are toxo, enzo etc, their not always to blame.

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

I can remember a ewe loosing lambs abit early before and sending the lambs off for autopsy. Results came back afterwards, that it wasnt either toxo or enzo, but was something else, vet said it was one off thing. So, even though the main culprits are toxo, enzo etc, their not always to blame.

Yea, we've had everything, there's Campylobacter as well, we've had a few cases, the antibiotic doesn't work and you can only get the vaccine in NZ or aus.
I always blamed birds for it as it was always in a pen near the door but as you say, It was always only one or two so it mustn't have been very infectious