sheep emergencies Flashcards
twin lamb disease causes
energy deficit late pregnancy
low energy in diet
BCS too high or low
multiple lambs
large individual lambs
stress in late pregnancy or adverse weather - may prevent feeding
twin lamb treatment
propylene glycol drench
oats and hay if they can eat
euthanise if no response in 12 hours
twin lamb prevention
supplemental feed to ewes carrying twins
more feed if bad weather
monitor BCS
avoid management procedures late pregnancy - stress
infectious causes of abortion/still births
enzootic abortion - chlamydia abortus
toxoplasma gondii
campylobacter
brucella ovis
q fever - coxiella burnetti
listeria
salmonella
enzootic abortion - chlamydia abortus - signs and prevention
- Zoonotic
- Late pregnancy abortion, weak or stillborn lambs
- Spread by contact with abortion materials, bacteria can survive in environment for several weeks
- Latently infected ewes
- No signs in the ewes
- Prevention – vaccination, remove abortion materials, hygiene, isolation of aborting ewes
toxoplasma gondii - signs and prevention
- Cats
- Zoonotic
- First 60 days of pregnancy – foetal absorption
- 90-120 days – mummified foetus, stillbirth, weak lambs
- Often only affected one year, immune after
q fever - signs, spread, prevention
- Zoonotic
- Usually asymptomatic then abortion/stillbirth
- Shed in secretions – milk, placenta, urine, feces
- Initial transmission from ticks and wildlife
- Can live in environment for years
- Resistant to drying
- Usually not treated – resistant to a lot of abx – cull
- Prevention – keep out pests, keep away from ticks, isolate birthing pens, avoid bedding changes on windy days, closed flock, isolate abortion cases and investigate
listeria - signs, prevention
- Zoonotic – pregnant women
- Contaminated feed and water
- Abortion, fetal abnormalities, neurological variant (Encephalitis)
- Prevention – feed hygiene, isolate aborting ewes, abx, hygiene
milk fever - causes
low calcium intake in later stages of pregnancy, most ate risk are older ewes, ewes in last few weeks of pregnancy, ewes held off feed for more than 18 hours, ewes in adverse weather conditions that prevent feed access
milk fever - signs
inability to walk, nervous signs, lying down in sternal recumbency, dilated pupils, paralysis, death within 1-2 days of collapse
milk fever - treatment
IV calcium borogluconate – recovery usually rapid, can repeat every 4-6 hours as required
milk fever - prevention
supplemental calcium (licks or crushed limestone), not breeding from older ewes, ensure late pregnancy ewes have consistent access to food, ensure enough feed in adverse weather conditions
grass staggers - causes
low magnesium, rapid change in diet (spring grass), can occur before or after lambing, also can occur in fast growing lambs. Often seen in conjunction with milk fever
grass staggers - signs
nervousness and shaking, stiff legs, staggering, going down and paddling legs, s shape bend in neck,
grass staggers - treatment and prevention
Treatment – Subcut magnesium sulfate
Prevention – provide magnesium licks when put out to spring grass
