HELP - severely anemic yearling ewe

[Caribbean Farmer]

I have a yearling hair sheep ewe that is extremely anemic. She probably weighed about 50lb. before losing weight very rapidly - might be down to 30lb now. I wormed her with 3ccs Ivomec on the 18th, 26th and 29th of this month. She is getting about 8ccs of Red Cell per day along with some coconut oil with a drop of oil of oregano. She gets free choice molasses in a pint of water every other day along with fresh water. A fecal done on the 27th came up negative for barberpole and coccidia. So I think she is clean but just really really weak. I keep hoping for improvement but she seems to be plateaued since Thursday (the 26th) when we brought her in from the pasture to a small grassy enclosure near the house. As in the pasture, she moves very slowly, has no flight zone, forgets to drink water, and cannot get to her feet without assistance. But once we get her up she grazes and her stool and urine look normal. Her mom is a stellar performer and seems to be worm resistant. Until now this has been one of my healthiest lambs.

I am trying to get ahold of some B complex vitamins to give subq, although the vet said they were already in the Red Cell. I know the Red Cell has copper so I don't want to overdo it - but it is the only iron supplement I have available to me at the moment.

Any advice on restoring a severely anemic sheep? Am wondering if euthanization might be the most humane choice, if she is this far gone will she have damaged organs?

Very bummed. I had a health crisis myself so I missed the early signs with this ewe.

 

[Caribbean Farmer]

Not much response here. I was finally able give her a B complex shot this afternoon and then a bit later a drench of water/ACV. She actually tried getting up on her own soon after the drench and has been more active with better balance. I gave her a good gentle curry combing to get the circulation going in her muscles. She suddenly looks less skeletal around the face and eyes and there appears to be more color in her tongue. Hoping for the best. Any thoughts?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm not a sheep person, so I don't have any hard and fast advice - but it looks like you're on the right track. Hopefully, the B-complex will give her a boost. Nutri-drench makes a good product for goats and if I'm not mistaken, I believe they make one for sheep too.

Good luck with her!

 

[goatboy1973]

I have a yearling hair sheep ewe that is extremely anemic. She probably weighed about 50lb. before losing weight very rapidly - might be down to 30lb now. I wormed her with 3ccs Ivomec on the 18th, 26th and 29th of this month. She is getting about 8ccs of Red Cell per day along with some coconut oil with a drop of oil of oregano. She gets free choice molasses in a pint of water every other day along with fresh water. A fecal done on the 27th came up negative for barberpole and coccidia. So I think she is clean but just really really weak. I keep hoping for improvement but she seems to be plateaued since Thursday (the 26th) when we brought her in from the pasture to a small grassy enclosure near the house. As in the pasture, she moves very slowly, has no flight zone, forgets to drink water, and cannot get to her feet without assistance. But once we get her up she grazes and her stool and urine look normal. Her mom is a stellar performer and seems to be worm resistant. Until now this has been one of my healthiest lambs.

I am trying to get ahold of some B complex vitamins to give subq, although the vet said they were already in the Red Cell. I know the Red Cell has copper so I don't want to overdo it - but it is the only iron supplement I have available to me at the moment.

Any advice on restoring a severely anemic sheep? Am wondering if euthanization might be the most humane choice, if she is this far gone will she have damaged organs?

Very bummed. I had a health crisis myself so I missed the early signs with this ewe.

Well, first off, I hate you are having to go through this. It pains me to see any animal suffer. It sounds like you are on the right track. You are giving what I call the "anemia cocktail". I also give prenatal vitamins with iron (from Walgreens or local chain pharmacy or Wal-Mart in the women's section) and continue them daily for a month after the goat is back to normal along with a daily dose of the Nutri-Drench for a month also. I would hold off on the euthanasia. Our local Farmer's CO-OP has injectable B-Complex and don't worry about overdosing on this stuff because the body excretes the excess in the urine (fluorescent green pee). Very important to get the B-Complex as this helps with the iron levels. I also give an injection of LA-200 antibiotic to help kill any infection that may be causing or contributing to the diseased state of your sheep. I would also consider some form of strong caffeine like a Red Bull or other energy drink like it. I sometimes use Red Bull because it has a huge amt. of B-Complex vitamins along with caffeine and this will in some cases help get a goat/ sheep over the hump and be the difference in living and dying. The goats that are almost standing on their own, but need help or are a bit sluggish or lethargic will be noticeably more alert after an 8 oz. Red Bull and may stand on their own. I have used the Red Bull with great success. I don't know how safe the Red Bull is for goats/ sheep, but I have never had a severely anemic goat die when I have used the Red Bull either. You may also give a probiotic like Probios to aid in food digestion and processing raw food into the essential stuff like vitamins and break down of sugars into more usable forms of energy. Good luck! By the way, I am not a veterinarian nor do I play one on TV but this is what has worked for me though.