Sheepshape
Herd Master
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2012
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Every year I seem to get a few ewes who suffer with mastitis....always worse when the weather is cold and the lambs suckle hard. This year I have had two so far. The first (mother of Mr Slowroast who was hypothermic and needed to be 'oven warmed') was only found to be present when the ewe came in to the shed with her lamb and was found to have little or no milk. Vet antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and she is back, fighting fit, but without milk. Slowroast is bottle fed entirely.
My second ewe has two big healthy 10 day old lambs. Her lambs were calling and calling to her, but she wasn't responding...then I noticed a dusky area on her udder. She was bought up to the sheep shed and had the same treatment as the first ewe....but with a less good outcome. Her lambs were older....and older lambs often don't take to the bottle. However, the chunky ewe lamb did so right away, not so the ram lamb. 48 hours of struggling, and he learnt the technique. He is now a moderately easy bottle feeder.
Poor mum, though, has not done well. The dusky area spread to a huge black and blistered area. She had stood for 5 days and nights, repelling her lambs from trying to suckle, and eating and drinking poorly.
Today I repeated her painkillers, and an hour later she was lying down. On going over to her, I realised she is dying. I have covered her udder over so that her lambs don't try to suckle. I've offered her water by her muzzle, but she doesn't want to drink. Her head is outstretched.
Call me crazy if you will, but, under these circumstances, I sit with the ewe, stroke their head, and tell them I'll take great care of their lambs. It makes me feel better, anyway. I think she will be dead when I next visit the shed.
My second ewe has two big healthy 10 day old lambs. Her lambs were calling and calling to her, but she wasn't responding...then I noticed a dusky area on her udder. She was bought up to the sheep shed and had the same treatment as the first ewe....but with a less good outcome. Her lambs were older....and older lambs often don't take to the bottle. However, the chunky ewe lamb did so right away, not so the ram lamb. 48 hours of struggling, and he learnt the technique. He is now a moderately easy bottle feeder.
Poor mum, though, has not done well. The dusky area spread to a huge black and blistered area. She had stood for 5 days and nights, repelling her lambs from trying to suckle, and eating and drinking poorly.
Today I repeated her painkillers, and an hour later she was lying down. On going over to her, I realised she is dying. I have covered her udder over so that her lambs don't try to suckle. I've offered her water by her muzzle, but she doesn't want to drink. Her head is outstretched.
Call me crazy if you will, but, under these circumstances, I sit with the ewe, stroke their head, and tell them I'll take great care of their lambs. It makes me feel better, anyway. I think she will be dead when I next visit the shed.