8 mth old ewe weak and seems disoriented *any help would be appreciated*

[CCassity]

Yesterday morning I noticed one of my Katahdin ewes was laying in the by the fence while the others where in the pasture eating. She didnt want to get up and when she did her hind legs seemed weak. She eats, doesnt look dehydrated nice pink gums. I got them a mineral block thinking it may be a mineral deficiency, she went right to it and started eating it. Today she is really weak having a hard time standing and seem disoriented her nose is also a little runny. Ive tried getting a hold of the only farm vet i know of in the area but havent been able to get a hold of her. Does anyone have any ideas??

Nothing has changed in her environment other than its cooling off at night low 40's

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I really don't know a lot about sheep, but does the mineral block have copper in it? I wouldn't think that it would happen that quickly though. But, again, I'm not a sheep person...

Does she have a temp or diarrhea?

It's good that her membranes are nice and pink, but some parasites can cause problems without causing pale membranes.

I'm sure some of the sheep folks will show up and give you a better answer than I have.

Hope she does well for you.

 

[CCassity]

The block is a sheep block so it doesnt have too much copper in it, I put the block in last night after i noticed she was acting funny thinking maybe she wasnt getting enough minerals like selenium. not sure on the temp but doesnt look like she has diarrhea.

Thanks for your response

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Tagging some ppl, among others, that might be able to help you... @SheepGirl, @norseofcourse, @mysunwolf, @Queen Mum. Best wishes for your ewe!!

 

[norseofcourse]

When was she last wormed? Was she vaccinated, and when? Is she thin or a decent weight? Can you take her temperature?

Do you have any sheep nutridrench? That can give her some extra calories and energy. A runny nose could be nose bots, infection, or maybe some other things... I'm still very much a beginner with sheep. Low energy could be parasites or infection, or maybe other things there, too.

My first thoughts are wormer and/or antibiotics, but I'd rather someone more experienced chime in, too. Antibiotics may only be indicated if she's running a fever.

 

[CCassity]

She shouldn't need to be wormed, shes good weight its kind of weird shes been fine and then all of a sudden shes acting funny. I'm not sure id say shes low energy its more she is weak in her hind legs and when she does stand shes kind of disoriented. She seems to be a little better tonight, i threw hay out there and she was right in the middle of it eating. So there's no lack of appetite, my main concern is the wobbly legs and acting disoriented. I have penicillin but don't want to use it unless its needed. I don't have a way to take her temperature but I can go into town tomorrow and get something.

I am also mostly new at this, Ive had these sheep since May and i had Dorpers a couple years back for a year and half. So i do appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you

 

[Latestarter]

No sheep experience here at all (except in the eating category as they are mighty tasty) but wanted to wish you and your ewe the best. Hope she's OK. Any change?

 

[SheepGirl]

Definitely take her temperature. Sounds like it can be an infection, requiring an antibiotic.

Or it can be parasites. I'm thinking meningeal worm if it were to be any of them. Do you have deer in your area? Has it been wet?

Could be a lot of other things, but I'd work on narrowing it down to these two things first.

 

[purplequeenvt]

Like SheepGirl said, take her temp. That is a really good starting place. High temp would indicate an infection and I'd start her on antibiotics. No temp, I'd look into other options.

You say that she's wobbly in her hind end? The same on both sides or more one than the other? Does she drag a foot a bit?

My main thoughts are - infection, meningeal worm, or injury.

 

[bonbean01]

I am no expert, but agree with taking her temp asap...a fever can tell you so much. I had something like this with one of my young ewes a few years ago and scoured the internet and only thing that fit was polio arthritis (not like a human polio and no permanent damage if treated soon)...you might want to look it up and see if it fits your ewe?

When I first noticed the hind leg weakness, I also checked gums and eyelids and they were rosy red...no scours either and that day and night, no temperature. Did extra vitamins and minerals and no improvement...there is fever with polio arthritis....so, checked her temp each day and on the third day she had a temp of 104...started treatment then with penicillin for 5 days and there was a fast improvement, but I continued the whole 5 days.

To look at Dixie today, you'd never know there was ever a problem. Not sure if this is your ewe's problem or not...Dix did not have a runny nose...nor lose her appetite...just weakness in both her hind legs.

No clue if this is what your ewe has or not, but thought I'd share our experience with Dixie as it sounds similar. Hoping she will be fine, and I urge you to get her temperature and if it is normal...keep checking. Good luck and hope she recovers soon!