help! ear tag in wrong place caused bleeding on lamb's ear

[eweinHiscare]

someone please advise me what to do !
It is Sunday, May 25,2014, about 4:25 pm EST.

while putting an ear tag in a week old lamb it is too close to the lower vein (NOT in the middle vein)
and it drew blood! I feel awful about this and I hope the lamb is not in pain.

There are no instructions on how to remove it but it is all plastic, should I try to cut the tag
to get it out? I'm afraid it will get infected if it stays.. I can put hydrogen peroxide or antibacterial ointment if I get it out.

I am so sorry, because this is the cutest lamb and I already tagged 8 of them with no problems!!

I need to do something soon I'm afraid it will swell up making removal more difficult.

thanks for your help!

update: it's half hour later...the lamb's ear is not dripping blood..she acts ok, I have not removed the tag.
I am prone to panic easily because I love the little darlins so much I guess.
I'm breathing easier now, but still would appreciate reassurance.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

We have tagged goats, not a lot but a few. Some have bled a bit but they were all fine. I would put some triple antibiotic ointment on it and hopefully someone with more experience will chime in!

 

[eweinHiscare]

thanks Goat Whisperer, I will keep a watch for infection. It's good to know yours were ok
afterward. It seems not so bad since the bleeding stopped quickly.

 

[Farmin' Girl]

Hope all is well with the little lamb!

 

[SheepGirl]

Sometimes we will have bleeders. I don't do anything for them and they heal fine on their own.

 

[eweinHiscare]

thankyou people, for your caring. The little ewe is jumping around happily as usual today so I expect she will be alright.
Sheepgirl, I will try to be even more careful in the future and hope it never happens again.
I had to put the tag in with no helper which is difficult because it takes both hands just to close the tagging tool.
I wonder if there is a tool sized better for women's hands ?

 

[SheepGirl]

I use the Allflex universal tagger. What I do is I hold the lamb straddled in between my legs with just his head sticking out. I carefully decide the placement of the tag and then I use both hands to clamp it down real fast until I hear the click.

Scroll down to "Newborn Lamb Processing" and you can see the video on how I ear tag the lambs: http://twinwillowacres.webs.com/basic-shepherding (This was done last year and I probably need to redo it lol)

 

[eweinHiscare]

thanks SheepGirl, I did see the helpful video on your website.
It is the same tagger tool I have, same struggling of the lamb too when you have to use both hands. I'm not alone,

I hope you can get the hoof trimming video up soon, that's another thing I'm not confident about.
You probably have a good technique worked out.

I had goats and they seemed easier for some reason, less apt to struggle maybe.

I did see a sheep hoof trimming video once, I better look for it again.
thankyou!

 

[goatgurl]

sounds like you could use a kid disbudding box, not for dehorning but to hold the little lambs while you tag them. I often work alone with my kids and the box is a lifesaver.

 

[eweinHiscare]

goatgurl that is a good idea, I will go and make a tiny lambsize headgate of some sort for next Spring's lambs.

this is a photo of the lamb. She is doing fine now, I thought you might like to see her.