Lamb Grinding Teeth - help!

Randakay99

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I have an almost three month old lamb. I wormed him three days ago for the first time. He has been fine and eating. This AM he started teeth grinding. Nothing else has changed in his diet. He stopped teeth grinding for about an hour and just laid down to rest. I gave him a little 5g of Probios and since he’s not eating gave him some electrolytes. He seemed to want them at first and was actually drinking it out of the syringe and then started the teeth grinding again. What can I do to help ease his stomach??? The vet is closed today because it’s Sunday.
 

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Greetings and welcome to BYH from NE TX! So glad you joined us though I'm sorry the issue with your lamb brought you to us. Teeth grinding is generally an expression of pain. Have you taken his temperature? You can give him some ground up aspirin to help ease the pain. Sorry I can't offer much beyond that. I'll tag some Sheeple who might be able to offer more. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

@Sheepshape @mysunwolf @Roving Jacobs @Mike CHS @luvmypets And there are others not coming to mind. Hope it's nothing serious. Please let us know.

PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!
 

mysunwolf

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Give some baking soda, leave it out and if you don't see him eat it, mix some with water and feed via syringe. I usually feed a few teaspoons to a tablespoon to start. This will help settle his stomach. Next as Latestarter mentioned, take his temp and make sure he's not running a fever. On Monday I would take another fecal in to see if there are any parasites that were missed.

What is he currently eating? I would put him on just hay and water for now, and probios and electrolytes are also fine, until you can figure out what's causing his pain.
 

Sheepshape

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I agree with what has already been said. Is his poop normal? Is the wormer one appropriate to your area, his age etc? Could he have eaten anything toxic?

Avoid anything with too much sugar in his feet for now as that can cause lots of gas.

Please keep us updated.
 

Randakay99

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Hi everyone! My gut told him to make the 2 hour drive to Texas A&M where they determined he must have eaten a toxic weed. They ruled out the wormer after I showed them the ingredient label. The day before yesterday I remembered him eating something and rubbing it all over me and just doing everything he could to get it out of his mouth. He began showing signs of neurological problems. Thank goodness I took him there. They did a rumen sample and it was highly acidic. Gave him rumen from a donor cow. Checked his blood for dehydration and he was not dehydrated yet. They put him on a vitamin B complex and said the Thiamine would help stop the neurological side effects. So far we are not experiencing those anymore. The teeth grinding has gotten very minimal so I assume his tummy is adjusting. He is drinking water on his own, but isn’t too interested in food just yet so I am keeping an eye on that. Temp was fine entire time. If I hadn’t have brought him he would not be alive because the toxic plant was slowly breaking down his nervous system. When we left our house he was a little wobbly. By the time we got there he was “stargazing” and unable to walk. Please say a prayer that he returns to normal and has no side effects. He is a bottle baby that I rescued from a puddle of water in 32 degree weather and the closest thing to my own child. I can’t bare the thought of something happening to him.
 
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mysunwolf

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Wow, so glad you took him in! Yes, please identify the plant if you can so we can watch out for our own sheep. Good vibes headed his way.
 

Randakay99

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Yes! I have a plant ID group going back and forth about the actual name of it. But this was what he spit out and started salivating heavy after he ate. My pants were covered in green saliva from him rubbing it on me so this is what I suspect it was. We just took a little walk outside on a lead and away from the weeds and he enjoyed getting outside. He came back with an appetite and is eating. Late last night I spread Scott’s Weed and Feed in his area and I’m watering that tonight. It usually works pretty fast. None of my animals will be going in that area until all weeds are gone.
 

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So glad that you saved him! Best wishes for a full recovery! Could you share a picture of the lucky fellow with us? :) Not sure how long is best to wait after using weed and feed before allowing animals to graze... Not even sure if there's a statement on the label... :hu Might be worthwhile to contact the Scott's help line...
 
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