patandchickens
Overrun with beasties
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2009
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My big problem here is that these critters are totally new to me and I do not know what a sheep udder is SUPPOSED to look or feel like.
This morning I noticed that Kurly, 2 yr old shetland ewe with a 3 wk old lamb, was looking lopsided - one side of her bag was noticeably larger than the other. I *know* she was symmetrical yesterday. This afternoon she is the same, so I knocked together a rope halter and trolled her into the pen to catch her.
That side was definitely much larger and more full than the other side, and more engorged-feeling. Not conspicuously hotter. There is a reddened and slightly bruised-looking area on the rear portion of that quarter, but also to a lesser extent on the same location of the other side. I can feel a firm area, feels sort of like a styrofoam hamburger bun (probably smaller), buried in the front portion of BOTH sides, although it may (?) be larger on the enlarged side of the udder.
I milked that side out as best I could, trying to be gentle and correct (but note that I have never milked before). There was nothing obviously weird about the milk but honestly I have never seen sheep milk before so how would I know Not stringy or clotty or flaky -- I wouldn't know if it was waterier than normal. Tasted a little bit, tasted like sweetish milk <shrug>
Lamb is acting totally normal. So is Kurly, actually, other than being annoyed at me. I did not take her temperature cuz she was already One P.O.'d Sheep, although I can do it if you think I should.
If you think I should get the vet out to look at her I will, but between his expensive farm calls and the fact that he is soooooo not a sheep person, it is not my automatic choice of what to do, if you know what i mean.
a) does this sound like mastitis, or can they sometimes be lopsided (suddenly one day) harmlessly?
b) can I take a milk sample to the vet for them to test, or something, to confirm whether it is mastitis?
c) if this does sound like mastitis, I can milk her out, gently, several times a day, but should I be trying to get some antibiotics or something else too? What if anything else should I be doing?
d) she is very interested in food but if I do not have obvious grain on me she flees from me (and is not easily herded), so I am nto sure how to catch her TO milk her out except by trolling her in with a bit of grain. Is it ok to do this if she has mastitis, in terms of effect of grain on milk production and effect of milk production on mastitis?
Thanks for any advice, I totally have no idea what I am doing with these sheep critters,
Pat
This morning I noticed that Kurly, 2 yr old shetland ewe with a 3 wk old lamb, was looking lopsided - one side of her bag was noticeably larger than the other. I *know* she was symmetrical yesterday. This afternoon she is the same, so I knocked together a rope halter and trolled her into the pen to catch her.
That side was definitely much larger and more full than the other side, and more engorged-feeling. Not conspicuously hotter. There is a reddened and slightly bruised-looking area on the rear portion of that quarter, but also to a lesser extent on the same location of the other side. I can feel a firm area, feels sort of like a styrofoam hamburger bun (probably smaller), buried in the front portion of BOTH sides, although it may (?) be larger on the enlarged side of the udder.
I milked that side out as best I could, trying to be gentle and correct (but note that I have never milked before). There was nothing obviously weird about the milk but honestly I have never seen sheep milk before so how would I know Not stringy or clotty or flaky -- I wouldn't know if it was waterier than normal. Tasted a little bit, tasted like sweetish milk <shrug>
Lamb is acting totally normal. So is Kurly, actually, other than being annoyed at me. I did not take her temperature cuz she was already One P.O.'d Sheep, although I can do it if you think I should.
If you think I should get the vet out to look at her I will, but between his expensive farm calls and the fact that he is soooooo not a sheep person, it is not my automatic choice of what to do, if you know what i mean.
a) does this sound like mastitis, or can they sometimes be lopsided (suddenly one day) harmlessly?
b) can I take a milk sample to the vet for them to test, or something, to confirm whether it is mastitis?
c) if this does sound like mastitis, I can milk her out, gently, several times a day, but should I be trying to get some antibiotics or something else too? What if anything else should I be doing?
d) she is very interested in food but if I do not have obvious grain on me she flees from me (and is not easily herded), so I am nto sure how to catch her TO milk her out except by trolling her in with a bit of grain. Is it ok to do this if she has mastitis, in terms of effect of grain on milk production and effect of milk production on mastitis?
Thanks for any advice, I totally have no idea what I am doing with these sheep critters,
Pat