ram acting off.. *dead.. necropsy results*

[SheepGirl]

You can send him to your state lab...if you go through your state's ag dept web site, you may be able to find the state lab prices for necropsies. In Maryland, it is $125 if the animal is under 300 lbs.

Sorry for the loss of your ram

 

[chickenzoo]

I'm very sorry for your loss. Been there this week too.... I know it cost me $235 for a necropsy on my llama at a vets. If I could have used my regular livestock vet it probably would have been less but it was a dire situation. I need to find out the cost at our local University just incase it ever comes up again...
He was beautiful.

 

[dwbonfire]

i got in touch with a friend who gave me info on a lab about 45 mins away. i made it up there right in time before they closed for the day! only thing they told me is they dont really do the toxicology, so i might not know if he ate something poisonous.. was hoping to know for sure and i HOPE rule that out. really dont want to have something toxic out there.. they told me to call monday so i hope i find out then what happened. they said they may be able to tell if it was a toxic plant if they see something they can identify in his stomach. i hate to say i hope its one thing over another, but i would rather hear something like the urinary calculi than toxic plant. i hope that doesnt sound awful, but its really just because i dont want my girls and other animals at risk of eating something. how common of a problem is that with rams? i never saw signs, but truthfully wasnt *looking* for it. what a shame. he was a real sweet laid back, and PURDY boy. i just dont know if i can afford, or even find another ram and really was looking forward to lambs in the spring sigh.. i will surely post when the results come in.

 

[elevan]

 

[BrownSheep]

You could always see if you could rent a ram. Generally much cheaper than buying. Most likely not a Jacob but it would get you your babies this year.

 

[dwbonfire]

i got a message from the doctor who did the necropsy, she said he had severe pneumonia.. im kind of stumped by this.. why didnt i see signs? the only time he did anything strange was that very day right before he died, the sneezing thing i saw which really did not alarm me because i had never seen it before and i was going to be sure to watch for it again. i just dont understand.. i guess way back when he ran that temperature he must have been sick with it and i gave the penicilin for 5 or 6 days and he seemed fine since then, again, only until right before he died did i see anything a little odd about him. does pneumonia have signs usually?! ugh i am really sad about it, i feel like i should have known but i just never saw any signs. i am in close contact with them too, i lock them up every night and kind of 'hang out' with them, i always watch them eat and whatnot, i feel like i spent plenty of time observing to have seen signs.
she said shes sending lung tissue off to be tested for any bacteria too, i will talk further with her tomorrow.

 

[ksalvagno]

They can have a "walking" pneumonia that really doesn't show any signs. But if you listen to their lungs, you can hear it. Don't feel bad. You didn't know that he had it. Next time if this happens, you will know what to do. That is the unfortunate part of owning livestock.

 

[dwbonfire]

i worry i would overlook it again if i had a sheep that had it in the future, because after i saw the sneezing incident he walked off like he was fine in the direction of where i found him, i left after that and when i came home he was dead. i feel like he died real soon after the only sign i saw. im assuming this is something thats been going on since i got him and the transport is what set it off, the ewe i got with him seems totally fine, but is there chance she could have the 'walking pneumonia' as well? im kind of paranoid now. i would have thought id see coughing, and if i did i surely would have investigated what was wrong.

about 3 years ago i had a few sheep brought to me from up north, i had no idea the transportation could be much of an issue at that time so never thought much of it. all the sheep seemed fine, then about 2 months or so later one of them was down and dead. i had no idea what happened and didnt look into it much. now that comes back to my mind because i never saw signs with her either, and im guartanteeing thats what happened to her too, pneumonia from the long haul. i never would have thought her death months later was linked to her transport.

i guess this is what they also call 'shipping fever'? is there something you can do before you take a sheep or goat for transport to lessen the chances of them getting sick? i am considering getting another ram, but now im worried to even bring him home and have this happen again because he may show no signs either!

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Some people give something called Bovi Sera to prevent/treat shipping fever. I think you can probably get it from Jeffers.com or maybe TSC.

 

[RemudaOne]

If you're concerned for your other sheep, you could check thier temperatures.