*SHEEP* pregnancy toxemia recovery

big brown horse

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Any stories you want to share about how you got your ewe through the recovery process?

Since she showed signs of trouble, I have been using a combo of 'rambo's'* formula and my own for treatment until she aborted twin ram lambs. :( I had to help her with the process and it really took a lot out of her~especially after her already compromised condition.

After the birth she was exhausted and didn't get up at all for 24 hours or so. She wouldn't eat/drink either.

Since then I started to give her 'cornmeal' drenches a few times a day along with some of 'rambo's treatment', simply by adding soaked cornmeal with some water.

Today (thanks to freemotion's idea) I made a green grass smoothie drench for her. I just gave it to her btw.

I have been making her get up throughout the day as well, otherwise she just lays there.

Anyway I'm still searching for ideas or tips on getting her through recovery. How long will it take etc.

*I'll edit 'rambo's' treatment here in a sec. Thank you Aggie, for sharing it!
 

big brown horse

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Courtesy of aggie, rambo's treatment:
For all of you who have asked for it, here is the "recipe" for treating ewes with pregnancy toxemia. We've used this therapy with much success as have many others so here it is.

Daily Oral Therapy:

3.5 oz. of sheep nutridrench per day
4-8 oz. of propylene glycol per day
60 cc's of 50% dextrose, 2 times daily (total 120 cc's/day)
60 cc's of amino acid (A-Lyte etc) concentrate/electrolytes, 2 times daily
(total of 120 cc's).
Dose of probios or yogurt every other day until cud returns (can be given daily).
Peptobismol or bicarb of soda every other day (ewes that are ketotic have acidosis & will not usually return to eating until this is treated).
Water. If the ewe isn't drinking on her own, drench her with cool or tepid water...about a qt. at a time Oftentimes the treatment will cause the ewe to drink on her own.

Do not give above ingredients all at once. The trick is to break it up and administer every 2 to 4 hours (depending on severity of symptoms) so that the ewe has a constant source of energy.
For example: give the nutridrench 1st, then wait 2-4 hours and give the combo of 60 cc dextrose and 60 cc amino acid concentrate & electrolytes, wait another 2-4 hours, then give the propylene glycol. Once you have done this, you start the regime all over and continue until the ewe goes back to feed (some downed ewes won't go back to feed until the lambs are either born through c-section or are aborted). The point is to keep a steady supply of energy (sugars) going to the ewe. Dextrose tends to be shorter lasting than propylene glycol so we tend to give one of the doses of prop glycol at night, as it stays with the ewe longer & the shepherd can get a bit of sleep during this time.

The key to success is early detection (use ketone strips; notice any odd behavior...ewe slow to come into the feeder area, ewe leaving the feeder early, ewe standing by herself etc) followed by aggressive and dedicated treatment. Believe this...you will get tired doing this. With any luck, the ewe will go back to eating grain and hay but oftimes they do not go back to grain even if they are consuming hay. Supplemental energy will still need to be supplied at this point but does not require the above regime.

It should be noted that that some ewes that are severely ketotic that are close to their due date may need to be induced or the lambs may need to be delivered via c-section, depending on the condition of the ewe. Ewes giving birth naturally after being induced usually will need assistance in delivering the lambs, due to weakness on the ewe's part. Don't forget that everything the ewe is going through, the lambs inutero are also experiencing so, consequently some lambs do not survive or are born weak and will need critical care during their first hours. Ewes that survive usually do not milk well so it is important to have replacer on hand for the newborns. Ewes will also need TLC following a ketotic episode ending in delivery.

Pregnancy toxemia is a frustrating disease but we have been able to keep ewes going for over 3 weeks ending in success using this therapy.
I played with it and added a drench of raw apple cider vinegar, raw milk kefir and raw honey to it.
 
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