Does anyone know how long the iodized salt takes to have an effect on the unborn lambs? We've had numerous, too many to count lambs die. Too weak to survive, some born dead, some only live a few hours, even with pampering most die. HELP!!

-- Tracy K. (tkingdon@escape.ca), March 25, 2001

Answers

Do you have a good Vet nearby ? There seems to be to many . Are the moms givin a salt block ? Maybe loose salt would be better .I don't know to much so hopefully someone with more experience will pop in.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), March 25, 2001.

What makes you think it is an iodine deficiency? Have you considered other causes? If all of your lambs are too weak to stand up and nurse, it could be selenium.

-- Leo (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), March 25, 2001.

I certainly would have one of the lambs seen by a professional, and sometimes that doesn't include the local vet. A teaching university, state lab or the local small ruminent specialist who may be a sheep or goat owner. White Muscle Disease is much more prevelant for causing weak kids than iodine defficiency. Iodine can be absorbed through the skin of your ewes and lambs by spraying 7% iodine under their tails and also with med given orally. Iodinized salt would be fine for fixing a small defficiency, actually unless their is another source it is just above minimal requirements for goats. Good luck with this, but without lambs being born with massive swellings of the throat and other forms of goiter, I don't think this is your problem. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), March 25, 2001.

I agree with Vicki. What part of the country are you in? Is your area low in selenium. Have you tried giving the new babies a shot of selenium and vitamin B as soon after birth as possible? Nutridrench work great on weak lambs too. You are living out my greatest fear with the infection I had that made my does abort, I was sure I'd have weak or stillborn lambs. Did you have any health problems in your ewes while pregrant. Several of the abortion diseases result in still born and weak lambs. E-mail me if I can be of any help. I've learned a lot about these pregnancy diseases, more than I ever wanted to know.

Good luck, it's so hard to lose those babies!

-- Betsy K (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), March 25, 2001.

Iodine should work quickly. Do your ewes have a mineral block? Are the lambs premature? I would suspect selenium deficiency too.

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), March 26, 2001.

it doesn't sound like an iodine deficiency to me, though they could also be deficient in iodine, it does sound like selenium deficiency. A bottle of Bo-Se can be bought cheaply from your vet, and inject each lamb with 1/2 cc. A lady I talked to the other day said that she simply squirts 1/2 cc into their mouth! Aside from selenium or iodine shortages, it could also be caused by some infective agent. It seems as though I've heard that leptospirosis (sp?) does something like this. It might be worth taking a fresh sample to the vet for him to culture and see what is causing the problem if it is going to be causing you significant losses.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), March 31, 2001.