Hi Friends, My husband brought a bummer lamb home for me about a week ago. The lamb is about 3 weeks old and the people that we got her from said that she had been injured when the older ewe's got spooked and ran over her. She was quite weak and lame in her hindquarters and was not able to keep up and nurse enough to gain well. We brought her home and have been bottle feeding her with fresh goats milk, she gets alfalfa hay, and creep and is gaining weight and eating great. The problem?? Her front knees, especially the right one are getting swollen and she is becoming lame on them too. Any ideas on what is going on here?? Could this be navel ill? I'm hoping that some of you with sheep experience will be able to help me!!

Thanks so much Clare

-- Clare Quandt (qk65327@navix.net), March 28, 2001

Answers

call the vet, but, last year we have a ram lamb which we bought to use and did on the ewes when the time ws to come! Well the older ewes almost killed the poor boy (he did get his revenge later) and his front legs became swollen. I nurse him (away from the old ewes) and gave him phenybutal (sp) used on horses for pain and inflamation. I believe it is an anibiotic also but it worked. The medicine is very cheap but in a pinch when there is inflamation, I use a half of an Advil pill, advil and a anitinflamation thing in it. I am on Advil right now for a terrible fall I took and brused some ribs (its working). Note that any aspirin including Advil thins the blood so if their is any possible bleeding going on ignore me completely.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), March 29, 2001.

Check with the vet BEFORE using Advill(Ibuprofen) or Tylenol (Acetaminophen) these can be deadly to animals. Bute is a derivative of aspirin, no antibiotic included. Advill and Tylenol can cause liver damage and in some species is toxic.

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), March 29, 2001.

Hi, I am a newbie here. Just found this site the other day.

We have a lamb that had the same problems as yours. The farmer that we brought her from suggested this:

Penicillin shot and supervised walks. Get the lamb up and moving, but not with the rest, as they would bowl her over.

It worked. The lamb still limps a bit, but is running around with the rest.

Hope this helps.

Laurean

-- Laurean (iclovera@frontiernet.net), April 04, 2001.