Lamb born without heartbeat.

[Kingcustard]

Busy lambing away and still get thrown curve balls after 2 decades of lambing.

Had a couple this year that I have had to lamb and they come out breathing and alive but with no heartbeat and what ever I do I can get them going.

Is there anyway to get the heart started?

And why is the heart not going, is it to do with being pulled or just another bloody sheep thing?

200+ lambed, under 400 to go, I don't know why I look forward to lambing every year, always something to ruin the fun!!!!

 

[Agrivator]

The heart must have been beating right up until the lamb was almost born, otherwise it would have been born dead.

If the heart stops beating at the moment of birth, it may be due to a congenital defect, but my only reaction would be to drop the lamb onto a hard surface to give it a jolt. But if it doesn't live, one of the pet lambs might be grateful.

 

[Highland Mule]

You got any friends with Angina? Have heard it suggested that a very small spray of GTN can help in situations like this, when all else is lost.

 

[Big Ambitions]

Had one like this, gave it a few good hard smacks of the chest. It’s heart started for a few minutes then died, but there is a CPR for sheep that can be done. Think it’s similar to humans, lie the lamb/sheep on its right hand side and pump the chest at 120bpm, after 30 stop and check if it’s heart is going, only repeat for a few cycles, if it’s not going nearly straight away it’ll pretty much die anyways

 

[Wooly]

That's sheep for you.


But as a longshot, is there an iodine deficiency in your sheep ?

 

[Pistonbroke]

Used to have dopram V drops. Put a drop under their tongue and it goes straight in to the system and kick-starts the heart.

 

[muleman]

If your lambing 600+ ewes there will always be a % that die, just got to accept it and move on.

 

[farmerm]

Our first week we had them with a heart beat but no breath or brain function.

If your lambing 600+ ewes there will always be a % that die, just got to accept it and move on.

If your lambing 600+ ewes there will always be a % that die, just got to accept it and move on.

 

[Mickstup]

Small bucket of cold water tipped on them can often be enough to start them.

 

[Dry Rot]

When I worked with hounds many years ago we would take in fallen stock for feed. We had several calves collected as dead but which revived when pulled off the dead wagon onto concrete with a meat hook! They may have been bull calves, I really don't remember. But a shock might indeed get them going again.

 

[Kingcustard]

If your lambing 600+ ewes there will always be a % that die, just got to accept it and move on.

I get plenty of death as any livestock farmer does, but surely its prudent to try and save every life possible, is that not the whole point of animal husbandry.

 

[Rod Dumbreck]

I get plenty of death as any livestock farmer does, but surely its prudent to try and save every life possible, is that not the whole point of animal husbandry.

Yes, and even trying quite hard with cases that don't look too hopeful will help with the skills and technique for those we can help to live.

 

[Kingcustard]

The Aussie method of letting things die to strengthen the gene pool is fine if you are breeding replacements and tups to a certain degree, but when you are breeding lambs to sell fat then every loss is straight off the balance sheet and there aren't any mitigating factors to ease the conscience like saying it would have bred lambs that did the same.