Lambs losing use of back legs.

[CopperBeech]

Have picked up quite a few lambs lately, who have gone off their back legs. Perfectly healthy lambs 4-6 weeks old, well fed and fine one day. . . . . then next day, complete lack of use of back legs. None have recovered so far . . . . . .

Any ideas?

 

[Spartacus]

Sit there trying to stand or just nothing happening at all? Had a ewe do this a couple of weeks ago, assumed some kind of ulcer on the spinal cord or something along those lines. Be interested in other ideas though.

 

[CopperBeech]

They are dragging themselves a long with their front legs. . . . trying to get away from me etc. Seems to strike them down suddenly. Completely healthy apart from that. Talking maybe 20 odd out of 2000 plus, so not a huge percent, but still. . . . .

 

[llamedos]

WMD ? selenium/vit E deficiency

 

[Buford T. Justice]

Swayback from copper deficiency?

 

[Tim W]

Have you vaccinated them for anything?

 

[jonny]

What breed are they? Texels can be prone to copper imbalance which can cause swayback are you putting on pig slurry?

 

[peewit]

We have one the same. About 8 weeks old, well grown lamb and was fine yesterday morning, dragging itself around by front legs, still eating and alert. Given it Flunixin and anti biotics but still the same at the moment.

 

[spin cycle]

i have one with exact same symptoms...gave him jag of engymycin and he got a lot better...then downhill again....given him a second and he started to recover again....but will it last?...eats is bright ect

i thought ,until this thread, it is an internal abcess?....so would be condemned at slaughter even if he got better?

 

[spin cycle]

Swayback from copper deficiency?

doesn't look like swayback symptoms that i googled

Have you vaccinated them for anything?

just first hep

 

[CopperBeech]

I'm leaning toward selenium. . . .as I know the ground is deficient. No fert, muck or anything else on this ground. Not treated with anything at all yet.

 

[Downton_shep]

If it was just the one I would say spinal abscess but 20! I would get one to the vets for postmortem.

 

[polk_farmer]

Our trouble with that here is selenium (WMD). If you can get a vitisel into them as soon as they show symptoms they can get going again. But more often than not its the bullet. Once they get bad, we cannot seem to save them

 

[exmoor dave]

Delayed sway back prehaps?

I believe there's two types of swayback- from birth type and delayed type

 

[Downton_shep]

If it was WMD would they all be so sudden? Wouldn't some be staggering before?

 

[llamedos]

If it was WMD would they all be so sudden? Wouldn't some be staggering before?

Not what I have seen.

 

[scottish-lleyn]

Maybe an absess on the spine like joint ill i had a couple last year vet gave me stuff to jag them with for 5 days sorted but they wernt that old maybe 5wks

 

[Tim W]

doesn't look like swayback symptoms that i googled



just first hep

Dirty needles ? Spinal abbesses?
Sounds like a problem I had due to ^^

 

[Nithsdale]

Selenium/B12 deficiency...

OR spinal abscess. But youd be bloody unlucky to get so many.

Definitely NOT swayback.

What breed are they? Texels can be prone to copper imbalance which can cause swayback are you putting on pig slurry?

You sure about that? Texels are susceptible to Copper poisoning, they are known to do well in areas with low Copper/high Iron (locks up copper) levels because of it. It's also advised never to give Texels Copper.

We used to get the odd swayback lamb every year here (high Iron) when we had Blackies, mules and Suffolk tups - and we copper jagged everything.

Now we run Lleyns and Texels, havnt jagged copper in 10 years and have never had a case in that time, not many farms round here who use Texels tups will jag for copper either.

 

[Gulli]

Selenium would be my guess. Get your vet to do some bloods asap...