Scouring sheep

[Rhydwen1]

Hello, got a friend whose reared some molly lambs all done very well, however the last week or 2, one has started scouring and lost a lot of weight. Not being a sheep man thought I'd see what people on hear think could be wrong. All been wormed.
Thanks in advance

 

[neilo]

Hello, got a friend whose reared some molly lambs all done very well, however the last week or 2, one has started scouring and lost a lot of weight. Not being a sheep man thought I'd see what people on hear think could be wrong. All been wormed.
Thanks in advance

What have they been wormed with?

Scouring most likely to be caused by worms, coccidiosis or trace element deficiencies ime, but may be a whole host of other things, lush grass being one of them.

 

[andybk]

often get a bad dose off cocci this time of year , in ones that havnt met it early in life , also haemonchus is a real risk after heavy rain , as lambs are eating infective larva that get splashed from droppings (cocci as well ) that have collected through dry summer , both need urgent treatment if lambs are loosing a lot of weight quickly .

 

[delilah]

Get it inside on just hay to try and firm it up, make sure is drinking water, borrow a shot of a stronger category of wormer from someone, also deccox.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

What was the wormer? Might be Haemonchus which some wormers don't kill.

 

[andybk]

What was the wormer? Might be Haemonchus which some wormers don't kill.

levamisole is not very good for that i found out , buggd a few lambs 10 days after treatment ,

 

[spin cycle]

ivermectin for haemonchus + do the lot....+get them in if you can for coupla days after worming so worms come out on straw

 

[delilah]

If it's a 6 month old cade on a place that's probably not got many sheep then it's not haemonchus it's just being a sheep. Just advise them to borrow a stronger wormer anyway and administer tlc. Don't spend any money on it, if it's scouring and lost a lot of weight it's going to die.

 

[Moors Lad]

Don't spend any money on it, if it's scouring and lost a lot of weight it's going to die.

A shot of good wormer and a treatment for cocci won`t break the bank and might just save it - must be worth a try!

Get it inside on just hay to try and firm it up, make sure is drinking water, borrow a shot of a stronger category of wormer from someone, also deccox.

Sound advice.

 

[1982]

Had lambs scouring badly.Just had bloods back.very low in copper and selenium.Havent had result for iodine yet.

 

[neilo]

Had lambs scouring badly.Just had bloods back.very low in copper and selenium.Havent had result for iodine yet.

What colour scour?

When I had problems with copper lockup/deficiency, the scour was a light brown.
Iodine deficiency here presents as a dark scour and generally looking as if hooching with worms (with low FEC).

Hardly a definitive diagnosis though I know.

 

[JohnGalway]

Hello, got a friend whose reared some molly lambs all done very well, however the last week or 2, one has started scouring and lost a lot of weight. Not being a sheep man thought I'd see what people on hear think could be wrong. All been wormed.
Thanks in advance

FEC test is my first port of call. Easiest way to collect dung samples is get your containers from vet/lab and walk out into the field. Approach a lamb just close enough that it stands up, it'll likely dung, that's sample one and repeat for as many as you need. At least then you will have an idea of what it is or isn't.

If they do need dosing, consult vet, and do another FEC test at the required time (different times depending on the drug used) to ensure the dose has actually worked.

Or they could just be sheep as said, in which case shoot them

 

[1982]

What colour scour?

When I had problems with copper lockup/deficiency, the scour was a light brown.
Iodine deficiency here presents as a dark scour and generally looking as if hooching with worms (with low FEC).

Hardly a definitive diagnosis though I know.

Mine are a dark watery colour.Going off on their winter holidays on thursday so will give them a bolus tommorow.well thats the plan anyway.What would you advise?

 

[neilo]

Mine are a dark watery colour.Going off on their winter holidays on thursday so will give them a bolus tommorow.well thats the plan anyway.What would you advise?

I’ve never found any bolus that lifts Iodine sufficiently here, even when I had some ‘specials’ that were double rate iodine. Any of the cheap drenches seem to sort it rapidly, but only for a short time if they are on a deficient diet, or on a brassica/beet crop to lock it up.
If they’re going away onto grass, they might not be too much of an issue for Iodine anyway as it will be soil/crop dependant.

 

[1982]

I’ve never found any bolus that lifts Iodine sufficiently here, even when I had some ‘specials’ that were double rate iodine. Any of the cheap drenches seem to sort it rapidly, but only for a short time if they are on a deficient diet, or on a brassica/beet crop to lock it up.
If they’re going away onto grass, they might not be too much of an issue for Iodine anyway as it will be soil/crop dependant.

All six blood tested were very low in copper and 3 of 6 were low in selenium.Have to say they were all looking very well condition wise except for the severe scouring.

 

[hendrebc]

Mine are a dark watery colour.Going off on their winter holidays on thursday so will give them a bolus tommorow.well thats the plan anyway.What would you advise?

Dark scours could be coccy I'd not rule it out anyway.

 

[Skintagain]

My weaned lambs are still fair taking the cocci tubbys. Never normally too bad by now but it’s been a funny season. Most lambs I have left are from a very dry hill so Haven’t grown well this year but they won’t have seen cocci much this year so it’s affecting them now.

 

[1982]

Dark scours could be coccy I'd not rule it out anyway.

Faecal count was very low for worms and cocci.still waiting for the results for the fluke to come back

 

[Chasingmytail]

Molly sheep? Never heard of that is that pet lambs? The issue with pet lambs is their prone to weakness and imo be fattened quickly and gone. Changes with stress or risk of pneumonia etc they just dont have the same immunity like the others. I did though have Rocky this year absolutely huge pet lamb now in freezer. I also have 4 left and in reality shouldnt be here. Any sudden changes in feeds, stress, or just struggle to put the weight on are prone to die. Ive got a few with dirty bums and had 2 fecs etc with zero issues I do put it down to just poor guts and should be fattened and gone. Poor bred lambs from ewes with poor milk just equal poor guts no difference to humans and should be worming them without checking the worm count first. The issue is keeping these lambs now on poor growing grass. My advice for pet lambs is stuff them and get them gone before October otherwise they will be dropping like flies over the next few months.