Twin Lambs Disease

[nifarming]

We’ve had 2 cases of twin lambs come to our attention in the past week.

We have them indoors with food and water although both refuse to eat; and only one will independently drink. Neither will currently walk, although yesterday one did rise and have a walk around for a while yesterday; she is back down again and hasn’t been up since.

We are growing increasingly worried about their health as they have only eaten about a mouthful of silage in the last 3 days.

We’ve tried dosing them with calcium but it doesn’t seem to be doing much good. Last year we had the same problem and where recommend to try red bull; however this did not work very successfully either.

If you have any idea of what else to give them or what we could do to in any way help them please let me know. Thanks.

 

[Nithsdale]

I see you've tried Red Bull, in the future go to TESCO and buy their Blue Spark energy drink (their version of Red Bull). The full fat one - not sugar free.

Give the whole can to the ewe. Through a dosing gun works well.

How much calcium did you give them? Sounds like they haven't had enough to bring them back fully

 

[The Jolly Farmer]

I find Red Bull works best mixed Vodka. Drink the Vodka/Red Bull yourself and shot the ewes if they are that bad they aren't going to recover.

 

[shumungus]

We’ve had 2 cases of twin lambs come to our attention in the past week.

We have them indoors with food and water although both refuse to eat; and only one will independently drink. Neither will currently walk, although yesterday one did rise and have a walk around for a while yesterday; she is back down again and hasn’t been up since.

We are growing increasingly worried about their health as they have only eaten about a mouthful of silage in the last 3 days.

We’ve tried dosing them with calcium but it doesn’t seem to be doing much good. Last year we had the same problem and where recommend to try red bull; however this did not work very successfully either.

If you have any idea of what else to give them or what we could do to in any way help them please let me know. Thanks.

Depends a lot wether its fat twin lamb or skinny twin lamb. Skinny twin lamb is curable,100 ml calcium sub-cut and 40ml dextrose intravenous plus about 300ml of warm molasses down their throat. Fat twin lamb, insert 40/50 grain of lead directly between the eyes, repeat as necessary.

 

[neilo]

We’ve had 2 cases of twin lambs come to our attention in the past week.

We have them indoors with food and water although both refuse to eat; and only one will independently drink. Neither will currently walk, although yesterday one did rise and have a walk around for a while yesterday; she is back down again and hasn’t been up since.

We are growing increasingly worried about their health as they have only eaten about a mouthful of silage in the last 3 days.

We’ve tried dosing them with calcium but it doesn’t seem to be doing much good. Last year we had the same problem and where recommend to try red bull; however this did not work very successfully either.

If you have any idea of what else to give them or what we could do to in any way help them please let me know. Thanks.

Forget giving Red Bull or mollasses, you will just induce acidosis. Either treat as @shumungus posted, or drench with Propylene Glycol, which is the main ingredient in any of the commercially available twin lamb drenches.
The Collate product works fantastically well ime, but it's horrendously expensive. A cheaper, but more slower acting, alternative is Ketosaid. Both should be available from most decent ag merchants or your vet.

 

[Guleesh]

Like neilo says, drench with propylene glycol, or if they still have reasonable appetite you can also pour it on their feed or mix it in their water.

Is Red bull not just caffeine? I always understood that rather than being a source of energy it just helps you to burn your own energy faster.

 

[Devil's advocate]

After the intial injection of calcium & glucose or twin lamb mix.

I use every 4 hours till they lamb or recover
Warm water, 6 table spoons of glucose, 2ml calcium & half a lemon squuezed out

 

[haybob]

I always have some Ketosaid handy for anything looking weak.

 

[haybob]

Also if you have any high energy bucket licks. Might be worth a try putting one under their nose .

 

[Highland Mule]

Will they eat ivy? If they won’t eat ivy, they won’t live.

 

[nifarming]

One has successfully lambed since the time of saying that and the other has unfortunately passed on. Thank you for all the suggestions.

 

[steveR]

Had one last week, I kept her alive for 4 days until she came on for lambing, but she had no oomph by then so the Vet pulled 'em out as he was here...

Used a commercial twin lamb drench, then home brew of prop glycol/glucose/dribble of calcium and more glucose at night. First night, I had no glucose, so gave her lucozade!!

Would not eat ivy!!!

Got a live ewe and a live lamb, ewe too knackerd to milk, but a bosting cade. If I had pushed Herself, and pulled the lambs out 6 hrs before, I think we might have had live twins...

 

[steveR]

One has successfully lambed since the time of saying that and the other has unfortunately passed on. Thank you for all the suggestions.

A mixed result... typical sheep then!

 

[nifarming]

One ewe has successfully lambed since the time of writing, the other however has unfortunately passed on.

We managed to find new mothers for the ewes two lambs but we are still concerned for the ewes health. She hasn’t independently stood up since lambing and isn’t eating or drinking very much.

This time yesterday, a few hours after she had lambed, she was eating and drinking independently very well. Today she drank a small amount and ate next to nothing.

If you have any idea how we can help her on the road back to full recovery or what the cause of her lack of appetite may be please let me know as we don’t have much experience of this. Thanks

 

[primmiemoo]

Pleased to read that one has recovered . Keep up the twin lamb drench a bit longer. The collate one is good. Farmsense does one for cows that can be used for ewes (at the keeper's discretion, making sure to calculate the dose carefully). We've known ewes to "ask" for that sort when they've started to turn the corner.

If the ewe is drinking but without appetite, giving her a bunch of fresh-picked grass, and some fresh bramble leaves to pick at helps, as do fresh common hogweed leaves if you have them where you are. (Please don't try giant hogweed (obvs! )).
A nibble of ivy won't hurt, either.

 

[twizzel]

One ewe has successfully lambed since the time of writing, the other however has unfortunately passed on.

We managed to find new mothers for the ewes two lambs but we are still concerned for the ewes health. She hasn’t independently stood up since lambing and isn’t eating or drinking very much.

This time yesterday, a few hours after she had lambed, she was eating and drinking independently very well. Today she drank a small amount and ate next to nothing.

If you have any idea how we can help her on the road back to full recovery or what the cause of her lack of appetite may be please let me know as we don’t have much experience of this. Thanks

I had a ewe stop eating 24hrs after a caesarean this week; she had a drench of strong coffee in the morning and an off feed drench in the evening to kick start her rumen which had stopped working. Did the trick and she was picking at food again 12 hours later and chewing her cud. The off feed drench came from the vet, mainly used for cows but worked on my ewe too.

 

[bobajob]

One ewe has successfully lambed since the time of writing, the other however has unfortunately passed on.

We managed to find new mothers for the ewes two lambs but we are still concerned for the ewes health. She hasn’t independently stood up since lambing and isn’t eating or drinking very much.

This time yesterday, a few hours after she had lambed, she was eating and drinking independently very well. Today she drank a small amount and ate next to nothing.

If you have any idea how we can help her on the road back to full recovery or what the cause of her lack of appetite may be please let me know as we don’t have much experience of this. Thanks

If they have been in the shed for a while even just getting them out onto a little bit of fresh new grass can encourage them to eat. I have put ewes on the lawn before, but I think grass in a field is sweeter than a mossy lawn.
Its not easy without seeing your ewe but she may be too far gone to respond to much.

 

[nifarming]

The ewe that had twin lamb but has now lambed is still not very well improved.

She will drink independently some days, and others she will not. She won’t eat of her own free will at all.

We’ve tried giving her, meal, hay, silage, grass and straw; but she had refused them all.

If you have any idea what else we could give her or what you think she might eat please let us know. Thanks !

 

[crazy_bull]

The ewe that had twin lamb but has now lambed is still not very well improved.

She will drink independently some days, and others she will not. She won’t eat of her own free will at all.

We’ve tried giving her, meal, hay, silage, grass and straw; but she had refused them all.

If you have any idea what else we could give her or what you think she might eat please let us know. Thanks !

Had one like that recently, took the lambs off her and put her outside in the field, after a few hours she started to nibble grass, that was yesterday, today I spotted she was 300meters staggering accross the field (been down for 10days) probably find her dead in a hole tomorrow but she has improved, they seem to sulk in the shed when sick.

since calciject has been discontinued we have been trying Calcibel, plus a molasses type drench, one made a full recovery and is raising lambs... the other is staggering around a 10 acre field.

 

[sheepdogtrail]

The ewe that had twin lamb but has now lambed is still not very well improved.

She will drink independently some days, and others she will not. She won’t eat of her own free will at all.

We’ve tried giving her, meal, hay, silage, grass and straw; but she had refused them all.

If you have any idea what else we could give her or what you think she might eat please let us know. Thanks !

It can be and is sometimes impossible to get them eating again until the feel better. I drench with Aloe Vera Juice which is Calcium rich (1 gallon) mixed with molasses (30 ml) and dried herbal ley plants (1/4 ounce) (chicory, plantain, clovers and dandilions and grasses) that have been pulverized to the size of table salt so it goes through the drench gun. Once you can get a couple of gallons a day in her, she might be interested in eating very good fresh grass. Start with just a few leaves to see if she is interested.