[Jacob-list] Update on the lamb

[Dr. David R. Lincicome]

1722 hrs/Monday 23 July 2001

Joan,

In the many years I have raised goats and sheep, the only time I fed any
grain was to promote lactation, otherwise hay was the only feedstuff.
Of course saltlicks were available and good clean water.  The hay was
usually alfalfa, but I did use lots of orchard grass.  One must be
careful in the use of grain, for the urea which is sometimes an
ingredient is not tolerated well and in some cases not at all.

In addition, I kept my flocks and herds on gravel and had no parasite
problems.  I had no need to use anthelmintics.

I am glad the little fellow appears to be making it.

David

WenlochFrm at aol.com wrote:

> Good news!!! The lamb is getting better. This morning he was able to
> get up,
> although very shaky on his feet and taking very tiny steps with all
> four feet
> bunched under his body. This evening he has improved to the point that
> he is
> standing normally to eat his hay and his gait is much improved. It is
> looking
> like the grain was the problem, so I have relegated the rest of the
> high-octane stuff to the status of "wild bird food". In the meantime,
> there
> are 70 angry sheep out there because they didn't get their grain
> today. I'm
> keeping a low profile.
>
> Out of all the sheep, why was this lamb the only one affected by it? I
> don't
> have the answer to that.
>
> Interestingly, the symptoms for most of the suggested causes that came
> in
> here from all of you were very similar. It has given me a new
> perspective and
> respect for  the difficult task veterinarians face when they walk into
> a barn
> and have to make a diagnosis.
>
> It is very reassuring to know that the knowledge and experience of a
> lot of
> people is available to anyone who needs it. My thanks to all of you
> for
> taking the time to help. I think this story is going to have a happy
> ending.
>
> Joan Franklin
>