[Jacob-list] Please help if you can

[neeets at netscape.net]

Dear Group,


   I have a friend who has a sheep that is very ill, this is horrible 
and I have exhausted all my thoughts... any ideas would help..., some 
of the bottom letters could be redundant as I copied and pasted. Thank 
you in advance

 Anita
 Oklahoma


  Well. History: I bought these 3 Katahdin sheep about 4-5 weeks ago. I 
gave them Cydectin then. I do not know if they had CD/T shots. They 
have been doing great on Dumor (TSC) pellets with hay on the side. 
Sometimes a small amount of alfalfa pellets mixed in with feed pellets 
to eke out the hay if it was getting low (hay is hard to get around 
here right now)

  On Thursday she cracked a horn. More a horn-wannabe. about 3" long - 
Katahdin are a mostly polled hair breed - no wool. I went to the dog 
shows over the weekend and it was gone when I came home Sunday night. 
She was fine Monday, and the stump is clean and dry, with no indication 
of infection or maggots. Her eyelids are a good deep pink, no jaundice 
that I can see. Urine looks normal and pale.

  Yesterday I thought she may be trying to bloat. I gave her 
oil/water/baking soda mixed together, then the same with ground ginger 
added later in the day (someone wrote and said it was good for bloat) 
Her body looks normal today. She doesn't look "puffy". However, when I 
checked on her late last night/early this morning she was laid on her 
side with her legs out stiff. I can get her on her feet, and she stays 
up a short while, then down again. I have syringed more of the baking 
soda stuff in, along with some Vit B tabs ground up (I don't have the 
Vit B injectable right now - am going out to get some in a minute or 
two) and some molasses. Hoped that would give her a bit of energy.

 ground ginger works real well on bloat as well.

 I have some of that - can't hurt...

 <<Is this ewe up to date on CDT? changes in feed or other stress? >>

  I have only had her about 5 weeks. I honestly don't know what 
vaccinations she has had or when. Her feed has changed - she was on 
pasture before I got her with hay available - but she seemed to be 
doing fine till today. She did get that chopped alfalfa and alfalfa 
pellets rather than hay over the weekend because we ran out and I 
couldn't find any locally. They get the Dumor sheep pellets from TSC 
and usually some hay each day. I can't think of anything particularly 
stressful that might have happened. I was away at the dog shows. The 
young man who looks after my animals says she was fine till today.

  Worming - She had 3cc Cydectin pretty much as soon as I got her, per 
her former owner's advice. Her eyelids are a good deep pink.

 <<Mine can get dumpy acting if low on Se/E.>>

  How do you know if they are not getting enough? Sorry to sound so 
dumb. I thought the pellets had everything they needed...

 Have you seperated her from the others?

 Yes. She is laid in my living room <G>

 <<How is everyone else? >>

 Everyone else seems normal.
 ...............................................................

 <<what kind of penicllin is it? >>

  Pen B long acting penicillin. A mix of penicillin G benzathene and 
peicillin G procaine.

 <<Have you asked a vet? >>

  Yes. One says he doesn't know much about sheep - he only deals with 
cattle in the way of livestock, the other's receptionist says he only 
deals with pets. Neither seem at all interested.
  My girl is still here, though still down. She remains alert, has a 
swallowing reflex, rumen activity. I am continuing the Vit B and the 
penicillin. So far she has had 3L of SQ fluid, but I feel that I need 
to be giving fluid orally. I am going out now to get Entrolyte and some 
tubing.

  My question is - what diameter tubing do I need, and how much of it? 
Is the clear plastic best? Anyone got a good website with pictures on 
tubing? I have tubed baby puppies but never a large animal.

  Another question - do you give more than one shot of tetanus 
anti-toxin?

 .........................

 How is she doing?

  Badly. She is not moving except for muscle contractions that are not 
voluntary. I am giving subQ fluids still, and will give more Vit B, 
another tetanus shot, more penicillin... also some more oral stuff. I 
am not very hoipeful, though. Please pray for her.