[Jacob-list] Very concerned... Injured ram question

[Robin Lynde]

I don't think it's an emergency, but watch the swelling. Take a look at Ranger's photos on my website: http://www.meridianjacobs.com/sheep.html Do you see how in the lower photo his right horns are tipped sideways more than in the upper photo? And the lower horn is right near his face now? He got in a fight around Christmas time and all I saw was a bit of blood around the base of the horn. After a few days I realized that they eye was very swollen and seemed damaged. Well, it turns out that there was so much swelling behind his eye that the eyeball was pushed too far forward for him to be able to close the lid over it. That is what caused the damage to the eye itself. I put him in a separate pen and started him on antibiotics and banamine, as well an ophthalmic ointment several times a day. I would also stretch the eyelid over the eyeball after using the ointment and hold it there for a short time. I treated him for a few weeks (I think) with the banamine and for longer with the ointment. 

I just checked my notes and he was injured 12/28. I started penicillin 3 days later and switched to nuflor which I continued for a couple of weeks. Ranger felt good enough to jump out of the pen and find a ewe in heat on shearing day (Jan 13) which means I'll have lambs in June, 2 1/2 months after every one else has lambed. I still kept him separate until I felt as though he had healed more. We decided that he broke the skull--when you wiggled the top the horn the lower one moved with it as if the whole corner of his skull was separate from the rest. Now his horns are tipped and his eye looks funny because it sits in a slightly different position. By the way, he has only a small cloudy area in the middle of the eyeball, but the rest of the eye healed. That was amazing considering how bad it looked. 

I wondered about brain injury, but like my vet said, he doesn't need to drive heavy machinery so if he can find the ewes it probably doesn't matter.
Robin Lynde
Meridian Jacobs
Vacaville, CA 
www.meridianjacobs.com 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Gotothewhip at aol.com 
  To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 11:44 AM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] Very concerned... Injured ram question


  My vet is out of the office today (and every Wed) and only the small animal guy is in.... If this is a major concern, I can go to another vet office out of town.


  After I got home from CSU yesterday (Really cool, got to see an Echo-cardiogram done on my old girl with a murmur) and spending a lovely morning with Mickey from Broken O.. I arrived home last night to find my special guy, a yearling 4 horn ram bloody faced in his shed.  He had a argument with one of his buddies last week, and seemed OK, but apparently the argument wasn't over.

  I got him out of that pen, and penned him separate... Got bloodstop put on the horn, It wiggles, but seems attached.  and let him be by himself.  His appetite is good, and seems bright,  His eye on that side seems a bit swollen, but I'm not sure if that's from the caked on blood.  I really don't want to fester it right now as it , for the most part isn't bleeding anymore.  Id like to clean him up, but worry that it will only make it worse by re-opening it.

  HOWEVER... HE has a very mild bloody nose.  Obviously the damage to his horn is significant enough that he is bleeding a little thru his sinus cavity.

  Is this an emergency situation.. or a wait it out kinda deal? I did give him 1.5cc of banamine, in case there is any swelling up there, and to manage the whopping headache I imagine he has.





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