[Jacob-list] dead lambs

[Betty Berlenbach]

Okay,folks, this has never happened before...First ewe to lamb out was bred elsewhere:both lambs were weak and lethargic,brought them inside,milked out mom and gave them both colostrum...Little boy recovered, went out, nursed on mom, is doing well. Little girl got progressively weaker, and I noticed her anus was a little strange.  She was pooping but it just didn't look right. Second morning, she was very weak, there was blood near her backside, she was bleeding rectally.  I figured at that point there was something internally wrong with her, and the kindest thing I could do was not feed her. She died shortly thereafter.  

Next ewe lambs out; one of mine, had twins last year, no problems. This year, a single ewe lamb, feisty, got up right away looking for food.  But she got progressively weaker.  That was yesterday. This morning I weighed her and she had lost a pound from birthweight.  I brought her inside and tubed her with mom's colostrum, noticing that mom was only working on one side.  Had she only tried that side and with no milk, was slowly starving?  Well, anyway,tubed her this morning.  Tubed her a few hours later.Just went out and she's very much dying.  No point in tubing her again. No fever.  This one looks on the outsideanyway anatomically correct.  She peed. Not sure she ever pooped.  I had to tube a lamb a few years ago, and she bounced right back. This one clearly isn't going to. At this point, to even find a vet who knows sheep on a Sunday afternoon...I don't think they could get here in time. I don't think she hasmuch time left. She's lying on her side, legs stretched out, stargazing a bit.  

With the first one, I figured there was some internal problem, but now to have another one die...and she was fine when born.  Any thoughts out there?  

Unfortunately, my vet decided there was more money in being pet vets and gave up farm animals.  The nearest vet is a horse vet, who has meds, but is admittedly clueless about sheep.  The next nearest is 45 minutes away.  I only know about him; haven't called him.
 Betty, in Vermont,who now has a blog, thanks to help from Walter and Linda.  See Betty's blog at http://sheepwoman.wordpress.com.
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