[Jacob-list] Ewe with hernia

[Robin Lynde]

My BFL ram has a hernia. At first it was a relatively small slit in the muscle layers(no exterior wound) . Even though it was sort of small, the bulge was grapefruit size. You could push the fat, etc back inside. I had surgery done at UC Davis but there was so much damage to the edges of the internal wound that they weren't sure how successful it would be. After 6 weeks (?) it opened up again. My vet said that some animals can live their whole lives with it and in others it could become a veterinary emergency--if that happens hopefully I'll catch it soon enough and he can be butchered. He may be a ticking time bomb but right now he is fat and happy. (Too fat, he's on a diet.) I plan to use him to breed some ewes again this fall and I hope that he can handle it. The hernia is definitely not a slit anymore but a big opening. Now that the ram has been shorn it is very obvious that there is this huge lump. By the way, at first (after the surgery failed) I was supposed to push everything back in through the slit every day and I did that. I think that the only way that would have helped is if I could have had some kind of band around the midsection that was strong enough to hold everything in place. 
Robin
On Jul 18, 2012, at 9:28 AM, Kate Barrett wrote:


> Hi:

> I have a yearling ewe who has a "four finger" hernia. I have never had this happen before.  I am thinking it could be a horn injury. It is in the midsection of her anterior abdominal area. Vet says hernia surgery would be $400 or more, and I could never breed her. I really like this ewe of course:)  What are the chances it will heal over, or will it progress and continue to grow?  I hate to cull her, but doesn't look promising. Any advice would be appreciated. 

> 

> -- 

> Kate 

> Ruby Peak Farms

> Lostine OR 97857

> _______________________________________________

> Jacob-list mailing list, sponsored by Swallow Lane Farm & Fiberworks

> Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com

> http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list


Robin Lynde
Vacaville, CA
robin at meridianjacobs.com
www.meridianjacobs.com
My blog: http://meridianjacobs.wordpress.com






-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20120718/973fca6f/attachment-0001.htm>