Friday, March 16, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Sometimes you need a veterinarian
Today we needed to call a veterinarian to do a farm visit for the first time in three years. The problem was an older ewe who needed assistance in lambing. I pulled one twin out with difficulty and it lived, but there was another dead one inside with neck so far back it was impossible for me to pull the head forward. Usually dead lambs can be delivered by the mother once the first one is out, but this was a very big one, and in an awkward position.
The vet one eventually managed to get the dead lamb out by cutting it up. The ewe was older than we thought -9 years. Moral of the story- do not keep ewes that are older than 8 if you don't want to risk problems with birthing, poor udders, missing teeth etc.
Mother and the one live lamb are doing fine now.
Some people would ask why should you bother with the expense of a veterinarian when the ewe is old and only worth about $50 as a cull ewe at auction. The answer is that it is the humane thing to do. You can't just stand by and let the animal suffer a painful death from a ruptured uterus and/or septicemia. Also there is the bonus of not having to bottle feed the baby.
The vet one eventually managed to get the dead lamb out by cutting it up. The ewe was older than we thought -9 years. Moral of the story- do not keep ewes that are older than 8 if you don't want to risk problems with birthing, poor udders, missing teeth etc.
Mother and the one live lamb are doing fine now.
Some people would ask why should you bother with the expense of a veterinarian when the ewe is old and only worth about $50 as a cull ewe at auction. The answer is that it is the humane thing to do. You can't just stand by and let the animal suffer a painful death from a ruptured uterus and/or septicemia. Also there is the bonus of not having to bottle feed the baby.
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