A Successful Outcome

It was Super Bowl Sunday. #501 didn't go out into the field with the rest of the sheep. She lagged behind. When I fed in the evening, I noticed that she was swelled around her jaw. Sort of like bottle jaw, but not. She didn't eat much. Her appetite diminished further in the days after. I started treating her, mostly with supportive therapy.

I managed to get the swelling down (mostly). I dewormed her, though she wasn't anemic. I even treated her with iodine, in case it was goiter, which it wasn't. When I put her in a pen by herself it was easier to treat her, but she didn't eat much. No sheep likes being by itself. Eventually, I put her back with the rest of the sheep. She nibbled on feed more when she had to compete for it. When I could catch her, I gave her liquid nourishment: apple cider vinegar, molasses, corn oil, propylene glycol, calcium, Red Cell, and yogurt. She tolerated it. Thankfully, she has a good disposition. Some sheep resent the constant handling and oral dosing which makes it harder to care for them.

One day, I noticed she had a foul odor. I found a hole in her neck. It was oozing pus. Her chest floor was losing hair. There was edema. I separated her again and immediately started treating her with antibiotics. I flushed the hole with betadine or peroxide twice daily. Pus came out for days. I stopped flushing when the pus stopped. It came back, so I flushed the hole for several more days. The second time it stopped, it never came back. She must have had an abscess in her throat (esophagus). Her voice eventually deepened so I'm thinking she might have scar tissue.

During treatment, her appetite came back. Not like a crazy hungry sheep, but much better. Eventually, I was able to stop most of the oral drenching with nutrients. I was worried about her lambs though. She was in late gestation and she usually had three lambs. Her intake was still less than her requirements.

She lambed on March 23. She delivered the first lamb. I delivered the second two. She'd already been through enough. I wasn't going to make her deliver two more lambs. I kept all three lambs (all boys) with her for a few days so they could get their colostrum, then I took one for artificial rearing. I promised her and myself that I wouldn't make her raise three lambs. I named the orphan Jacob. He grew well on milk replacer, first a bottle then a bucket.

She raised her other two lambs. They did fine. They're not the biggest ram lambs, but they're healthy. After she rejoined the flock (with her lambs), she took some time to catch up. She still lagged. But now she's indistinguishable from the other ewes. Not sure what I'll do with her yet. She has fight in her. She might have earned herself another year in the flock.