General Health Considerations - Raising Sheep - page 191

7
General Health
Considerations
THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT talk about health concerns surround-
ing sheep. This chapter covers health issues that are universal to all sheep,
regardless of sex or age, and concludes with a discussion of drug-treatment
options. Chapter 8 covers issues that are specifi c to rams, ewes, or lambs. (See
chapters 9 and 10 for issues relating to reproduction and lambing.)
Some of the topics in these chapters are unpleasant, but all are subjects
about which a shepherd really needs to be informed. Most important, how-
ever, is that these chapters emphasize management strategies that help keep
your sheep healthy in the fi rst place. As C. E. Spaulding, DVM, says in his fi ne
book, A Veterinary Guide for Animal Owners, “The most important 'drug' you
can give your animals is good husbandry.”
Successful treatment of illness requires detection as early as possible,
before a sheep is “down.” With the development of new medications, it's no
longer true that “a down sheep is a dead sheep,” but the chance for recovery
is much better if illness is diagnosed and treated quickly, and prevention is
always better than treatment.
My fi rst and best advice to a new shepherd is: fi nd a good veterinarian,
one with whom you feel comfortable, and seek his or her help often when
you're fi rst starting out. As your competence level increases, your need for the
veterinarian's assistance will decrease, but be sure to budget for frequent visits
during the initial phases when you bring your animals home for the fi rst time.
191