Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Parasites may be the most common problems for shepherds, but a number
of other disorders and diseases can crop up. Within the following groups of
disorders, the dietary ones are the most common.
Dietary Disorders
Among common dietary disorders are bloat and grass tetany.
Bloat
As mentioned in chapter 6, bloat is a form of upset stomach with potentially
deadly consequences. It is caused by the inability of a sheep to adequately
expel the gas that is constantly being produced in the rumen.
Bloat is most often brought on by sudden changes in diet, especially a
change from a dry feed to a lush feed. Bloat is more common in sheep being
grazed on legume pastures than in those being grazed on grass or grass-legume
mixed pastures. It is also more common when pastures are wet after a rain or
from early-morning dew. Barley is the one grain that is commonly associated
with bloat in sheep.
HOW TO TREAT BLOAT
If signs of bloat appear, they must be addressed quickly.
1. Prepare a mixture of ½ cup of water with ½ cup of cooking
oil. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and mix well. For
a full-grown animal, 1 cup is ideal, but try to force down
at least ½ cup. For a young animal, ¼ cup is probably
suffi cient.
2. Place a stick (a piece of doweling works well) in the sheep's
mouth as you would a horse's bit. This bit gets the animal to
work its mouth quickly, which helps to kick start the belching
mechanism.
3. If the animal doesn't begin belching and seems to be getting
worse, insert a stomach tube to vent the gas.
4. The last resort is to puncture the rumen with a sharp, sterile
knife. (We've never had to go beyond the liquid and bit!)
