Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
But never give the paste once the ewe is totally down, because if she can't
swallow correctly, the paste will enter her lungs and kill her very quickly.
Once the ewe is down, IV treatment is the method of choice and works
very quickly in restoring the ewe. But since the IV is usually administered via
the jugular vein, this type of treatment should not be attempted by a novice.
Have your veterinarian or an experienced shepherd come out as quickly as
possible if you suspect milk fever and the ewe is totally down. If assistance is
not available, the one thing you can try is injecting the ewe subcutaneously
with 75 to 100 mL (given in fi ve places) of calcium gluconate. This can be
purchased at a drugstore. Subcutaneous injections act more slowly and have
less chance of causing cardiac arrest than an IV, making it safer in the hands
of a novice (though in extreme cases it may not act quickly enough to save the
ewe). Calcium gluconate can also be given intraperitoneally, in the paunch
on the right side of the ewe. Lay the ewe on her left side and inject into the
right side if she has already lambed. The intraperitoneal method is faster than
subcutaneous injection and safer than intravenous injection.
The dramatic improvement that results from the calcium is simply amaz-
ing. Paula has seen it in ewes, and I've seen it in dairy cows. In each case the
mom gets up only minutes after treatment. Maintenance therapy for milk
fever involves giving some paste twice a day for 3 days after the onset. Some
ewes tend to have this problem with each lambing, so keep an eye on these
ewes in the future.
Pregnancy Toxemia
Pregnancy toxemia, also known as
ketosis,
is highly fatal if not treated or if the
ewe does not lamb right away. It usually occurs in the last week or so of preg-
nancy and often in twin- or triplet-carrying ewes. It can be reliably diagnosed
by using a urine test strip that is available from a veterinarian, farm-supply
store, or even a drugstore. However, this disease can usually be recognized
just by its symptoms.
The problem is caused by an excessive buildup of ketones (which are the
by-products of fat metabolism) in the bloodstream. The disease tends to cause
a vicious cycle, because multiple or large fetuses require high amounts of
nutrients, but as they grow and take up more abdominal room, the ewe's abil-
ity to consume suffi cient feed to support both her and her offspring is drasti-
cally reduced. The disease is not a “thin ewe” or blood sugar problem but one
of insuffi cient energy (calorie) intake. When the ewe consumes less energy
than she needs to sustain herself and the lambs, she begins to use stored body
