Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
get up. The rope has to be removed when she goes into labor. Sometimes
the ewe stops straining after a couple of days as the swelling goes down.
2. Wash your hands, and disinfect the loop if you have not done this already.
3. Wash the prolapse with cold (not hot) antiseptic water, or put both mild
soap and antiseptic in the water. The cold water will help contract it so
that it slips in a bit easier.
4. Watch out for a fl ood of urine as you gently replace the vaginal lining. Its
bulging may have blocked the opening to the urinary tract. If prolonged,
this blockage can be fatal.
5. Replace the lining, using lubricant if necessary, and gently press out all the
creases. This is much easier with the hind end elevated than it would be if
the ewe were lying fl at. Even holding her on her back, with her shoulders
on the ground and her hindquarters up against your knee, relieves much
of the pressure on the replaced vagina.
6. Holding the vagina in place with one hand, insert the prolapse loop
straight in, fl at, and horizontally. If you have made a loop from the pattern
given, it should be long enough that the forward end contacts the cervix.
7. The loop is held in place by tying it to clumps of wool, or by sutures if the
ewe has been sheared or closely crotched. There is also a new prolapse
harness available (see Resources) that can be used with the prolapse loop
to hold it in place better than by tying it to the fl eece.
8. Give an aspirin to relieve pain and straining. Be on the lookout for signs
of infection over the next several days. There will be a watery or clear
mucousy discharge naturally, but if it becomes yellow or green and fi lls
with pus, initiate treatment with antibiotics or homepathic preparations.
The ewe can lamb while wearing the loop or retainer, or you can remove it
as she goes into labor. It is safer to leave it in place and try lambing that way,
so that prolapse doesn't recur with ejection of the lamb.
Mark this ewe for culling, because prolapse causes permanent damage and
might happen again. Since the disorder could be a genetic weakness, it is best
not to keep any of her lambs for breeding.
Suturing the vagina to hold it in is often the best approach if the prolapse
occurs after lambing, but it is less than ideal before lambing because the
sutures must be removed. Suturing the vagina can be done in the following
manner:
1. We have successfully used dental fl oss, a curved needle, and pliers to get
a good grip on the needle and pull it through.
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