Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Lambs that are nursing are harder to treat for overeating scours. You can
hand-milk the ewe to reduce the amount of available milk, and try to give
the lamb a feeding of water or Gatorade so that its appetite is satisfi ed for a
feeding.
Scours that continue for a second day (that is, the day after only electro-
lytes were given) usually indicates that an infection is developing, and the
lamb will need treatment for dehydration and infection. You'll need to con-
tinue to give the oral solution to replace excessive loss of electrolytes, but start
supplying some milk again as well as some form of antibacterial therapy. It's
best to not feed electrolytes and milk during the same feeding because the
electrolytes can interfere with absorption of the milk's nutrients. What we
have found works best is to feed very small amounts every couple of hours,
alternating one feeding of electrolyte with one feeding of milk. (See chapter
10 for a detailed discussion of bottle feeding.)
Homemade Electrolyte Solution
You can make your own electrolyte solution in a pinch. Here's how:
1 quart water
2 ounces dextrose (corn syrup)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Combine all ingredients.
Give this solution for 1 to 2 days. At that
point, return to milk feeding, giving smaller quantities than before.
For scours that is not caused by bacteria, it is often helpful to give
a few ounces of aloe vera juice to help the digestive system return to
normal.
White Scours
Infection by
Escherichia coli
usually causes white scours, which is very serious.
It can result in rapid dehydration, toxemia, and death if not treated immedi-
ately. In most cases, this infection is caused by fi lth, such as poor sanitation,
or a lamb sucking on a dirty wool tag from an uncrotched ewe.
