Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
LAMB RESUSCITATION
If the heart is beating but the lamb is still not breathing, artifi cial
respiration is required.
1. Grasp the lamb by the nose so that your thumb and fi ngers
are slightly above the surface of its nostrils.
2. Infl ate the lungs by blowing gently into the lamb's nostrils
until you see the chest expand. Release the pressure and
gently push on the lamb's chest to express the air.
3. Repeat the procedure until the lamb begins to breathe.
Exercise caution — don't blow as though you're blowing up a
balloon. A lamb's lungs are quite small and can be ruptured by too
much pressure. If your attempts are still unsuccessful, sometimes
a cold-water shock treatment will do the trick. Dunk the lamb in cold
water, such as in a drinking trough; the shock may cause the lamb
to gasp and start to breathe. Sometimes a fi nger inserted gently
down the throat will stimulate the coughing refl ex and get things
going. Then make sure the lamb is warmed and gets to nurse.
ability to absorb the antibodies in the colostrum drops rapidly from birth to
approximately 16 hours of life. For a very weak lamb, you may have to give
the fi rst feeding from a baby bottle with the nipple hole enlarged to about
the size of a pinhead or use a stomach tube to feed. Give 2 ounces (59 mL) of
warmed colostrum to give the lamb strength. Do not force the lamb — if it has
no sucking impulse, the milk will go into its lungs and cause death. Often, a
weak lamb can get up on its feet after just one bottle feeding (or stomach-tube
feeding) and be ready to nurse from its mother without further assistance.
Stomach Tube Emergency Feeding
Several sources (see Resources) provide stomach tubes designed specifi cally
to safely feed severely weak lambs with no sucking impulse. If you need one
quickly and there is no time to order, get a male catheter tube from the drug-
store and use it with a rubber ear syringe or a 60 mL hypodermic syringe. The
tube should be 14 to 16 inches (35 to 40 cm) long. (Check the length by hold-
ing it against the lamb.) The tube should be kept in a warm, sterile solution;
when it's wet, it slips in more easily.
 
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