# Stress incontinent lamb question



## Natisha (Sep 14, 2011)

I have a lamb about 7 months old.  She has had her whole tail removed by the breeder.  When I first got her I had concerns about rectal prolapse but that seems to be OK.
However, I have noticed her hind quarters are now always wet to about 1/2 way down her legs.  I assume she is leaking urine when laying down.  She does urinate normally too.
I know this can't be normal & seeing as she is only a pet I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what to do about it?  I worry about skin infections plus it's not too fun to pet her or have her bump into me (instant wet spot on my clothes).
Do I keep this area shaved short, ignore it or ??  Will it eventually stop?
I will be keeping her no matter what, I just wish she hadn't been mutilated.  
Any help is greatly appreciated.  Thanks


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Sep 14, 2011)

Hmm...I haven't heard urination issues stem from short docking, but maybe it is.  Have you seen her dribbling urine?  I don't know why else she'd be wet.  I hate to say it but it will likely get worse and cause problems.  I would imagine she'd eventually get burns from all the nitrogen in urine.  I almost think it would be worse if her wool is short (more urine in contact with skin) but it's going to get nasty if her wool is long as well.  I don't really know if there's any good outcome to this.  :/


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Sep 14, 2011)

Well I just read urinary incontinence can be caused by docked tails in dogs, so I imagine it could be the same for sheep.


----------



## Natisha (Sep 14, 2011)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Hmm...I haven't heard urination issues stem from short docking, but maybe it is.  Have you seen her dribbling urine?  I don't know why else she'd be wet.  I hate to say it but it will likely get worse and cause problems.  I would imagine she'd eventually get burns from all the nitrogen in urine.  I almost think it would be worse if her wool is short (more urine in contact with skin) but it's going to get nasty if her wool is long as well.  I don't really know if there's any good outcome to this.  :/


Thank you.  Now that you mentioned it I haven't seen any dribbling.  It's hard to get a good look when she's laying down as she always jumps up to play or get cookies (kind of spoiled). 
 But you've got me thinking.  She is free roaming & often rubs on the water buckets in the horse stalls, often spilling some.  How long would the wool be wet if this were the case?  This didn't happen when she was too short to reach the buckets.  Now I feel really stupid.  I'm going to sit out there until she is bored so hopefully I can see if she is dribbling.
Thank you so much for your help.  I'll let you know what I discover.


----------



## SheepGirl (Sep 14, 2011)

I have seen ewes with tail lengths about three to four inches long that have dirty hindquarters. Usually dirty hindquarters are be a sign of an internal parasite infestation. Check her eyelids to see what color they are. Red=great, bright pink=good, pink=okay, light pink=not so good/needs to be dewormed, white=anemic/needs to be dewormed asap.


----------



## Natisha (Sep 14, 2011)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> I have seen ewes with tail lengths about three to four inches long that have dirty hindquarters. Usually dirty hindquarters are be a sign of an internal parasite infestation. Check her eyelids to see what color they are. Red=great, bright pink=good, pink=okay, light pink=not so good/needs to be dewormed, white=anemic/needs to be dewormed asap.


I had a fecal done on her & it was positive for worms.  She was then dewormed with an injectable by a vet.  A follow up test 4 weeks after deworming showed no worms. That was 2 weeks ago. Could she still have some? How accurate are fecals in determining worm load? 
My other sheep has had only negative fecals.
Is there a trick to checking eyelids? I'm having a heck of a time.  Do you mean lower lids?
Sorry for all the questions.  I appreciate you taking the time to help me.


----------



## Ms. Research (Sep 14, 2011)

Natisha said:
			
		

> SheepGirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sorry don't have sheep, but remember reading this on a thread.  It's on SheepGirl's BYH page.  She has a lot of really good information for people who like Sheep.

Here's something that was there



> DE-WORMING: Most people de-worm their sheep once per year during shearing or lambing time. Some sheep may require more frequent de-worming than this, others less frequently. One sure-fire way to tell if your sheep needs to be de-wormed is if they're anemic. Anemic sheep will have pale eye lids, usually white or pink in color (do not get the eye lids confused with the whites of the sheeps eye!), and healthy sheep (not in need of de-worming) will have bright red eye lids.


----------



## Natisha (Sep 15, 2011)

Ms. Research said:
			
		

> Natisha said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, thank you. It was very informative.


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Sep 15, 2011)

Natisha said:
			
		

> aggieterpkatie said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hopefully that is what she's doing!   Next time you see her wool wet, can you smell it?  She may just be getting a good butt scratching from the water buckets!


----------



## Natisha (Sep 15, 2011)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Natisha said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'll go out shortly, smell her butt & hope no one sees me.
 I did manage to check her eyelids & they are red, not blood red but red.
Thanks


----------



## Beekissed (Sep 17, 2011)

> I'll go out shortly, smell her butt & hope no one sees me.


----------



## Ms. Research (Sep 17, 2011)

Beekissed said:
			
		

> > I'll go out shortly, smell her butt & hope no one sees me.


It's amazing what we do for our animals.  Shouldn't say amazing.  Should say responsible for keeping our animals healthy.  If smelling a few butts is the key, so be it.


----------



## ksalvagno (Sep 17, 2011)

Beekissed said:
			
		

> > I'll go out shortly, smell her butt & hope no one sees me.


Just wait until you have had them for a while. This will seem like nothing. What I would have been horrified to do before livestock, I don't even give a thought to anymore. And the dinner conversation.......don't get me started.


----------



## Natisha (Sep 17, 2011)

I went & smelled her butt.  It smelled like an old 70's carpet but not like pee.
I also sat behind her when she was resting & frequently blotted her 'parts' with a paper towel.Nothing. I have no idea why she is wet al the time.


----------



## Beekissed (Sep 17, 2011)

I think the rubbing the butt on the bucket thingy may be the logical explanation?  Sounds like a sheep to me!  I have to laugh at the 70s carpet description...that IS what woolly breeds smell like to me also!  

See?  I sniff sheep too!    My hair sheep smell like horses....a combination of the sweet smell of hay and just warm animal.  I was laughing at the butt sniffing idea because I, too, have sniffed at various animal parts...it is what a mother does to determine health and cleanliness and I can't imagine doing it any other way!


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Sep 19, 2011)

70's carpet!   I bet it's the water bucket thing too.  My girls love to scratch their backs and butts on anything that will hold still.


----------



## Natisha (Oct 18, 2011)

Hi, it turns out to be the water buckets after all.  I locked her out of the stalls for a few days & she dried up.  I had to let her back in though because my older shepp had a fit.  All is good.
Thanks for all your help.


----------



## zzGypsy (Oct 18, 2011)

to your earlier question on worming - if you got a post-worming fecal count back showing no worms, that's very reliable.  of course, these things rely on the skill of the person doing the count, but "none" is easy to see and not readily confused for something else.

re: wet wool - it will be important to at least try to get her dry - wet wool can cause trouble if she stays wet all the time.  this time of year, it may not be too bad, but during fly season, chronic wet wool can invite fly strike (where the flys lay their eggs and maggots hatch in the wool.)  it's not as bad as if it were urine soaked, because that can cause scald also, but you'll want to try to sort out something that lets her itch her behind without getting soaked.

glad your girl is ok.


----------



## Natisha (Oct 19, 2011)

zzGypsy said:
			
		

> to your earlier question on worming - if you got a post-worming fecal count back showing no worms, that's very reliable.  of course, these things rely on the skill of the person doing the count, but "none" is easy to see and not readily confused for something else.
> 
> re: wet wool - it will be important to at least try to get her dry - wet wool can cause trouble if she stays wet all the time.  this time of year, it may not be too bad, but during fly season, chronic wet wool can invite fly strike (where the flys lay their eggs and maggots hatch in the wool.)  it's not as bad as if it were urine soaked, because that can cause scald also, but you'll want to try to sort out something that lets her itch her behind without getting soaked.
> 
> glad your girl is ok.


Thank you for your reply.  I check her daily when I groom her & the wool next to the skin appears dry.  Her skin is normal & I'll keep a close eye on her.  Thanks again.


----------

