# Dewlap?



## Gracie9205 (Apr 28, 2012)

I am new to the sheep world, and just got my first registered pair of Katahdins.  I have a question about the little ewe though.  She seems to have what in the poultry world is called a dewlap.  Is it called something else in sheep, and is it something that they end up growing out of?  It doesn't bother me, but I was just wondering if it is a fault or not.


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 28, 2012)

Your lamb looks like she has bottle jaw (a build up of fluid under the jaw) which is a result of a heavy parasite load. Take a look at her eyelid color, if they are pale (pink or white), she is anemic and needs to be treated right away. You should have your vet do a fecal done to determine which parasites she has. 

There are some other possible things, but from your picture it looks to me like bottle jaw.


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## Gracie9205 (Apr 28, 2012)

I was reading about it, and apparently the area gets really swollen if it is due to a worm infestation.  It looks more like a flap of dangling skin than anything.  No swelling at all.  I will worm just to be on the safe side though!  Thank you for your opinion!


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 28, 2012)

Hmmm.....that is really interesting. I glad it doesn't seem to be bottle jaw though! Can you post more pictures of it from different angles? I'm always interested in stuff like this.


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## SheepGirl (Apr 28, 2012)

That may not bottle jaw. That looks more like a milk goiter, which is really common in Katahdin hair sheep. The fastest growing lambs have the larger goiters.

However, it does sort of look like bottle jaw, especially since it looks like the lamb has a potbelly. Bottle jaw is usually the last sign of a heavy parasite load before the animal succumbs to parasites. I would deworm the animal immediately just on the off chance it is bottle jaw.


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## Gracie9205 (Apr 29, 2012)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> That may not bottle jaw. That looks more like a milk goiter, which is really common in Katahdin hair sheep. The fastest growing lambs have the larger goiters.
> 
> However, it does sort of look like bottle jaw, especially since it looks like the lamb has a potbelly. Bottle jaw is usually the last sign of a heavy parasite load before the animal succumbs to parasites. I would deworm the animal immediately just on the off chance it is bottle jaw.


That was my plan.  If it goes away after worming, then we will know what the culprit is! They will all be wormed today.


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 29, 2012)

Just so you know, bottle jaw doesn't always disappear right after deworming. It can take a while for the fluid to be reabsorbed.


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## Gracie9205 (Apr 29, 2012)

Most definitely a worm infestation   I wormed them both, but hope it's not too late.  I notified the breeder of the issue.  I don't feel like I should have to deal with something like this after having them for only 2 days


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 29, 2012)

That's too bad!

What did you worm them with? Did you talk with a vet? How are they doing - are they still eating or are they really lethargic and weak?


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## Gracie9205 (Apr 29, 2012)

purplequeenvt said:
			
		

> That's too bad!
> 
> What did you worm them with? Did you talk with a vet? How are they doing - are they still eating or are they really lethargic and weak?


They are still eating well and grazing as if nothing is wrong.  I wormed them with an ivomec/praziquantel mixture.  I used it on my dogs when they had gotten tapeworms with good results.  I will keep you updated as to how it goes.  I was going to worm them again in 10 days and another 10 days after that.


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## purplequeenvt (May 1, 2012)

How are they doing? Any improvement?


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## Gracie9205 (May 1, 2012)

purplequeenvt said:
			
		

> How are they doing? Any improvement?


The swelling doesn't look to have gone down that much, but I didn't get a chance to check again this morning.  She is grazing and eating just fine.  I'll try to take an updated picture this afternoon.


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## Gracie9205 (May 1, 2012)

I didn't have time to get pics, but the swelling has subsided a bit.  It isn't back to normal, but not nearly as swollen as it was on Sunday.  I think it is definitely working though.  Now, if she had such an infestation of worms should I be worried about them all dying at once and overwhelming her system somehow?


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## purplequeenvt (May 2, 2012)

Yeah, that is definitely a concern. Keep an eye on her, if she starts acting sick or the bottle jaw comes back, it could be from die off. I generally use sheep Nutri-Drench for quick energy and the vitamins.


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## Gracie9205 (May 5, 2012)

purplequeenvt said:
			
		

> That's too bad!
> 
> What did you worm them with? Did you talk with a vet? How are they doing - are they still eating or are they really lethargic and weak?


After close to a week, her neck is back to normal!   She had no adverse effects with the worm die off either.


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## purplequeenvt (May 5, 2012)

Awesome!


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## boykin2010 (May 5, 2012)

Just out of curiosity, what did the breeder say when you told the person that they had worms? A good breeder should not have sold you lambs that were loaded down with parasites. Usually, Katahdins have a good parasite resistance depending on bloodlines, age, etc. I know for me, I have never wormed any of my sheep. I only keep about 10 at a time though. I have been talking with other breeders and they are saying that for some reason this year has been really bad with the parasites. Seems to be a lot more problems this year than others. Not sure why though. 

I'm glad everything went back to normal.


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## Gracie9205 (May 5, 2012)

boykin2010 said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, what did the breeder say when you told the person that they had worms? A good breeder should not have sold you lambs that were loaded down with parasites. Usually, Katahdins have a good parasite resistance depending on bloodlines, age, etc. I know for me, I have never wormed any of my sheep. I only keep about 10 at a time though. I have been talking with other breeders and they are saying that for some reason this year has been really bad with the parasites. Seems to be a lot more problems this year than others. Not sure why though.
> 
> I'm glad everything went back to normal.


He was very concerned and checked in on them often.  He did not try to avoid the situation, and communicated well with me.  I know things like this happen sometimes, so I can't really ask for more.  I'm not financially able to buy the best bloodlines at this point, but I have to start somewhere!  Hopefully this is the only issue I have with them.


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