# bloaty lamb



## peteyfoozer (Feb 18, 2012)

Rosemary was bloated this morning. She eats like a piranha, is able to climb into the sheep feeder and fill herself up on all the alfalfa leaf she wants, along with Stewie. They spent yesterday chowing down on whatever they could find out in the big pasture. She's always done this but today her rumen was really distended on the left side. She wanted her bottle still...I tried to put a little therabloat in it, but as soon as she tasted THAT she spit it out. I carried her to the house, got a little oil and baking soda down her with a drench gun (good girl, she swallows). Her rumen seems to be going down albeit slowly. She's not in distress, her poop is a bit loose, not packaged in nice little raisins like usual, but one big lump.
Any suggestions? Shall I give her her CDT now? She is supposed to get her 1st this week anyway, or will it upset her system more?
Any suggestions appreciated. I am VERY attached to her now. She's in the house until this is resolved, as its snowing out and I can't run back and forth to check on her.





she doesn't look as bad in pics as in real life.


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 18, 2012)

To me, looking at the pics, it just looks like she has a full rumen.  If she's not in distress and still wanting to eat, she's probably fine.  If she's bloated her rumen will be high and tight, and it just looks in the pics like it's full (of feed).


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## peteyfoozer (Feb 18, 2012)

ok...she looked HUGE before i got her in, but maybe that's all it was. I just worry since I lost her mama recently! Thanks!
I guess the shot won't hurt then!


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## peteyfoozer (Feb 18, 2012)

She's back to looking normal again. The pics were after I gave her the stuff, but she was still wide. What do you think about the odd poop? She's perfectly happy in the house at the moment. I think I have created a monster.


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 18, 2012)

The loose poop could have been from the alfalfa.  Is she normally eating alfalfa, or did she just get a lot at once for the first time?  If it was her first time eating alfalfa, maybe mix in some plain grass hay until she gets used to it.  And what breed did you say she was? Dorper or Dorper cross maybe?  I think I need to get a Dorper ewe...


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## peteyfoozer (Feb 18, 2012)

They've all been getting alfalfa all winter, but they did get to go out yesterday in the pasture. There's not a lot out there but maybe it threw her off.  She is a mindless eating machine with NO OFF button! My 2 wool sheep eat then rest, then eat, then rest. These little dorperX sheep just keep on mowing and mowing. Small wonder they get heavy so fast! She's feeling better. After she deflated she followed me around the house, took a nap on my feet and 3 poops later things were getting back to normal so she's back out with the others again. Guess I will just keep an eye on her! She turned 4 weeks old yesterday and is a chunk!


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## bonbean01 (Feb 18, 2012)

Her photo in the house made me think of my little lambs...wouldn't they just love to get to come inside???  LOLOLOL...I have Dorper/Kat crosses and I have one ewe her age with the indentical markings on her, and yes...a chunky monkey too...they could be twins

Come to think of it, I have a ewe that thinks she is a dog and would take residence in the house with us if she could

Glad your little girl is feeling better...at the moment I'm concerned with one of my lambs (one that looks like yours and same age) who has looser poops than I like today.  She happens to be the lamb that gobbles up the sheep pellets faster than the rest.  She may be drenched with a little Pepto and plain yoghurt tomorrow if her poops aren't normal.  She also jumps into the feeder and thinks it is all for her.

Gotta love these little stinkers...personality plus and so darn CUTE!!!!


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## Beekissed (Feb 18, 2012)

That is one cute lamb!    So clean!  My hair sheep always liked stemmier, somewhat "junkier" hay at this time of the year and would leave the rich alfafa type hay alone.  You might want to give some rougher browse/stemmier hay if they are starting on pasture?


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## RemudaOne (Feb 19, 2012)

I can't get over the markings on that lamb, so cute!  Glad to hear she's feeling better


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## Bridgemoof (Feb 21, 2012)

She is really cute! How do you keep your rugs so clean? lol My farm house looks like a barn all the time.


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## peteyfoozer (Feb 22, 2012)

The only hay we have on the ranch is the stuff the boss buys from his brother and its mostly alfalfa. She has visions of grandeur tho, as the sheep spent the day out in the pasture nibbling, then she crawled thru a fence and was ogling an 800 lb bale she thought she had all to  herself!

As far as the rugs, they had just been cleaned and I TRY not to bring animals into the house all the time...outside of the 4 big dogs...and DH.


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