# Ewe aborted - preliminary test results



## norseofcourse (Feb 12, 2015)

When I went out to feed this evening, I found an aborted lamb in the run-in area    It looked maybe a month or so away from being born.  Tiny little hooves, completely formed body that didn't look deformed, and it looked like it might have been a ram lamb.  No wool on it at all, just reddish skin all over.

The ewe that aborted it is Brosa, this would have been her second lambing.  I put the ram in for a first possible lambing date of March 16, but I don't know exactly when she bred (it's likely it was within week or three of the ram going in).  She had a single ram lamb last year, no problems.  And now, she is acting quite normally (except for all the crud at her back end that froze, that I cut off as much as I could).  Normal behavior, appetite.  Although she is the only one of the four ewes who hadn't had any udder development yet.

I didn't see a placenta, not sure if she's passed it yet.  From what I've been able to find, they would need the placenta for a good necropsy.  Not sure if a necropsy would tell me a lot.  If I do decide to go that route, do I freeze the lamb or keep it from freezing?

Do I treat Brosa with anything, or just watch her?  What about the other ewes?  By now they've been exposed to anything there might be.  Do I call the emergency vet number?  What do I ask him?


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## Southern by choice (Feb 12, 2015)

Having the placenta a is good but not imperative. Our lab has a freezer that is available for after hours drop off so it should be ok.
IMO taking temp and watching her is best but your vets advice is always best. Ask him just what your asking us.

Did anything "run" her possibly causing her to abort?

Very sorry for your loss.


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 12, 2015)

Refrigerate do not freeze
Sorry


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 12, 2015)

Southern by choice said:


> Having the placenta a is good but not imperative. Our lab has a freezer that is available for after hours drop off so it should be ok.
> IMO taking temp and watching her is best but your vets advice is always best. Ask him just what your asking us.
> 
> Did anything "run" her possibly causing her to abort?
> ...



It's a fridge not a freezer
You don't want to freeze
Made that mistake


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## Hens and Roos (Feb 12, 2015)

so sorry to hear


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## bonbean01 (Feb 12, 2015)

So sorry for your loss


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## Southern by choice (Feb 12, 2015)

OneFineAcre said:


> It's a fridge not a freezer
> You don't want to freeze
> Made that mistake



good to know .. They have always referred to it as a "freezer" and I have never taken one in after hours ... I had wondered about that too. When I worked in vet med years ago we couldn't do anything with frozen. I  thought maybe something had changed.


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## norseofcourse (Feb 12, 2015)

Thanks for the condolences, everyone.

I just got back from checking sheep.  Brosa is still acting very normally.  What had appeared to be some discharge from her vulva is now gone and it looks clean (stlll some ick frozen to her wool that I wasn't able to cut off yet).

I've been reading about possible causes, there are some that fit (chlamydia, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis), although it could still be something else.  I may add some vaccinations just in case.  It's slightly scary, some of them affect people, too...

The dead lamb and/or the smell got Elding *very* upset.  I was trimming what I could off of Brosa's wool, when he finished eating his grain (grain comes first) and started sniffing around and got really mad.  He actually came at me and made contact once or twice before I was able to get the leash on him.  I had gloves on and they were contaminated with what I was cutting off Brosa, so I didn't want to grab Elding with the gloves on to flip him.

Yes, I suppose it's possible Elding did something to Brosa to make her abort, but IMHO it's unlikely.  He's been quite mellow for weeks now, and even during breeding season I've never seen him make an aggressive move toward any of his ewes.  And the ewes seem to get along well, too.

We've got snow and ice on the ground, so the sheep aren't doing a whole lot of running, and there's no tracks in the snow indicating something got in the pasture and ran them around.

I'll be talking with my vet tomorrow, and watching Brosa closely.  Not sure about sending the lamb for testing - it's contaminated from the bedding, and while I was doing the rest of the chores it may have frozen too much.  And I never got the placenta.

If by chance she was carrying twins, is it possible for the other to be carried to term, or would she abort it also?


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## bonbean01 (Feb 12, 2015)

No clue here since we have not had this here yet, but know it is a matter of time and learning from your sad outcome...again...so sorry.


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## luvmypets (Feb 12, 2015)

norseofcourse said:


> Thanks for the condolences, everyone.
> 
> I just got back from checking sheep.  Brosa is still acting very normally.  What had appeared to be some discharge from her vulva is now gone and it looks clean (stlll some ick frozen to her wool that I wasn't able to cut off yet).
> 
> ...


 I really hope she has a second lamb. It is possible she aborted the not-thriving unborn lamb and there is another in there. Did I hear she didnt pass the placenta? If so that could be a reason. Hoping for easy healing


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## BrownSheep (Feb 12, 2015)

I've been told by old timers that ewes can abort one fetus and keep the other. 

The only abortion we've had was at about the same time. None of our other ewes were affected but that ewe never lambed again. Not to scare you! I'm 99% sure that was do to inexperience on our part at the time.


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## norseofcourse (Feb 13, 2015)

Thanks...  I talked to a friend who's a vet tech, and has sheep experience (completely forgot about her, in the stress of finding the lamb and worrying).  She said a necropsy may or may not be able to show what the cause was (not to try and dissuade me, but to let me know realistically that I may not find out a reason).  She said to ask my vet his thoughts when I talk to him tomorrow.

And she said another lamb surviving to term was possible, but unlikely.  She reminded me to watch for continued contractions that could cause a uterine prolapse, and watch for any signs Brosa might have, like decreased appetite, increased temperature, or behavior changes.

@BrownSheep - I'm sorry about your ewe.  I hope this does not affect Brosa long-term.


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## BrownSheep (Feb 13, 2015)

I doubt it will!.....Our ewe was kind of an odd case even before that


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## norseofcourse (Feb 13, 2015)

I talked to my vet today, he said to bring the lamb in to his office Monday and he'll send it to the state lab.  He said it's ok to keep it frozen, and don't let it thaw out (not a problem this weekend!).  He talked about possible reasons, mostly what I'd read about, and said if it was contagious/infectious, the other ewes were already exposed and there's no sense separating her now.  He said just watch her, and watch the others - if they're going to be affected too, it's more likely to happen within the next week or two.  Although I won't fully relax till there are healthy lambs on the ground...

Brosa is still acting and eating normally, but this evening she had some brown discharge coming from her vulva.  I'm going to call the vet in the morning to see if he recommends giving her any antibiotics.  I'm also going to try and get her temperature.

I know there's only a slight chance she's still carrying a lamb, but just in case she is, are there antibiotics that are safe for a pregnant ewe?


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## norseofcourse (Feb 14, 2015)

This morning she appears to be passing the placenta.  I'll keep checking her so I can send it to the state lab, too.

That also means no other lamb in there for sure...


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## norseofcourse (Feb 14, 2015)

Brosa passed the placenta.  It was hanging out about 4 or 5 inches, earlier this morning, and she appeared to be having little contractions and it was gradually coming out.  I went out a bit ago, she was lying down, and when she got up the rest of it slipped out.  I cleaned it off as best I could and bagged it for the vet/lab.

It appears to be intact, and in fairly good condition, not starting to decompose much.  So maybe that means less chance this was bacterial/infectious?

Her vulva looks clean now, no discharge.  Her appetite and behavior are normal.  I'm just going to keep watching her.  The vet said it was ok to give her vaccinations along with the others if she was still eating and acting well.


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## Hens and Roos (Feb 14, 2015)

and hoping you will get some answers.


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## norseofcourse (Feb 26, 2015)

Got some preliminary results back on the lamb, the most interesting of which, was that there was no eye development.  I'll be posting more details in my BYH journal.


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