# OUCH!  Four sheep dead in one day!  What is going on?



## soarwitheagles (Nov 17, 2017)

Hi again everyone!

So sorry to have been away for so long...we have been a bit overwhelmed with all the work around the ranch: 

Planting new perennial pastures
Planting large areas with Fava beans
More fencing
Excavating
Cut, split, and stack 30+ cords of wood
Building more hive boxes, tops, bottoms, and stands
And the list goes on and on and on...

Now to the emergency...

It really freaked me out!

I came home today and counted 4 sheep less than the total number...I thought that strange because the AB's are incredibly communal and do not like to separate.

Went back in the forest, and could not find the missing 4 sheep.  I then was walking by our recently purchased dry van trailer, and there underneath the trailer were two adult ewes staring at me, eyes wide open, and dead as a door nail.

Here is what we noticed:

1. No outward signs of trauma at all
2. One of the ewes had a large amount of feces right next to her rear end, the other did not.
3. Some type of fluid coming out their mouths.  On one of them, it appeared greenish.
4. They both died with their eyes wide open.
5. The other two sheep are missing, but I have a feeling we will find them dead at first daylight when we look.
6. The two ewes died within inches of each other.
7. I suspect they died earlier today, perhaps within an hour or two of me finding them [*Rigor mortis had not set in yet*].

We have done nothing different at all!  Same grazing areas and habits, same forest, same clover fields, same water supply, etc.

The only thing that enters my mind is this: we did do some moving of earth in what was a seasonal lake, and I remember seeing large areas of whitish powder/earth at the bottom of the lake when we were moving dirt earlier in the year.  I also noticed the lake had milk colored puddles of water on the bottom after our first sizable rain storm of the year...

Wow, we have NEVER lost 4 sheep in a day.  I kind of feel a bit shaken and also a little afraid.  We do not wanna lose our flock after all out hard work!

Please give some good advice if you have some!

Thank you!


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## babsbag (Nov 17, 2017)

I am sorry you have lost some sheep and losing more than one definitely makes me think that they ate something.  About Rigor...it comes, and then it goes, so it is hard to use it to set time of death. My goats have always died with eyes open, and the fluid coming out of mouth, eyes, anus is normal too.  I honestly don't have any ideas but I would call CAHFS and get one in for a necropsy.  Of course it is a weekend but they do accept weekend submissions, you need to call them. 

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cahfs/about/locations/davis.cfm

Could the white stuff be salt?


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## babsbag (Nov 17, 2017)

Do you have problems with intestinal parasites?


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## promiseacres (Nov 18, 2017)

Sorry for your loss.


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## farmerjan (Nov 18, 2017)

The whitish powder...alkalie like they used to talk about in the old west novels?  How the water would kill anything that drank from those lakes while crossing dry desert stretches.  You definitely need an autopsy and to mention the whitish powder or maybe find some to take in and have analyzed.


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## Latestarter (Nov 18, 2017)

Sorry and hope you lose no more. If you necropsy, I hope it details out what killed them. At least you'll know and might be able to prevent more deaths.


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## Pastor Dave (Nov 18, 2017)

Sounds like poisoning in humans. White substance sounds like a chief suspect. I agree with above on a necropsy, and analysis of white substance. Bad deal. Sorry for your loss. Not a pleasant reason to check in, but had noticed you been away.


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## babsbag (Nov 18, 2017)

Is it possible that they were literally chased to death?   I can't imagine any toxin that would be in the rain water in the pond that would cause instant death.


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## soarwitheagles (Nov 18, 2017)

Thank you for your replies everyone!  I sure appreciate each person here and I am thankful to have a forum like  this to visit and ask questions and gain helpful insights.

Ok, took your advice and took some animals in for the necropsy.  Also took in samples of the water and the  soil.

I look forward to discovering the cause.  Sure felt like crap coming home to a number of sheep staring at me with eyes wide open yet dead as a door nail.  Lost our favorite lamb that was bottle fed for months and was more like a pet than a livestock animal.

I will update as soon as we get the info.

Thanks again everyone!


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## Baymule (Nov 18, 2017)

That is awful. I am so sorry about your ewes, especially your pet. I hope you find out what happened.


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## Goat Whisperer (Nov 18, 2017)

Glad you took them in for necropsy! That is terrible & I am SO sorry 
Any loss is sad, but why does it seem like it's always the favorite? 

Please let us know what you find!


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## babsbag (Nov 18, 2017)

So very very sorry, and like goat whisperer said it seems to be the favorites. Did you indeed find 2 more dead sheep?  Did you fence off the pond for now?  Hopefully they will get you some answers.


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## Latestarter (Nov 19, 2017)

Hopefully you'll get answers rather than "non/inconclusive"...


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## Sheepshape (Nov 19, 2017)

SO sorry to hear your news. It's bad enough losing one.

Poisoning would be my guess, too.

One other thought if the autopsy shows nothing obvious....could they have died of fright (predator etc)? It  can happen in sheep.

Over here sudden deaths are usually related to liver fluke, but that's 'cos the temperate, wet climate favours the mud snail.

Whatever is or is not found, I feel for you.


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## goatgurl (Nov 19, 2017)

oh soars, so sorry about your sheeple.  I sure hope you get some answers to why.  thanks for keeping us all updated.


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## Sara Ranch (Nov 19, 2017)

*hugs*


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## babsbag (Dec 7, 2017)

Any report from the lab? I have been wondering how you and your flock are doing and praying for no more losses.


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 7, 2017)

I have wondered too.


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