Abscesses on lambs

[Bridgemoof]

Here's one for you Sheepgirl!

Little Mac developed an abscess on his cheek when he was about a month old. After about two weeks it ruptured on it's own and white pus came out.

Now Patches has an abscess on her cheek, same exact place as Mac. She is a few months older than Mac, and she has been suffering from scours on and off. I took her temp this morning and it was 104. We will be treating her with LA200.

So, I was just reading up about the dreaded Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL) and am praying it is not that. From what I read though, it seems CL abscesses are more visible "behind the ears, beneath the jaw or neck, on the shoulders, or in the rear flank region."

I think I also read and interpreted that the CDT vaccine will prevent transmission of this disease. They have both had their vaccines before the abscesses occurred.

So what do you think it could be? Or is it normal for lambs to get abscesses?

 

[Bridgemoof]

Here are a few pics if it's any help. I might also add that Mac's abscess is completely gone now, after it ruptured it healed up and you can't even see it.

 

[Alice Acres]

Over the years, I have had sheep with bumps that look and acted the same as in your photo.
They have just resolved on their own, with no apparent ill effect to the sheep. I don't recall them in my young lambs, but more often in yearlings and older ewes.
No real answer, but they do happen!

 

[Bridgemoof]

ok Whew! Thanks Alice!

 

[bonbean01]

So far I've not had this with our sheep, but remember when my Dad lanced one of these on one of our cows and it was a piece of foxtail....do your sheep have any foxtail in their pasture or hay?

 

[SheepGirl]

Never had anything like this...but my first guess would be a thorn or maybe a bug bite of some sort.

However, I don't think it's CL. Also, the CD/T shot only protects against Clostridium perfringens types C & D (bloody scours and enterotoxemia, respectively) and Clostridium tetani (tetanus). If you want to protect against CL, you will need to get the vaccine labeled for it. But, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe the CL vaccine is a 'live virus' which means you shouldn't vaccinate for it if it's not already in your flock...and I know you're not supposed to test for CL after vaccinating for it because it could give a false positive.

 

[Bridgemoof]

Foxtail, I am sure is in the hay. I think my schnauzer Pick had gotten that stuck in her paw once and was licking at it a lot. After examination, there appeared to be something thorny, but soft thorny, in there and it probably was from the hay. I pulled it out and it was fine. So maybe Patches does have something like that in her cheek!

Thanks Sheepgirl for clarifying the CD CL stuff. I feel confident as well that it's not the CL.

Hopefully whatever is giving her a fever though will be knocked out by the LA200.

 

[bonbean01]

Again about the cow...only time I've seen this from what you are describing and photo...my Dad (who did take vet classes) said that if left alone, eventually would come out through the skin by itself, but he'd lance it, and take it out to avoid an infection and he did give antibiotics after that.

Hope your lambie/s get better soon!

 

[Bridgemoof]

I'm happy to report that the abscess came to a head on it's own, and Tim squished it and white and greenish pus came out. Hopefully it will just heal up and that will be the end of that!