Coughing Ewe-No fever

[Bridgemoof]

My Jacob ewe Lily has been coughing like crazy the last couple of days. She's acting normal, eating, drinking, took her temp and it was very normal. We gave her LA200 just in case, but I can't imagine what could be wrong with her. It's a very croopy sounding cough. Maybe she has something stuck in her throat or something?

Any ideas?

 

[purplequeenvt]

When does she cough? All the time or only when she's doing certain things like eating or running?

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

There are TONS of things that make goats and sheep cough. Many many thing it could be and no way to really just tell you what it is.

btw why just give her anything (LA200) when you don't know what's wrong????

 

[BrownSheep]

Better to be safe than sorry. Is there any dust in their hay

 

[bonbean01]

Any foxtail or anything like that in their hay?

Hope she'll be okay...and if you decide to put a finger down her throat to feel for anything lodged or stuck in there...go behind the teeth...had a choking piggy greedy ram lamb and when I put my finger in, of course he bit down...wow...bled like crazy...ended up holding him up and giving sips of water until it cleared.

 

[Bridgemoof]

Well Straw, I know you are not a proponent of giving antibiotics for seemingly no reason, but we are. I would rather administer antibiotics vs. finding her dead and then finding out later antibiotics could have saved her. I know they build up a resistance, but we've had this ewe for a year and that's the first time she's gotten it since we've had her.

Tim tried to look down her throat, Bon, and whammy! He discovered they do have sharp teeth back there. He was bleeding like crazy, too. Of course that was an exercise in futility, because we couldn't see anything anyways. Maybe it is this particular batch of hay, I think it does have foxtail, but most of the hay bales we get do. It seems to me she coughs when she has been eating the hay. Or maybe it's alfalfa. We've been giving them more alfalfa, and it is dusty. Although I have noticed her coughing a lot in the middle of the night when I was getting up to check the preggers.

It just started like 3 days ago.

 

[goodolboy]

Alfalfa seems to be dryer than most hay, and more dusty. Maybe not dryer just smaller pieces.

 

[Remuda1]

Bridge, is it getting worse, staying the same or? I feed almost no hay, just alfalfa and have not had a problem. The only time I've seen a random cough show up with normal body temps (just two ewes ever), I treated for lung worm and it cleared up. But... I only usually heard them cough when eating or after running up to eat. Not saying this is what you're dealing with, just wanted to let you know.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Tim tried to look down her throat, Bon, and whammy! He discovered they do have sharp teeth back there. He was bleeding like crazy, too.

Yes they do! Very sharp teeth and they surer will make you bleed. I keep my finger OUT of the backs of their mouths now. lol

 

[bonbean01]

I just googled lung worm...didn't know anything about it, and if that is what your ewe has, it sounds not too hard to treat if you get it early. If it were me, I think I'd treat for lung worms just in case. Of course, it could be the feed too...