Dewlap?

[Gracie9205]

I am new to the sheep world, and just got my first registered pair of Katahdins. I have a question about the little ewe though. She seems to have what in the poultry world is called a dewlap. Is it called something else in sheep, and is it something that they end up growing out of? It doesn't bother me, but I was just wondering if it is a fault or not.

 

[purplequeenvt]

Your lamb looks like she has bottle jaw (a build up of fluid under the jaw) which is a result of a heavy parasite load. Take a look at her eyelid color, if they are pale (pink or white), she is anemic and needs to be treated right away. You should have your vet do a fecal done to determine which parasites she has.

There are some other possible things, but from your picture it looks to me like bottle jaw.

 

[Gracie9205]

I was reading about it, and apparently the area gets really swollen if it is due to a worm infestation. It looks more like a flap of dangling skin than anything. No swelling at all. I will worm just to be on the safe side though! Thank you for your opinion!

 

[purplequeenvt]

Hmmm.....that is really interesting. I glad it doesn't seem to be bottle jaw though! Can you post more pictures of it from different angles? I'm always interested in stuff like this.

 

[SheepGirl]

That may not bottle jaw. That looks more like a milk goiter, which is really common in Katahdin hair sheep. The fastest growing lambs have the larger goiters.

However, it does sort of look like bottle jaw, especially since it looks like the lamb has a potbelly. Bottle jaw is usually the last sign of a heavy parasite load before the animal succumbs to parasites. I would deworm the animal immediately just on the off chance it is bottle jaw.

 

[Gracie9205]

That may not bottle jaw. That looks more like a milk goiter, which is really common in Katahdin hair sheep. The fastest growing lambs have the larger goiters.

However, it does sort of look like bottle jaw, especially since it looks like the lamb has a potbelly. Bottle jaw is usually the last sign of a heavy parasite load before the animal succumbs to parasites. I would deworm the animal immediately just on the off chance it is bottle jaw.

That was my plan. If it goes away after worming, then we will know what the culprit is! They will all be wormed today.

 

[purplequeenvt]

Just so you know, bottle jaw doesn't always disappear right after deworming. It can take a while for the fluid to be reabsorbed.

 

[Gracie9205]

Most definitely a worm infestation I wormed them both, but hope it's not too late. I notified the breeder of the issue. I don't feel like I should have to deal with something like this after having them for only 2 days

 

[purplequeenvt]

That's too bad!

What did you worm them with? Did you talk with a vet? How are they doing - are they still eating or are they really lethargic and weak?

 

[Gracie9205]

That's too bad!

What did you worm them with? Did you talk with a vet? How are they doing - are they still eating or are they really lethargic and weak?

They are still eating well and grazing as if nothing is wrong. I wormed them with an ivomec/praziquantel mixture. I used it on my dogs when they had gotten tapeworms with good results. I will keep you updated as to how it goes. I was going to worm them again in 10 days and another 10 days after that.