Drastic turn on lamb

[Alexz7272]

I’m at a loss with this guy. On april 15 he weighed 17lbs, weighed today and he weighs 14.3. He has suddenly gotten much skinnier.
Before feeding:

After feeding:

He has access to good quality hay, creep feed & water. I have been giving him powerpunch once a day, gave him fortified Vitamin B Complez oral gel and even tried lamb & kid omega-3*6*9 by durvet. Nothing is working. He is getting 20oz of dumor milk replacer 2x a day but I have started giving him 8oz (or what he’ll take of it) mid day. His two bum buddies are doing fantastic, gaining weight and lively. He’s a little slobbery, not sure what thats about, he has no sores or anything in his mouth. I am thinking of trying to worm him? Any other suggestions?

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Not a sheep person but I’d take a stool sample to the vet to treat exactly what’s wrong. He needs the correct treatment right away and doesn’t have time to try several.

 

[Alexz7272]

I have a call out to a couple vets but sheep vets are few and far between here.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Ugh! Surely one of them would at least evaluate the fecal for you...

 

[farmerjan]

In the meantime ....how do his gums look? Ever done a FAMACHA ? (spelling?) If his gums are pale then worms are a very good consideration. And it is not unheard of. What does his manure look like? If it is runny, it could be worms, it could be coccidiosis, and it could be Johnes although that is seldom seen this young. For lack of anything else, I would treat for coccidiosis because it won't hurt. 1/4 cc straight corid in the milk once a day for 3 days. I would not go the "dilution to make a drench" route.
The vet doesn't need to be a sheep vet, any vet can run a fecal. I would try to see if a vet can run a fecal, but lacking that, I would also worm it. Do not use a "heavy duty dose" as that can kill him also. Worm him on a low dose, not pouron, but one that is a drench type down the throat, get it where the worms are in the gut tract, 2 days later give him PROBIOTICS for his gut tract, then 10 days later worm again. We lost several lambs one year that did not look wormy, had a decent gum color, but the couple we had posted were FULL of worms and eggs....Just awful. They went downhill in a matter of days. I would also keep him separate from the others, because if he does pass alot of worms/eggs, the others will get contaminated. You should probably go on and worm them all if it is determined that this one has worms.
Are they where adult sheep were last year? Very good possibility that the worms overwintered and the new larvae have gotten on the grass and he has picked them up just from nosing and picking at grass.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Full of knowledge as usual @farmerjan. I love reading your posts!