Ewe with Crusty Ears. Help!

[eeichler1]

What is this? We have had this ewe since last fall (cheviot approx 2-3 yrs old) and at times the crusty sores are better and at times they are worse. When we sheared the sheep back in april we pulled the scabs completely off and doused her ears in the blue kote antifungal. We have tried spraying them frequently. I just recently bought a new topical to use on her and nothing seems to have any affect.

They look dark/purple in the photos because we are still using blue kote on them. They are usually crusted over and appear white/pink. They will slough off and produce pus/bleed. We have been making sure to keep flies/bugs away, so I really don't think it's a fly problem. She doesn't act like they bother her, except occasionally she will scratch her head on the fence. I have googled, and searched, and have not found anything that looks like this. It is only on her outer ears, no where else on her body, and not on the insides of the ears either.

If y'all can't see the pictures let me know and I'll try again.

 

[bonbean01]

I have no clue...could this be caused by mites or other parasites? If it gets better and then worse...an allergy to something she is grazing? Hope someone comes on that has seen this before to give you their thoughts. I have sheep, but haven't dealt with this so far.

Sorry that I couldn't be of any help...and also...Welcome to Backyard Herds!!!

 

[BrownSheep]

Some sort of wart maybe?

 

[bonbean01]

Starting looking for what this could be...warts are possible. Thought this might be a cause too?

Photosensitization: This is an inflammatory response of lightly pigmented skin that resembles a sunburn. When certain plants are consumed in the diet, compounds enter the bloodstream and cause a reaction when they are exposed to ultra-violet light from the sun. No matter the initial cause, all animals experience the same external clinical signs. These animals are very sensitive to sunlight (photophobic) and may scratch areas of light or non-pigmented skin most commonly on the ears, around the eyes, and the muzzle. These areas can become swollen, red, irritated, infected, and ooze serum. If sunlight exposure continues, the skin in these problem areas can die (necrose) and slough, leaving an extremely painful lesion. A diagnosis can be made based on clinical signs, blood work, and liver biopsy. To treat this problem, remove the plant source causing the photosensitization, protect the animal from sunlight, and treat any underlying causes. It is also important to prevent additional irritation by flies and other insects.

 

[eeichler1]

Thank you all for the replies. I don't believe this is an allergy, reason being, when we got this ewe her ears were already like this and we bought her from someone who lives a few hours away from us. So if it would be an allergy to something in the area, its likely that it would have cleared up since she was moved. Warts are a possibility. I don't know what could be done about that.

If it's mites/flies what would you suggest? We have been using a permethrin based spray as needed to keep flies and mosquitos away. We sprayed the herd a couple weeks ago. I was hoping to hold off a couple more weeks or find something safe to use around lambs, because we now have 4, one week old lambs and are expecting one more to be born in the next few days. I have used Sevin Dust on our chickens before, would it be ok to use that on this ewe?

BonBean, what breed is the lamb in your avatar pic? We have one that looks almost identical (cheviot/dorper cross). Very cute!!

Again, thanks y'all, sorry I didn't get back sooner, but we have been busy with lambing.

 

[Southern by choice]

Not sure what it is but I have seen deer in our region with the same thing.

 

[bonbean01]

Lamb in my avatar has a Katahdin Mother and a Dorper Ram. That's an old pic and right now he is growing and developing into a very good big ram. Love his colouring and can't wait to see what babies he'll produce!!!

 

[eeichler1]

I really appreciate everyone's replies. Unfortunately for this ewe, her ears have continued to get worse, and she started losing weight, we called a vet out to take a look. He saw it and immediately said that it was squamous cell carcinoma, which really made a lot of sense. Especially since it has the tell-tale smell, and the fact that it hasn't gotten any better with treatment, and it's obviously not something contagious.

She currently has a 6 week old lamb that she is nursing who looks healthy. The vet's suggestion was just to allow her to continue to nurse the lamb and keep her comfortable and put her down when the time is right. So, that is currently our course of action. We are keeping her ears covered in fly spray and giving her some oral nutri-drench and just making sure she's not suffering.

Again, thanks everyone! I just wanted to update you all on what this actually was incase anyone else encounters the same thing.

 

[Southern by choice]

Thank You for updating.
I am so sorry you will have to put her down.

 

[alsea1]

Dang. That looks bad. Very much a bummer. At least now you know exactly what it is.