Foaming Sheep

[Drk_wlf]

My hair sheep looks like she is throwing up or choking or something when I feed her sheep feed. She will start eating and then (sometimes) back up from the trough throw her head back and start foaming and drooling, she shakes her head and slimes the other sheep (and me) and then after a minute is fine and goes back to eating, I thought she was having a seizure the first time I saw it happen. Is she just eating to fast? She is a little food obsessed because the goat she lived with never let her eat. She is a good weight now and seems perfectly healthy otherwise.

I don't know what to do; she is a very special in a short bus kind of way. Too much time living with a pygmy goat and not sheep.

 

[Baymule]

I had a mare that ate so fast she choked. She was on the bottom of the herd before I got her. It took awhile, but she calmed down. Pet your sheep, talk to her and make sure she is not crowded by other animals. If possible, seperate her so she doesn't feel like the others are going to take her food. Give her time.

 

[abooth]

Hey there, one of my sheep did this last week. I asked a vet friend of mine if sheep get choked like horses do. She said that they do. I described what I was seeing and she said that was probably what was going on. Anyway the esophagus gets blocked by feed, usually pelleted feed. They can breathe but if it stays blocked they can't eat or drink. I have a small flock so I've been feeding my little choker separately. I soak his feed for an hour before I go out there in the morning and feed him just outside the barn where he can still see his buddies. This slows down his eating because he does not need to compete for his meal and it has water in it so he just eats that slower. If it happens repeatedly the esophagus can get scar tissue and it will be more likely to continue. It is a vicious circle.

 

[patandchickens]

Not yet had to try it with sheep, but for horses the classic prevention for a horse prone to choke due to overeager eating is to put a few big rocks in the feeder. Big enough there's no way the animal could possibly get 'em in his mouth. They cover much of the food, so the animal has to keep nosing the rocks around to access little bits of food at a time.

If you fiddle around with rock number and size til you get it right, it really works pretty well for horses (except in the case where you are feeding a vast quantity of hard feed, which in itself is often the problem), so I should think it'd be worth trying for sheep.

Pat

 

[Drk_wlf]

Thanks everyone for your knowledge and advice! I feel so much better now!

I was worried that there was something seriously wrong with her. I am soooo relieved!

 

[mysunwolf]

Sorry to resurrect this thread... but this just saved me a lot of trouble with one of my wethers! Good to know that it's only choking.

 

[goats&moregoats]

yup was going to suggest the rock idea like patandchickens. It is a suggested method for goats as well so I don't see why not sheep. Good luck.

 

[Sheepshape]

I choose to buy 'ewe rolls' for the greediest sheep....they are about half an inch wide and one and a half inches long and they can only be eaten slowly rather than bolted down like the finer stuff. A few of my girls are so greedy they would try to eat the rocks as well!

 

[Southdown]

I agree that it's choking.