Limping ewe, hoof looks fine

[trampledbygeese]

3 year old katahdin sheep, has a limp. It started about 5 days ago, and isn't improving. Was wondering if you could suggest anything else I should look for to diagnose or treatment ideas.

Her hoof looks fine, no smell, no peeling, nothing misshapen, no clogged goo vent... between the toes, has a word, it is not clogged. She has the second bets feet of all my critters.

The joint above the foot feels warm to the touch. Not frightfully hot, but definitely warmer than the rest of her. Very tender to the touch. No feeling that the bones are in the wrong place.

She takes two or three steps, then has a big limp, like the leg clicked or gave out under her weight.

Hay and pasture, free access minerals plus selenium. Handful of grain each morning. Gave birth about 6 weeks ago so in full lactic swing. Body condition a slightly under average. Vaccinated just over a month ago. Haven't wormed lately, but am thinking about it given the weather.

Conditions are wet right now, but most of the pasture is well drained and up hill, so she has lots of places to go that are not muddy. Maybe 2% of the pasture is soggy.

So what do you think? Sprain?
Any treatment ideas?
How worried should I be?

 

[mysunwolf]

I agree, sprain is my only guess! I would be a little worried that she has not shown improvement in 5 days. With the wet conditions, you could preventatively treat for foot rot just in case. I would keep her up in a dry pen to watch her if I were you, and that would also limit her movement.

 

[trampledbygeese]

Thankyou mysunwolf

I'll give her foot some purple stuff to ward off rot.

Good idea about the pen. Do I keep her lambs in there with her? The lambs are huge and the pen isn't. If I went by weight, I could probably wean them weeks ago, but would really like them to taper off naturally.

Now I think about it, all my pens with cover are in the mud zone. Going to be a couple of days before I can fence in a new one - a friend of mine is in the middle of a farm emergency, so we are helping them out during daylight hours. With any luck, she should start to heal up by then.

Thinking about it, I'm thinking of increasing the grain ration a bit. Maybe all the milk she gives her lambs is draining too much from her. But then I think, with her not walking as often, would more grain upset her digestion? What are you thoughts on this?

 

[mysunwolf]

I didn't realize it was one of your ewes with lambs, I would definitely put the lambs in with her but not if the only pen is a small one! Maybe just stick to watching her in the field if that's the case. I agree that, with no obvious break or other injury, all you can hope for is her to heal on her own.

I don't think the grain digestion issues would be much of a problem, except that she may gain weight and may have a harder time with her leg.

Those are my thoughts, I really hope your ewe improves on her own!

 

[Sheepshape]

Just to add to what has already been said,check the area between the hoof and the leg. If there is any sign of the hoof breaking away or the area is boggy and hot,she could have contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) for which the best treatment is Penicillin plus Streptomycin in quite a big dose (6-7mls).

I would think an injury most likely under the circumstances.

 

[trampledbygeese]

Poor little thing, she's still limping. Her hooves look absolutely textbook perfect. No heat. No smell. Her gland thing at the hoof is fine. She can walk fine sometimes, but other times, the leg won't hold her weight.

This flock is all in the smallest most level pasture right now in hopes of keeping things calm for her.

I'm beginning to doubt that it was a sprain that caused the limp. Why I have these doubts is that the ankle that was hot before, is normal temp now. The only place on her body that is warmer than the rest is her armpit at the top of the limpy leg - the exact same place where she had her vaccine shot.

She's also getting underweight quickly. I'm worried. I can easily feel her ribs now, I couldn't two days ago. She eats as much as the rest, laying in the hay and munching away. I see her lambs go for milk, but they are so strong, they knock her off her feet, literally, and she falls down. These lambs are 50 pounds each, at the least. Only 6 weeks old, but I wonder if I can wean them now so to give the poor girl some rest? What do you think, early weaning okay since they are so big?

Gave wormer today to that whole flock. Maybe that will help. Valva-something-vet-sold-me. She's not showing many normal worm signs except for the weight loss, but one of her lambs is a bit pale in the gums. Since she's losing weight so quickly I thought it best to act now with the wormer and see if that's the problem.

Would love your thoughts.

 

[mysunwolf]

I know you said the joint is not hot anymore, but is it swollen? @Sheepshape, I think we're going to need your expertise.

 

[trampledbygeese]

No swelling at the joint. Only place on her whole body that shows swelling is her armpit on that one leg (leg-pit?). She's very gentle with me and let me go over her in great detail.

She's also shedding - I think it's the time of year for it, but it's a change, so I mention it.

What do you think? Are the lambs big enough to be shoved off to the next pasture?

 

[SheepGirl]

Yes you can wean the lambs

 

[trampledbygeese]

Thank you. Done.

Had to carry them to the other pasture, but they haven't complained yet about the move. One lamb is right at the maximum I can lift, well over 60 pounds. The other one is still around 50, but he was always smaller. Mum isn't complaining either.