My new ewe lamb is sick

[norseofcourse]

Wow, I would be so upset with that vet and the staff! Sounds like you handled it as well as anyone could have.

I haven't dealt with liver fluke. I did look up Ivomec Plus, it appears to be ivermectin and clorsulon. If you can get Noromectin Plus, it has the same ingredients and it's less expensive. I don't know if it's used orally or injected with sheep - listen to those with more knowledge about that. I do see it has a long slaughter withdrawl, if that matters to you (49 days).

As far as anything else, the wool loss has me puzzled, although stress can cause a 'break' in the wool so maybe that's what you're seeing, due to parasites. When I've had anemic lambs I've fed them extra protein (things like alfalfa pellets and sunflower seeds) and probiotics. Their free choice mineral has iron, and so does their pelleted feed, so I don't give extra iron.

Good luck with her!

 

[Ponker]

I would consult with your nearest University Veterinary Medicine Pathology Department and talk to their Pathologist ... describe the symtoms and what you had administered and ask for their advice.

I have contacted the University of Arkansas Agricultural School. They've forawrded my letter to the Veterinary School. I'm hopeful they're going to help. Thank you for the advice.

 

[Ponker]

Pipestone got back to me:

"I don’t know if she has originated in a fluke area. Fluke diagnosis may not be correct. What is correct is she is trying to recover from an disabling condition or conditions and it’s a long road back. I would worm her with levamisole, correct dosage that is listed on packet, LevaMed or Prohibit. Tapeworms I would ignore. Worms may be ivermectin resistant. Could try giving human iron pills orally. Large abdomen is a result of illness where animal is trying to resolve its nutritional needs by enlarging its rumen."

The dosage he recommended for the iron was one per day.

I also received a rather lengthy answer from Heidi Ward, DVM, PhD Assistant Professor and Veterinarian University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. She asked a myriad of questions and reiterated many of the common practices such as fecal analysis before and again ten days after deworming to determine wormer efficacy. I'll follow up with her and share any insights she provides.

I collected samples from 5 out of my 7 ewes and ewe lambs. This evening, I should get the last two samples to send for baseline fecal counts. I'll do another ten days after dosing the Levamisole. I ended up buying a veterinarian scale for weighing my stock. On Ebay I found brand new scales for a great price. They are stainless platforms with a removable rubber mat and a digital readout up to 400lbs. The platform is nice and wide and long enough for my biggest ram to stand on it. The darned thing is so big I have to store it under my bed when I'm not using it. Good thing it has wheels on it.