Neck injury

[mustanggt7790]

On Friday when bringing in my three sheep I found injuries to my two ewes. Both suffered injuries to the neck and some to the body. One seems to have taken most of the damage. We have been cleaning the wounds and giving penicillin. They seem to be improving but one seems to have suffered severe injury to her neck. Her neck is hanging low and to one side she does not seem to be able to move it and it looks like it might be broken, does not look normal. I was wondering if she is walking is it still possible that her neck is broken. Would she still be able to walk if her neck was broken?

 

[purplequeenvt]

Walking would be possible if the break is in the right spot. It could also be a dislocation.

Any idea what happened? Does the ewe in question have any other wounds on her neck?

 

[mustanggt7790]

It was a dog attack, or coyote we aren't really sure which. She had some punctures as well and to be honest we didn't think she would survive. Every day she seems a little better, except for her neck. We were thinking about taking her to the vet tomorrow but I'm worried about her getting injured in the transport. I've been looking online to see if I could find similar injuries but couldn't. Do you have any suggestions on what we should do?

 

[BrownSheep]

I've actually remember reading/hearing about a ewe similar to yours. It recovered but its neck was always crooked.

Not a lot to recommend but to limit the space you load her in to prevent her from thrashing around. I would usually suggest haltering her but not in your situation.

 

[purplequeenvt]

Based on the fact that both your sheep survived, I'm going to go with dog attack, not coyote. At least one sheep would be dead and the bones picked clean if it were coyotes. Dogs tend to grab randomly and maul.

I think you should keep on doing what you are doing if it seems to be working. A vet visit might give some insight on the neck. Not sure what to tell you there. Know any animal chiropractors?

Don't be surprised if you get abscesses on some or all of the wounds. Canine bites are really hard to get cleaned out all the way. If you do find an abscess, keep it open and draining until the wound closes from the inside out. This may require warm compresses and squeezing puss out a couple times a day.

If her wounds heal nicely, but her neck stays like that, you may need to consider putting her down if she seems uncomfortable. If she is able to graze and drink without difficultly, great, but I'd be concerned that she would be in pain every time she put her head down.

We had a sheep survive a coyote attack last fall. Her face was torn up. It took a while to get everything healed up, but now a year later, you can barely tell. One ear is still a little droopy, but completely recovered.

 

[bonbean01]

So sorry this happened....is it possible to get a vet to come to you rather than transporting her? Hope she recovers.

 

[Bossroo]

The cost of the Vet. would be much more than the sheep is worth. Invite her to freezer camp and enjoy !

 

[mustanggt7790]

we took her to the vet today and they gave us a stronger antibiotic and something for inflammation. Now we just wait and see. I THINK she is improving every day, but I don't know if that's just wishful thinking. Thank you for your help ( and the laugh @Bossroo)

 

[bonbean01]

 

[KJenkins91]

I know this is a super old thread @mustanggt7790, but would you be able to update what ended up happening to your sheep? I have one that was attacked by a stray dog that’s neck looks exactly like this. She can eat and everything but cannot lift her head or turn her neck to the one side. Her neck feels firm on the crooked side. I’m wondering what the prognosis turned out to be and if this sheep will be able to have a sustainable life.