pregnant ewe with bloody discharge

[RamahRanch]

I hope so this is my first breeding season with sheep and was hopping for some little lambs running around this spring.

 

[Sheepshape]

Hi RamahRanch,

It sounds to me as though she has aborted,too. I've had ewes abort and never found the foetus, found just one of twins, or found the whole lot....depends on the time of day and the presence of predators who will carry off the aborted babies. I've even had a ewe abort one twin and go on to deliver the other, live, at a later date

Sheep are quite tough and often manage to 'carry on regardless' if the lamb foetuses were quite small. If a mature lamb is stillborn the situation can be quite different and the mama ewe may stay with it, licking it, and pawing it for a couple of days.

Hopefully this will be a one-off event and she will be fine next year (aborted lambs are often structurally abnormal and could not have survived). This happens in all species. If any other ewe aborts, and I am mentioning this, because regrettably there are bacteria, protozoa etc which can cause abortions in sheep, any material found (aborted lamb, afterbirth etc.) needs to analysed by a vet. The 'sporadic' abortion is by far the most common, and this is most likely to be what you are dealing with, but there are vaccines and treatments which are available to prevent some of the other types (e.g enzootic abortion). Some infective types of abortion are a one-off and immunity is conferred thereafter, so abortion will not recur in subsequent years.

Finally, just occasionally, a small bleed may be of no consequence and indicates that a cotyledon (the placental 'studs' which draw nutrients and oxygen from the mama to the foetus) has encroached on the os/cervix or mouth of the womb and a little bleeding can occur. It's a sort of 'placenta praaevia' of sheep and won't cause the massive bleeding which can happen with people as the cotyledons are small, unlike in the human placenta.

I certainly wouldn't breed this girl again this year....give her a break.

I have just discovered that my girl who has had a couple of lambs a few days back was my only girl to abort last year (in early Feb). She must have come into season again early on as she did not have to feed lambs.

Good luck for the rest of your girls.