Scours in bottle fed lamb - 60 hrs old??

[WildOaksManor]

This is my first bottle baby, rejected at birth. Wensleydale ram. He got colostrum for the first 6 hrs, then two long 15 min feeds, 12 hrs apart while the ewe was restrained. Obviously not sure exactly how much he got. He is now on powdered milk replacer. Started out feeding 4 ounces every 3 hrs until he was 24 hrs old, then went to 6 ounces every 3 hrs. I can't tell if he has colostrum poop or scours. I'm thinking scours, as it's getting more runny, and lighter in color? It's currently a broken egg consistancy, and mustard yellow.

I am getting differing advice on how much to feed/how often, and when and how much to increase. Can someone give me some solid advice on this? Also, what should I do for the diarrhea? I'm going to give him an electrolyte for his next feeding, then back off on the milk for awhile... maybe back to 4 oz every 3 hrs? I've read that I can give Pepto, or Kaopectate to dry him up. Is this recommended? Thank you all!

 

[Sheepshape]

Hi, and welcome to the world of bottle lambs.

So he's about 3 days old now and the Wensleydale makes a big sheep.

Scours is very common in lambs....those who are with mum as well as on the bottle....the infant lamb gut is getting used to milk constituents. His poop should be yellow and soft, but not too runny.

Most ewe milk replacer has cow whey in it, so is not entirely the best stuff for his gut, but the ewe milk replacer sourced from ewes milk is very expensive.

Generally it is said that 1 litre of milk reconstituted from replacer needs to be given in, divided over 4 feeds from days 4-7 of life, and thereafter 1.5 litres, initially as 4 feeds.(sorry we are metric over here now).
As he is a Wensleydale, he may be a big lamb and will need more than this. Maybe I just have greedy bottle lambs, but mine always seem to need more than the manufacturers say

So, scours may be nothing much to worry about, BUT, is he unwell? Is he taking his feeds poorly? Is there blood or mucus in his poop or does he have pain....straining and moaning when he has his bowels open....indicating infection? Is he lively or listless?
If he is well apart from loose bowels, then I wouldn't worry too much. If he has blood, pain or is unwell, he may need antibiotics and diluting his milk 50/50 with an electorate mix.

Good Luck.

 

[ashley carro]

Hi, and welcome to the world of bottle lambs.

So he's about 3 days old now and the Wensleydale makes a big sheep.

Scours is very common in lambs....those who are with mum as well as on the bottle....the infant lamb gut is getting used to milk constituents. His poop should be yellow and soft, but not too runny.

Most ewe milk replacer has cow whey in it, so is not entirely the best stuff for his gut, but the ewe milk replacer sourced from ewes milk is very expensive.

Generally it is said that 1 litre of milk reconstituted from replacer needs to be given in, divided over 4 feeds from days 4-7 of life, and thereafter 1.5 litres, initially as 4 feeds.(sorry we are metric over here now).
As he is a Wensleydale, he may be a big lamb and will need more than this. Maybe I just have greedy bottle lambs, but mine always seem to need more than the manufacturers say

So, scours may be nothing much to worry about, BUT, is he unwell? Is he taking his feeds poorly? Is there blood or mucus in his poop or does he have pain....straining and moaning when he has his bowels open....indicating infection? Is he lively or listless?
If he is well apart from loose bowels, then I wouldn't worry too much. If he has blood, pain or is unwell, he may need antibiotics and diluting his milk 50/50 with an electorate mix.

Good Luck.

I have my first bottle fed lamb. He was very small when born and rejected. I feed him colustrum the first 24+ hours. About 1-2 ounces per hour. Then switched to lamb milk replacer. He’s eating 16-24 ounces per day divided feeding every 1-2 hours.
he poop this am is more soft then it has been. He seems like today day 6 he’s fatigue. Sleeping most of the day today not as active. His respiratory rate is about 40, temp is 101.8F. He’s eating about 1-2 ounces per hour. Voiding and bowler movements are regular. Doesn’t seem distressed just fatigue or more listless today. Any suggestions?

 

[Mike CHS]

If you don't get many answers it might be a good idea to make a separate post as you answered a fairly old one. That being said, people are good about jumping in to help. Have you given the lamb anything other than what you mentioned. We give nutri-drench to lambs that are lacking in energy. Even molasses has a similar affect. An injection of Bo-se is a good catch all.

 

[ashley carro]

If you don't get many answers it might be a good idea to make a separate post as you answered a fairly old one. That being said, people are good about jumping in to help. Have you given the lamb anything other than what you mentioned. We give nutri-drench to lambs that are lacking in energy. Even molasses has a similar affect. An injection of Bo-se is a good catch all.

I posted a Separate thread but no one answered. Thanks for answering. I gave him 5g of jump start this am. Other than that nothing but the colustrum and milk replacer.