Sheep with overnight sores on face

[KJenkins91]

Hi! My lamb (~7mo) has what looks like warts/pustules with scabs suddenly this morning on the side of the face and under the neck. Backstory- her and sister were brutally attacked by stray dogs that got over our fence 2 weeks ago. We had to cull one sheep as she was too badly injured and we have been rehabbing this one, hoping she will make it. She appeared to be bit by a dog on her right front shoulder and the left side of her neck. The neck wound immediately healed but I think it broke her neck or dislocated it. It is crooked and hard and she can’t lift her head up very far from the ground but it hasn’t stopped her from eating/drinking. Her other wound on front shoulder was bad and we’ve been doing antibiotics, aspirin when needed, vetericyn spray and cleaning the wounds with water and soap, colloidal silver spray topically and into her mouth, vitamin B complex, nutridrench, bluekote, and neosporin. It definitely got infected but I believe is getting better day by day. An outer layer of skin lost hair and hardened from the bluekote and is starting to finally peel back and crack at edges to reveal new skin underneath. She’s started putting a little amount of weight on that leg but mostly hobbles with the other 3 legs. Enough of backstory, we got a new sheep last night from the same person we got the injured one from so she wouldn’t be alone anymore. This was also her first night back in the fence instead of isolated. I don’t know what’s happened to her face. If it’s not one thing it’s another. Could it be something from flies, bees, wasps, etc? Wounds from plants? Different infection? I don’t think it’s scabby mouth as her mouth seems fine really. This just appeared overnight…. Added pic of our poor girl bluekote and all in case anyone has any ideas as far as quality of life with a crooked neck. We are happy she’s up and grazing and feeling better because initial days were rough.

 

[Ridgetop]

Look like bite puncture marks to me, probably infected. I would remove several scabs and see if they would drain - squeeze to see if anything comes out. Sometimes puncture wounds close up, the skin healsI looking like everything is ok even with antibiotics. Infection is left under the skin causing problem. If this is what has happened, you will have to drain the punctures of pus. Then use a syringe (remove needle) to inject iodine soution into the holes and flush out any infection and pus. I use mastitis tubes (off lable use) to inject the antibiotic solution into the punctures which can be a couple inches deep.

Punctures are one of the hardest injuries to clean out and disinfect because the skin will heal over the hole and the infection remains in the wound.

 

[Baymule]

She definitely has a neck injury. I don’t know how that will affect her being able to have lambs. If she can’t raise her head, then my advice would be to never breed her.

What have you done to secure the fence so strays can’t get over the fence.

 

[Baymule]

I just read your comment on an old thread about a neck injury. You mentioned the possibility of culling her. I didn’t mention that in my post because I didn’t know how you felt about that. But here goes.

If she can’t raise her head, she can’t raise lambs. She won’t be able to mother them, care for them, probably won’t be able to lick them clean after birth and encourage them to stand up. If you weren’t right there to grab them, they would die. Then you would have the expense of bottle feeding them plus lots of time. Observe your other sheep, watch how she uses her head, her movements. Your injured ewe can’t do those movements. Just like us, with severe injuries, arthritis can set in, causing pain and even more restricted movement-and she won’t be able to tell you. Let her heal up from her other injuries. If she continues to not be able to raise her head, I would cull her. You can use the meat if you keep her past withdrawal period from all the medications, if that’s something that you want to do. I’m sorry for her and I’m sorry for you.

 

[KJenkins91]

I just read your comment on an old thread about a neck injury. You mentioned the possibility of culling her. I didn’t mention that in my post because I didn’t know how you felt about that. But here goes.

If she can’t raise her head, she can’t raise lambs. She won’t be able to mother them, care for them, probably won’t be able to lick them clean after birth and encourage them to stand up. If you weren’t right there to grab them, they would die. Then you would have the expense of bottle feeding them plus lots of time. Observe your other sheep, watch how she uses her head, her movements. Your injured ewe can’t do those movements. Just like us, with severe injuries, arthritis can set in, causing pain and even more restricted movement-and she won’t be able to tell you. Let her heal up from her other injuries. If she continues to not be able to raise her head, I would cull her. You can use the meat if you keep her past withdrawal period from all the medications, if that’s something that you want to do. I’m sorry for her and I’m sorry for you.

All of this totally makes sense. She did surprise me yesterday by lifting her head a little over a foot and a half up to get some grain from a fence bucket. She definitely can’t turn it to the one side. I would be fine keeping her as a disabled sheep that we didn’t let breed if she had a good quality of life still otherwise. I’m trying to stay hopeful that we won’t have to cull her after she’s pushed so hard to survive the attack. I have a soft heart for her. Thank you for responding. The dogs were able to pull down a small area where we had hinge joint field wire fence enough where they could climb over somehow. We took out that section and put in galvanized cattle panels and extra t posts that we had around the rest of the pen already. We’ve also put up trail cameras, let the dogs out earlier, and even sat out to keep an eye around the time they had come. We are talking about adding either a donkey or a LGD to stay in the pen as well.

 

[Baymule]

I have special pets too. I have one of my original ewes, Ewenique. She is 10 years old and I retired her. SHE had other ideas and bawled at the gate. I opened it, she ran to another gate, I opened it, then another that let her out in the middle field where she joined Cooper the ram. Her chosen one, there were 2 other rams closer to her but obviously not the one she wanted. Ewenique is not retired. Ewenique is due in December. I tried.

If all you have is a couple of sheep, a donkey would probably be fine. Don’t get a mini, dogs attack them too. A standard size would be ok. Just know not all donkeys make good guardians. Some will attack and kill the lambs, because they just showed up and don’t belong. No jacks! A gelding or a Jenny.

What is your ewe’s name?

 

[Ridgetop]

Same goes for guardian llamas - geldings are best.

 

[farmerjan]

I have to take a little issue with the comment on the gelding llama's... our female llamas were the best I have ever seen for working together to take care of the sheep.... the males were not near as attentive. Did not work together near as well....

 

[Ridgetop]

I meant rather than unneutered llama males.

We adopted a pair of llamas one year to try as guardians with our Pyrs. Our gelded llama was great but one was an intact male and the llama rescue people did not warn us about having him gelded. The ungelded one tried to breed our dairy does right after they kidded. Luckily since it was kidding season I was checking on them every couple hours and caught him trying to mount a doe and going after her with his teeth and front claws when she would not submit. Chased him into a small stall and was able to get a rope around his neck and a halter on him. He went into the trailer and up to the vet next day to be gelded. It could have been a very bad experience since the doe had cuts on her from the llama.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, the intact males are very aggressive and very rough with any female.... have heard of them badly hurting the female llamas when breeding them also.