Shiloh Acres
Ridin' The Range
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2010
- Messages
- 232
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 59
Just want to post an update, since she is doing great and in searching all over the internet, I found very little information, so if this can ever help someone -- well, I'm very grateful for the help I got here that hopefully saved the doeling's life so I'm more than happy to pass it along.
Doeling was about 5 months old, I noticed she was getting thin (along with a younger doeling that was also getting dangerously thin). I separated them and fed sweet feed and calf manna, along with loose minerals (and a handful of rabbit alfalfa pellets, which I stopped when I was advised to). It turns out they have heavy barberpole worms, and one doeling progressed to bottlejaw (on a Sunday, when everyone is closed .... Sigh). Both were almost whited-out on the eyelids. The bottlejaw doeling had been lethargic for days.
Monday morning, the jaw swelling had gone down. I started her on Safeguard 10% suspension, 2.6mL for a 36 pound doeling. I also gave 3mL of Red Cell and Probios (about the size of 2 peas). The other doeling was 30 pounds and got the same, except her Safeguard dosage was 2.2mL. They got that treatment for 3 days, but on the 2nd and 3rd day they got 3mL Safeguard (the 30 pound doeling) and just over that for the 36 pound with bottlejaw (my syringe only measures 3mL. All of this was given orally. I upped the calf manna, cut back on the sweet feed, offered lots of fresh browse, and they are refusing minerals (I'm sure the Red Cell is taking care of that).
I also gave a little "magic" I found mentioned online. One part corn oil, one part molasses, two parts Karo syrup. I only gave a couple ounces between them on Monday and after it was suggested that it probably wasn't doing much, I started just offering a few cc's after giving meds just because the bottlejaw doeling was encouraged to suck down anything in a syringe by having it taste good sometimes.
I am happy to report that the bottlejaw doeling pepped up within 24 hours. She ran a few paces for browse, and started becoming vocal again. The swelling could be felt very slightly in the jaw-- almost more like loose skin, for two days. In fact, I didn't realize it WAS still a slight swelling until it was gone on Thursday night. On Thursday I finally saw a little pinking to the eyelids. She seems to be on her way back. She is much more active and normal now where before she stood around quietly like a sawhorse (legs spread).
The other doeling that had not progressed to bottlejaw is even more dramatically improved. She is VERY active and butts the food bucket around, climbs on me, is plumping up again, and eyelids are also pinking a bit. I don't worry about her at all anymore.
My does were also whited out and thin, though acting normally, so I began the same treatment on them a day later. They are too big for me to easily dose and horned so I mix their meds into 2 oz of the "magic" and they lick the dish clean.
The little bucks WERE good as far as eyelids, though one was a little thin, but went to white in a day's time. ALSO I'm concerned that they are getting a low dose Safeguard from the doe's milk (both stubbornly refuse to wean!) so I don't want to risk making a bad situation (re: resistance) worse and they are getting the same treatment as well.
I managed to track down 24 Levasole sheep boluses. I plan to continue the Red Cell until I'm satisfied with the bottlejaw girl's condition (she's probably the one to watch in this situation) and then get as close to an accurate weight as I can on all of them (the bucklings and does are too big to weigh) and dose them all at 1-1/2 times the sheep rate.
I'm also keeping geese on their pasture, hoping that as many of the barberpoles clinging to the grass stalks are getting eaten by THEM
instead. Now I hope I don't learn that barberpoles can affect geese,
as these are ones I mean to keep long-term.
So ... That's what I've done (thanks to the folks on here -- I NEVER would have known all that on my own) and the results so far.
Doeling was about 5 months old, I noticed she was getting thin (along with a younger doeling that was also getting dangerously thin). I separated them and fed sweet feed and calf manna, along with loose minerals (and a handful of rabbit alfalfa pellets, which I stopped when I was advised to). It turns out they have heavy barberpole worms, and one doeling progressed to bottlejaw (on a Sunday, when everyone is closed .... Sigh). Both were almost whited-out on the eyelids. The bottlejaw doeling had been lethargic for days.
Monday morning, the jaw swelling had gone down. I started her on Safeguard 10% suspension, 2.6mL for a 36 pound doeling. I also gave 3mL of Red Cell and Probios (about the size of 2 peas). The other doeling was 30 pounds and got the same, except her Safeguard dosage was 2.2mL. They got that treatment for 3 days, but on the 2nd and 3rd day they got 3mL Safeguard (the 30 pound doeling) and just over that for the 36 pound with bottlejaw (my syringe only measures 3mL. All of this was given orally. I upped the calf manna, cut back on the sweet feed, offered lots of fresh browse, and they are refusing minerals (I'm sure the Red Cell is taking care of that).
I also gave a little "magic" I found mentioned online. One part corn oil, one part molasses, two parts Karo syrup. I only gave a couple ounces between them on Monday and after it was suggested that it probably wasn't doing much, I started just offering a few cc's after giving meds just because the bottlejaw doeling was encouraged to suck down anything in a syringe by having it taste good sometimes.
I am happy to report that the bottlejaw doeling pepped up within 24 hours. She ran a few paces for browse, and started becoming vocal again. The swelling could be felt very slightly in the jaw-- almost more like loose skin, for two days. In fact, I didn't realize it WAS still a slight swelling until it was gone on Thursday night. On Thursday I finally saw a little pinking to the eyelids. She seems to be on her way back. She is much more active and normal now where before she stood around quietly like a sawhorse (legs spread).
The other doeling that had not progressed to bottlejaw is even more dramatically improved. She is VERY active and butts the food bucket around, climbs on me, is plumping up again, and eyelids are also pinking a bit. I don't worry about her at all anymore.
My does were also whited out and thin, though acting normally, so I began the same treatment on them a day later. They are too big for me to easily dose and horned so I mix their meds into 2 oz of the "magic" and they lick the dish clean.
The little bucks WERE good as far as eyelids, though one was a little thin, but went to white in a day's time. ALSO I'm concerned that they are getting a low dose Safeguard from the doe's milk (both stubbornly refuse to wean!) so I don't want to risk making a bad situation (re: resistance) worse and they are getting the same treatment as well.
I managed to track down 24 Levasole sheep boluses. I plan to continue the Red Cell until I'm satisfied with the bottlejaw girl's condition (she's probably the one to watch in this situation) and then get as close to an accurate weight as I can on all of them (the bucklings and does are too big to weigh) and dose them all at 1-1/2 times the sheep rate.
I'm also keeping geese on their pasture, hoping that as many of the barberpoles clinging to the grass stalks are getting eaten by THEM
instead. Now I hope I don't learn that barberpoles can affect geese,
as these are ones I mean to keep long-term.
So ... That's what I've done (thanks to the folks on here -- I NEVER would have known all that on my own) and the results so far.
)
