update, good ending :) (pregnant ewe off feed... need advice)

[Goat Whisperer]

We have dealt with it in our dairy goats. Both times it was a rather mild case. I believe the the one doe got it because she was heavy. The other was a young doe with twins, and we were in a horrible rainy spell so the goats were just lounging in the barn all day and not getting the proper exercise.

I would be checking her urine and blood. You can get keto sticks from most pharmacies, this will help you determine with it is toxemia.
If you have a vet who will run blood work that is great (have the calcium checked also).

Taking the temp is very important.

We treated with Propylene Glycol. We didn't have to give high doses, but I did give it 3x a day, then slowly backed it down after kidding. We would give CMPK also, just to cover our bases. Giving probiotics is also a good idea.
We would offer good quality alfalfa (they always get some anyway) BUT we would also offer a lesser quality grass hay. We have found that when goats are "off" they may not want really rich hay or feed, though it should certainly be offered. It is important to keep that rumen going. I can always drench with other goodies if needed.

I don't know if your ewe is dealing this or not- you really should consult a vet. Just sharing what we have done

 

[Spidey]

I called the sheep into the barn for the night. I got some alfalfa from a neighbor to hold me over until tomorrow. She ate with gusto, and looks totally normal, plus she ate the last of the green grass from the area I fenced in today. I'm heading to the store in the morning to get propylene glycol, grain, alfalfa pellets and more alfalfa. I'm hoping that I can treat with propylene glycol and then offer grain and alfalfa to spark her appetite (as it was sparked today).

Its really grim reading everything about pregnancy toxemia... like the chances of her making it are really slim even if caught very early. I've never dealt with this before. She is older and was overfat entering pregnancy. Has anyone caught pregnancy toxemia early? I'd love to hear outcomes so I can prepare myself.

In the picture, she's the girl on the right. Full looking belly tonight, so thats good. I'm dreading going out there in the morning, but I will go with nutridrench just incase. I hope she's okay, of course she's my best producer and favorite sheep.

 

[Spidey]

forgot to reload and just saw your post Goat Whisperer. Thank you- I didn't get to temp her tonight, but in the morning my husband will be back home and I'll have the extra hands to get the ram out and hold her still.

Keto sticks are a great idea- I'll look for them tomorrow as well.

Its good to hear that your goat recovered with early treatment.

I'll keep everyone updated. Thank you all so much- I really appreciate the fast and kind advice xx

 

[Baymule]

Please do let us know how she is doing. Give her a scratch in her favorite place from her Aunt Baymule.

 

[Sheepshape]

Only just seen this thread. It sounds like "Twin Lamb Disease' to me....toxaemia.

After propylene glycol the key is to feed, feed, feed......concentrated carbohydrates are the best.

A couple of years back I had a ewe with 'Twin Lamb' who went on to produce two big healthy lambs about 10 days later after feeding her copiously. I only left her with the one lamb, but both did well.

My very best wishes to you.

 

[Spidey]

she seems to be doing great. I've been keeping the hay rack full with alfalfa (which she prefers over grass hay) and giving her apple slices drizzled in molasses every few hours. I didn't realize that my farm store was closed today, so after lunch I'm heading out in the opposite direction to try and get everything that I need. I'm literally in the middle of nowhere, lol. She was first exposed to the ram on 9/1 and I saw them breed on 9/15. So anywhere from Jan 26 to Feb 9th, give or take a few days.

 

[Sheepshape]

Sheep love bread, sweet biscuits, even chocolate.....now, i'm not advocating this as a regular ovine diet, but it will certainly fill her up with calories and keep her blood sugar up whilst you get more conventional sheep food.

 

[Spidey]

good to know Sheepshape! Her favorite treat is animal cookies (the ones made for people)! I got everything I needed and she's been enjoying alfalfa pellets, apples and molasses, plus alfalfa and free choice grass hay. I haven't added any grain in. She's doing really well and acting completely normal. I'm going to keep checking on her several times a day, but perhaps things will stay stable and she'll be fine. From what I've read, outcomes seem quite grim, even if caught early, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Mike CHS]

I'm happy for you and especially the sheep.

 

[Sheepshape]

From what I've read, outcomes seem quite grim, even if caught early,

This is definitely the case, but it's not inevitable.Her metabolic needs are huge in the last few weeks of pregnancy and even a bit of lameness, eye disease or just plain 'belly too full of lamb to have room to eat' can cause Twin Lamb. Now your girl is not able to able to eat the vast amounts of high bulk stuff she would normally relish, so high calorie, low bulk, concentrated foods are the key. Over here we have 'Breeding ewe nuts/rolls' which are 18% protein, molasses, vitamins, minerals etc in small rolls. Sheep love them. I'm sure you have something similar.
Start with just a small amount daily and build it up as she could get explosive diarrhoea due to sugars if her gut is not used to them. Tolerance develops very quickly and she'll soon be able to chomp loads.
Reduce her metabolic needs......keep her relatively warm indoors (no need for heated premises) and confine her in a relatively small area such that she does not have to exercise too much or compete for food.
If you do these things, she is likely to be fine.
If she has more two or more lambs, then just leave her with one.
Remember that she will need to have 'special measures' taken after lambing, with lots of extra food until her lamb is weaning.
As mentioned earlier, I had a very good outcome from a ewe who had 'Twin Lamb'. However, in the following year she started to produce copies milk a month before she lambed. I would milk about 750mls from her daily. She again went on to have two big, healthy lambs. However, I fed her vast amounts of food in the run-up to lambing to achieve this (not difficult, I just kept her in and gave her lots of food. She had a huge appetite). I didn't hang on to her for another year!

keep us updated about her....and very best of luck (though I don't think you'll need it)