Post by Selden on Dec 26, 2008 20:02:04 GMT -5
On Christmas Eve my brand-new-to-me Clun ram lamb (9 mos, in with eight ewes),
named Ioan, presented with ataxia... semi-paralysis of his hindquarters.
He had seemed fine at morning chores. He was lying down when I went out to do
evening chores. I noticed it because all the ewes were on their feet, yelling that they
were starving. He got to his feet slowly and then when the sheep all ran into the barn to be
fed, he fell a couple of times. At first I thought he was floundering due to the snow and ice but then I realized he was simply floundering. I watched him in the barn and his back legs appeared to be "drunk" -- twisting at the fetlocks and collapsing under him. If he was
balanced squarely he was fine... but if he turned suddenly, they fell out from under him.
I wondered if the older ewes (Romney/Corriedales... probably twice his weight) might have
rammed him. I worried but as it was Christmas Eve, he was eating and drinking eagerly,
and I have children, I thought it could wait.
He was no better but no worse on Christmas day.
Today I drove him the 45 minutes to the vet. The vet was perplexed. He considered meningeal worm, listeriosis, etc. but none of the symptoms matched. Ioan was running a
fever of 106° (at first the vet thought he'd forgotten to shake the thermometer down, but
it repeated immediately). Ioan is the Clark Kent of rams, very mild mannered, and
eventually the two of us were just sitting on the front porch of the office, me scratching his neck, while we waited for the diagnosis. It's still a question mark, thus this post.
The vet started Ioan on Baytril and I'm to continue it sub-Q for a week. This is just an
automatic response to the fever. We have no idea what we're dealing with. Ioan is still
eating and drinking (and falling). Any ideas among sheep lovers out there?
Thank you for any suggestions. Happy New Year!
named Ioan, presented with ataxia... semi-paralysis of his hindquarters.
He had seemed fine at morning chores. He was lying down when I went out to do
evening chores. I noticed it because all the ewes were on their feet, yelling that they
were starving. He got to his feet slowly and then when the sheep all ran into the barn to be
fed, he fell a couple of times. At first I thought he was floundering due to the snow and ice but then I realized he was simply floundering. I watched him in the barn and his back legs appeared to be "drunk" -- twisting at the fetlocks and collapsing under him. If he was
balanced squarely he was fine... but if he turned suddenly, they fell out from under him.
I wondered if the older ewes (Romney/Corriedales... probably twice his weight) might have
rammed him. I worried but as it was Christmas Eve, he was eating and drinking eagerly,
and I have children, I thought it could wait.
He was no better but no worse on Christmas day.
Today I drove him the 45 minutes to the vet. The vet was perplexed. He considered meningeal worm, listeriosis, etc. but none of the symptoms matched. Ioan was running a
fever of 106° (at first the vet thought he'd forgotten to shake the thermometer down, but
it repeated immediately). Ioan is the Clark Kent of rams, very mild mannered, and
eventually the two of us were just sitting on the front porch of the office, me scratching his neck, while we waited for the diagnosis. It's still a question mark, thus this post.
The vet started Ioan on Baytril and I'm to continue it sub-Q for a week. This is just an
automatic response to the fever. We have no idea what we're dealing with. Ioan is still
eating and drinking (and falling). Any ideas among sheep lovers out there?
Thank you for any suggestions. Happy New Year!