Diseases of the neonatal lamb 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Define neonatal period

A

The period immediately after birth
1-2 weeks

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2
Q

Define the perinatal period

A

The period around parturition

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3
Q

When are neonatal losses most likley to occur?

A

At lambing

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4
Q

Intra-partum defines which period?

A

0-24hrs after birth

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5
Q

Name some intra-partum problems affecting lambs

A
  • Born dead
  • ‘Birth stress’ resulting in a failure to suck, hypothermia etc.
  • Anoxia/hypoxia
  • Ruptured liver
  • Fractured ribs
  • Brain haemorrhage
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6
Q

Name some post-partum problems affecting lambs

A
  • Hypothermia
  • Starvation
  • Infections
  • Predation
  • Congenital defects
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7
Q

Name some post-partum infections of lambs

A
  • Watery mouth
  • Salmonella
  • Cryptosporidia
  • Septicaemia
  • Joint ill
  • Clostridial disease
  • Pasturella
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8
Q

Name some ewe risk factors for lamb losses

A
  • Genetics
  • Mothering ability: dystocia, milk porduction
  • Ewe health
  • Ewe nutrition
  • Number of lambs
  • Stress
  • Vaccination
  • Colostrum
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9
Q

Name some lamb risk factors for lamb losses

A
  • Birth weight
  • Congenital abnormalities
  • Lamb vigour
  • Vaccination
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10
Q

Name some environmental factors for lamb losses

A
  • Hygiene
  • Equipment: tagging, feeding, castration
  • Naval dipping
  • Shelter
  • Weather
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11
Q

How much colostrum should be given in
1. first feed
2. over 24hrs

A
  1. 50ml/kg
  2. 200ml/kg
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12
Q

How can success/failure of passive transfer be assessed?

A

IgG
Serum total protein

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13
Q

What are some risk factors for poor colostrum intake?

A
  • Concurrent disease: dystocia, lameness, fluke
  • Breeding
  • Age of ewe
  • Multiple births
  • Environment: stress, weather, mis-mothering
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14
Q

What can be used to assist milking single ewes for colostrum?

A

10-15iu oxytocin IM

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15
Q

Describe goat colostrum as a substitute for lambs

A
  • Good antibody spectrum
  • Similar energy content
  • Must be CAE negative flocks
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16
Q

What does CAE stand for?

A

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis - viral disease of goats

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17
Q

Describe cow colostrum as a substitute for lambs

A
  • Johnes and TB -ve
  • Less energy so need 30% more
  • immunological anaemia can occur but not common
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18
Q

What are some risk factors for primary hypothermia?

A
  • Outdoor lambing
  • Younger ewes
  • Wet weather
  • Small birth weight
  • Failure to feed
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19
Q

How can primary hypothermia be prevented?

A
  • Genetics
  • Ewe nutrition
  • Field shelter
  • Identify at risk lambs and give special attention
  • Lamb coats
20
Q

How should you treat a lamb with primary hypothermia?

A
  • Don’t warm a hypoglycaemic lamb without giving glucose first: will have hypoglycaemic fit
  • Oral fluids to hypothermic lambs can cause regurgitation and inhalation pneumonia or asphyxia
  • Use i/p glucose
21
Q

Describe the clinical signs of watery mouth

A
  • Dull
  • Unwilling to suck
  • Normothermic
  • ‘watery mouth’ - saliva drooling from the muzzle.
  • Profuse lacrimation
  • Frequently accompanied by abomasal tympany
  • Scouring unusual: constipation/retained meconium often present
22
Q

Watery mouth most commonly affects lambs at what age?

A

12-72 hours old

23
Q

Describe the prognosis of watery mouth

A
  • Death within 24hrs
  • High mortality
24
Q

What may be seen on the PM of a lamb with watery mouth?

A
  • Few abnormalities recorded
  • Abomasum distended with gas, saliva and clots of milk
  • Inflammatory changes throughout the GIT
25
Q

Name three differentials for watery mouth

A
  • Lamb dysentery
  • Neonatal scours
  • Drunken lamb syndrome
26
Q

Describe the pathogenesis of watery mouth

A
  • Endotoxaemia: possibly due to the death of large numbers of gram -ve bacteria
  • Terminal hypoglycaemia, lactic acidemia and leucopenia
  • Delayed abomasal emptying
27
Q

Targeted oral antibiotics for prevention of watery mouth may be appropriate if…?

A
  • lambs are born into groups where there have been recent clinical cases
  • triplet or low birth weight lambs born into a challenging environment or at the end of the lambing period
28
Q

When are antibiotics not appropriate in watery mouth disease?

A
  • Whole flock treatment
  • Unlicensed products
29
Q

How can watery mouth be prevented?

A
  • Promoting adequate volumes of good quality colostrum: stomach tube if necessary
  • Clean dry bedding
  • Cleaning and disinfection
30
Q

What is the pathogenic cause of lamb dysentery?

A

Clostridium perfringens type B toxins

31
Q

Lambs are affected by lamb dysentery at what age?

A

1-3 days old

32
Q

What are the signs of lamb dysentery?

A
  • Sudden death
  • Haemorrhagic diarrhoea
33
Q

What will be seen on the PM of a lamb with dysentry?

A
  • Dark red intestines
  • Blood stained peritoneal fluid
  • Pale friable liver
34
Q

How can lamb dysentery be prevented?

A
  • Vaccination of ewes
  • Good passive transfer of maternally derived antibodies
35
Q

Name two species of salmonella that infect lambs

A

S.tymphimurium
S.dublin

36
Q

Describe the pathogenesis of salmonella spp

A
  • Bacteraemia and endotoxaemia
  • Intestinal inflammation
  • Reduced absorption
  • Increased secretion
37
Q

What are the clinical signs of a salmonella infection in lambs?

A
  • Weakness
  • profuse watery diarrhoea
  • Blood stained faeces
  • Dehydration
  • Death
38
Q

Name 2 zoonotic infections of lambs

A

Salmonella
Cryptosporidium

39
Q

Describe the pathogenesis of cryptosporidium

A

Villous atrophy in the distal SI
- Malabsorption, secondary fermentation and diarrhoea

40
Q

How is cryptosporidium in lambs treated?

A

Supportive oral fluid therapy

41
Q

Drunken lamb syndrome is also known as?

A
  • Lamb nephrosis
  • Lamb D-lactic acidosis syndrome
42
Q

What are the clinical signs of drunken lamb syndrome?

A
  • Ataxia
  • Stop sucking
  • Recumbent
  • Depressed
  • High mortality (100%)
43
Q

At what age do clinical signs of drunken lamb syndrome present?

A

7-10 days and 1-2mo

44
Q

What would be seen on the clinical biochemistry of a lamb with drunken lamb syndrome?

A

Increased - urea, creatinine, chloride, potassium and D-lactate
Decreased - bicarbonate

45
Q

How can drunken lamb syndrome be treated?

A

400ml of warm tap water
35 g of sodium bicarbonate
50ml given as a single oral bolus