Lambing Flashcards
What are the zoonotic risk of lambing?
- Abortion pathogens:
- Toxoplasma
- Enzootic abortion (Chlamydophila abortus)
- Campylobacter
- Salmonella
- Q-Fevel (Coxiella burnetti) - Enteric Pathogens
- E coli
- Salmonella
- Cryptosporidium - Skin pathogens
- Orf
- Ringworm
What are the zoonotic risk of lambing?
- Abortion pathogens:
- Enteric Pathogens
- Skin pathogens
Examples of Abortion pathogens
- Toxoplasma
- Enzootic abortion (Chlamydophila abortus)
- Campylobacter
- Salmonella
- Q-Fevel (Coxiella burnetti)
Examples of Enteric PAthogens
- E coli
- Salmonella
- Cryptosporidium
Examples of skin pathogens
- Orf
- Ringworm
How to reduce zoonotic risk?
- Good personal hygiene
- Dedicated and Protective clothing
- Don’t eat, drink, smoke in sheds
- Don’t go near lambing sheep if pregnant or immuno suppressed
Signs of neurological signs hypocalcaemua
recumbent, flacid, reduced HR, rumen contractions stop
Clinically very ahrd to tell pregnancy toxaemia and hypocalcaemia apart so treat for both
2. can occur when lactating too
Treatment:
Pregnancy toxaemia
Signs = twitching eyelids, muzzle, ear, depressed
1. diagnose by urine = inc ketones
2. hard to make urinate
so usually have to treat for preg toxaemia and calcaemia
3. hard to tell if hypocalcaemia or tox so treat for both
if no neurological signs but recumbent then what could be the cuase?
- Not lambed = abortive agent?
- Lambed = mastitis, severe urinary infection
- Trauma/ lameness
- exhaustion/ starvation = body condition score likely to be around 1
Vaginal prolapse
- Pre partum
- Happens pre partum due to increased abdominal pressure (pneumonia = coughing, bulky food, lot of lambs)
- If really struggle to put back could be becuase bladder has come forward
Vaginal prolapse
- Pre partum
- Happens pre partum due to increased abdominal pressure (pneumonia = coughing, bulky food, lot of lambs)
- If really struggle to put back could be because bladder has come forward
- gently massage tissue back in with weak iodine solution/ soapy water
Treatment of vaginal prolapse?
- NSAIDs and antibiotics
2. Culling after had lambs - if only vaginal as recurring, if uterine then ok
Treatment of vaginal prolapse?
- NSAIDs and antibiotics
- Culling after had lambs - if only vaginal as recurring, if uterine then ok
- harness to put pressure on perineal area
Stage 1 of parturition
- 6 to 12 hrs
- vulva relaxation: elongates
- Uterine contractions
- Cervix dilates
- Allantoic fluid
- Restless and separation from group
- inc resp rate
Stage 2 of parturition
- 1/2 to an hr
- Abdominal straining
- Foetus through vagina
- Amnion breaks
- Lies down, strains, grunts
Stage 3 of parturition
- 3-4 hrs
2. Expulsion of membranes
intervention
- no lamb after 1 hr = dystocia
- see lmab and no development after 15 minutes
- between 1st adn 2nd no more than 30 minutes
What to assess
Vulva: relaxed, tight, swollen, damaged • Foetal fluids: fresh, smelly, meconium • Vagina: dry, well lubricated • Vagina: Lamb visible, palpable, work out presentation • Cervix: open, closed, ring womb
Most to least common cause of Dystocia
- Foetal maldisposition
- obstruction birth canal
- Feto-pelvic disproportion
- Fetal monsters
Uterine prolapse
- First aid
- epidural (ideal)
- raise hindquarter
- Clean, remove foetal membranes
- Replace
- Antibiotics and NSAID
- Oxytocin and calcium to get uterus to contract
Trauma
Metritis
- Trauma =
a) uterine prolapse
Treatment: raise hindquarters 45 deg, epidural, clean, remove foetal membrane if coems easily, replace, antibiotics and NSAID, oxytocin and calcium
b) vaginal rupture = euthanasia
METRITIS after lambing = clinical signs = reduced appitite, depressed, temperature, dark red discharge.
Treatment = high dose antibiotic, drench with electrolytes, NSAIDS
What should you check first when lamb is born
- ABC
- Airways
- Breathing
- Circulation
- rubbing
Why not hang upside down
- whole gut contents against diaphragm
- so hold at 45 degrees instead
- straw in nostril
Why not hang upside down
- whole gut contents against diaphragm
- so hold at 45 degrees instead
- straw in nostril
- cold to hot water
- no heart beat = very little to can do cardiac massage
Within the first 15 minutes what position should the lamb be in
sternal recumbency
What does meconium staining
- Meconium = colour of gut contents that fetus accumulates = accumulation of dead cells
distressed during parturition - prolonged parturition = lamb likely to be compromised
What to use for navel
- strong iodine - stains navel so know covered it all and dries it
- other things like blue spray keep it moist or another doesn’t stain very well
Colostrum
- lamb must have 10% body weight in first 6 hrs
- 10% more in the next 12
- so 20% of body weight in first 18
tubing
- want in oesophagus = oesophageal rxxxxxx
where to place ear tags
- lower ear so doesn’t flop over
2. Tag so that allows room fro growth
Main reason for docking
- reduce tail therefore fleece that could be soiled and result in fly strike
- tail long enough to cover ventral aspect of vulva
- male must cover anus
Main reason for docking
Landmarks where the ring should go
- reduce tail therefore fleece that could be soiled and result in fly strike
- tail long enough to cover ventral aspect of vulva
- male must cover anus
Main reason for castration
- stop meat taint
- usually 9-10 months old
- most lambs in UK are slaughtered at 5 ish months so not really necessary
What is entropion
- hereditary
- eyelid rolled inwards and eyelashes scratch cornea
- see squinting, then tear staining, after a day = red area of corneal damage
- treatment = pinch skin and inject fluid
What are peri parturient losses and aims
- lambs born dead: 8-10% aim = 2-3%
2. Dying in first 72 hrs: 10-12% aim = 1-2%
Heat lamps
- don’t warm lamb up, cause vasodilaiton. much between to fill gloves with hot water, stick in a hot box
hypothermia
- less than 6 hrs = brown fat
2. older than 6 hrs = MUST feed first ebfore warm up as could risk hypo xxxx due to no more brown xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Temp less than 37, under 6 hrs, able to hold head up
- less than 6 hrs so still have brown fat energy source
- therefore can warm up and then feed
- feed by tube as can hold head
Temp less than 37, over 6 hrs, not able to hold head
- No brown fat, so as warm up circulation inc, metabolism, organ function etc = hypoglycemic coma - no energy for lamb to fulfil demand
- not able to hold head = sign of GI stasis = glucose injection into peritoneal cavity = risk of puncture intestine however if don’t = lamb will die
- can give glucose by rectal insertion
- honey, golden syrup if vet can’t get there
hyperthermia
- inc resp rate
Glucose interperitoneal
20% solution - often hard to get so need to dilute
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Watery mouth
- E coli –> endotoxaemia
- oral infection
- predisposing factors = poor hygiene, inadequate colostrum, large litter, early castration
- usually first few are fine but once a lot have lambed with bad cleaning E coli in shed
- treat using antibiotics - can use orally as monogastric at this point
Watery mouth
- E coli –> endotoxaemia
- oral infection
- predisposing factors = poor hygiene, inadequate colostrum, large litter, early castration
- usually first few are fine but once a lot have lambed with bad cleaning E coli in shed
- treat using antibiotics - can use orally as monogastric at this point
- clinical signs = normal at birth, dull, absent suck refelx, salivation, abomadal distension, GI stasis = retention of meconium
Watery mouth
- E coli –> endotoxaemia
- oral infection
- predisposing factors = poor hygiene, inadequate colostrum, large litter, early castration
- usually first few are fine but once a lot have lambed with bad cleaning E coli in shed
- treat using antibiotics - can use orally as monogastric at this point
- clinical signs = normal at birth, dull, absent suck refelx, salivation, abomasal distension, GI stasis = retention of meconium
Orphan
- need 15% body weight in 24 hrs
Signs of hypomagnesia
- lactating ewe on pasture
- spastic recumbency = paddle, lateral recumbancy
- any touch = paddle and thrash
- depressed and flacid.
What neurological disease is not related to lambing? what are
- CCN = high concentrates. Clinical signs = blindness, circling, head pressing: stay on feet
- Listeriosis = related to silage feeding = head tilt, circle, appear blind, head press: stay on feet
- louping ill = tick = any age = depends on area of coutnry
RELATED TO LAMBING = Hypo calcaemia, magnesia and preg toxaemia = related to lambing
