Sheepies Flashcards
What are some management considerations unique to small ruminants?
-Predators: coyotes and others will be more likely to target them due to their size
-Fencing- woven wire is the best (keeps animals in and predators out)
-deworming- intestinal parasites are the primary reason for production losses
-Market: often producers have to sell to specialty markets up north, a lot of planning has to go into when you send your animals to market
What type of sheep are gaining popularity in the US for meat?
Hair sheep! The wool on meat wool sheep isnt worth anything anyways
What are the most common breeds of meat goats? Dairy?
Meat: Bohr
Dairy: Nubians and Saanen
How much colostrum should newborn small ruminants receive in the first 2 hours of life? What about in the first 24 hours?
2 hrs: 50 ml/kg minimum
24 hours: 200 ml/kg (but most of this should be in the first 12 hours as this is when the gut is close to being closed)
What is the current recommendation for how to dip the navel of newborn small ruminants?
1/3 blue chlorhex solution, 2/3 water
When should you give Bo-se?
If you are in a selenium deficient area
- should give in the first couple of days of life, and if known problem in the herd you can give again at weaning
What is the preferred nipple type for bottle feeding?
Pritchard
What is a good backup if you dont have lamb colostrum replacer on hand?
Bovine
- both are made with bovine IgG
What should be done between days 2-5 of life of a small ruminant?
-Disbudding
-tail docking
What is the toxic dose of lidocaine in small ruminants?
6 mg/kg
- it is vital that you get an accurate weight on the youngins
-consider diluting to 1% with sodium bicarb (reduces chance of toxicity and chance of pain on injection)
Describe the process of disbudding in small ruminants
Use lidocaine on cornual nerve and try to hit some of the nerves caudal to the bud as well
-need to do this early as after the bud attaches to the skull there is a high risk of exposed sinus and sinusitis
-should sedate with xylazine (0.5 mg/kg- dilute to 1 mg/mL and give IM)
-can use a disbud box for proper restraint
-use the 3 seconds on and 3 seconds off technique to avoid the risk of thermal injury
-use alushield for fly control
-consider NSAIDs for pain- either injectable or oral
How short should you dock the tail of a sheep? What is the risk of cutting too short?
No shorter than the distal end of the caudal tail fold
-many use banding techniqu
Risks: cutting too short can cause loose anal tone and increased risk of prolapses, urinary incontinence and infection
When should lambs/kids receive their first dose of CD & T?
At 6-8 weeks of age (aka prior to weaning)
-should booster 4 weeks later
-use 18 or 20 g, .75-1 inch needle SQ in the armpit
-begin monthly FAMACHA
When should you start weaning lambs/kids? How should you go about it?
Start weaning when they reach 2-2.5X their birth weight or when they are eating 0.25 lbs of grain per day, plus some hay
-start creep feeding with a lamb/kid starter grain that contains amprolium (15 mg/kg for prevention, 50 mg/kg PO for 5 days for treatment)
When should you perform castration if you intend to keep an animal as a wether?
Wait until 6 months of age in order to avoid the risk of urinary calculi
-can use emasculator like a horse or if older you can perform scrotal ablation
-be sure the animals are vaccinated for tetanus
-be sure there is adequate fly control
-consider local blocks to either the cord or in the testicle- can give sedation in the testicle as well (ketamine and midazolam)
-pain management with banamine or meloxicam
What are some important things that you should do pre-breeding in ewes and rams?
Booster CD & T
-if there is a problem in the herd consider chlamydia, campylobacter or leptospirosis
-FAMACHA/foot trim
-BSE on ram/buck
-think about any culls- poor udder conformation or fibrosis present, prolapses, thin and obese females
How long should you leave bucks and rams in for the breeding season?
Bucks - 32 days
Rams- 27 days
Why is laparoscopic AI gaining so much popularity in sheep?
-They have a very complicated cervix
-in goats you can perform cervical AI with fresh semen, but in sheep in order to ensure success you have to go laparoscopically (conception rate 50-80%)
How can you diagnose pregnancy in small ruminants?
Ultrasound- 45 days transabdominally, 30-35 days rectally. Look for C shaped placentomes
BIO-PRYN- pregnancy specific protein B blood test- found only in the placenta of a growing fetus (not reliable before 30-35 days)
What is important to do in ewes 30 days pre-partum?
-Booster with CD & T
-increase nutrition and ensure that females continue eating (avoid risk of pregnancy toxemia)
-FAMACHA- watch for temporary immunosuppression
What facilities are important to ensure a healthy lambing process?
A barn (12-14 ft per ewe) and Jugs (4 x 4 feet)
When should you intervene if there is no progress during a birth?
After 30 minutes of active straining with no progress
-placenta should pass 30-60 min after the fetus
What are the primary medical concerns in lambs during the first 24 hours of life?
Hypothermia and hypoglycemia
-need to monitor temp carefully
Why do pregnant women need to be especially careful when working with pregnant small ruminants?
A lot of the small ruminant abortion diseases are zoonotic, including brucella, campylobacter, chlamydia, coxiella, and toxoplasma
What is a simple way to prevent prolapses in sheep/goats?
A prolapse spoon which is attached via a harness
When should you treat a small ruminant for parasites based on the fecal egg count results?
-usually treat things above 1500
-or if there is clinical signs, treat when above 500-750
When does a sheep need a scrapie tag?
When they will be sold to any other farm and wont go directly to slaughter
Describe scrapie disease
-similar to BSE in cattle
-a prion disease
-extremely pruritic and results in scraping off wool
If raising purebreds/replacements consider trying to get a scrapie free flock certification
What are the main considerations for foot trimming in small ruminants?
Trim parallel to the coronary band
-the inside horn should be shorter than the outside
-must clean tools in between farms
-should run all new animals through a copper sulfate bath to keep foot rot off of a farm (once its there, its always there)
Describe the basics of SR nutrition
-feed 3-4% of body weight for lactating animals
-separate animals into production groups
-feed mostly forage
-no grain for pet goats or wethers after 1 year (or else you will have stones)
-supplement grain for high producing animals, growing kids and lactating does
-mineral should be fed loose (and must be species specific due to risk of copper toxicity)
What should new additions in a herd be tested for?
CAE, OPP, CL, Johnes disease, TB, brucellosis
- need to be isolated for at least 30-60 days
What are the clinical signs of lice in small ruminants and how should you treat it?
Clinical signs: pruritis, rough hair coat
Treatment: permethrins
-reapply in 10-14 days
What is the main coccidia that affects small ruminants? What does it cause clinically?
Protozoa: eimeria spp
-fecal or oral transmission, can live in the environment for long periods of time
-usually clinically affects young animals (3 weeks to 5 months), who develop immunity after that
-any stressful event can cause loss of immunity
-clinical signs include decreased appetite, listlessness/ADR, watery and bloody diarrhea leading to heavily stained perineal area
-dehydration often leading to death occurs due to severe electrolyte abnormalities
Describe nervous and chronic coccidiosis
Nervous- can develop polio as a result of infection
Chronic- can lead to poor haircoat and pot-belly appearance
How can you diagnose and treat coccidiosis?
Diagnosis: fecal flotation, will see on McMasters egg per gram as well. On necropsy will see multiple raised, white nodules in the intestinal mucosa
Treatment: supportive care (IV fluids, oral electrolytes, watch out for secondary invaders)
-coccidiostats- a lot used but none approved for treatment (albon- sulfadimethoxine, corid- amprolium, marquis- ponazuril)
Prevention: decrease stress around the time of weaning, keep the housing hygienic (clean and dry bedding essential), and add coccidiostats to feed when young
What is P tenuis also known as? What does it cause clinically?
Deer meningeal worm
-infected snails are consumed by ruminants and larvae migrate to the spinal cord via the peritoneum
-leads to a wide array of neurologic abnormalities including paresis or paralysis of limbs (usually hindlimb and asymmetrical), knuckling, abnormal reflexes, down, usually still mentally alert
How do you diagnose and treat P Tenuis?
Diagnose via neuro exam, can also add on CSF tap for definitive diagnosis (will see increased total protein and white, high eosinophils)
Treatment: dewormer and anti-inflammatory, injectable ivermectin SQ once, fenbendazole orally for 5 days, dexamethasone
Prevention? Nothing really
What can tapeworms cause in severe cases?
Usually do not cause issues but in severe cases can see constipation, slow growth or pot belly appearance
-treat with fenbendazole or albendazole
What is the HOTC complex?
The 4 main parasites of concern in small ruminants:
1. Haemonchus contortus
2. Ostertagia
3. Trichostrongyle
4. Cooperia
All will probably be present, but H contortus is usually the biggest player
T/F: All small ruminants have some level of parasite burden
True- the key is to manage clinical signs and breed resistant animals
What are the main clinical signs associated with the HOTC complex?
Diarrhea, weight loss, poor haircoat, anemia (5-9%), hypoproteinemia (bottle jaw)
What are some methods to diagnose HOTC?
EPG, FAMACHA, PCV/TS
Describe how the McMasters egg per gram test is conducted?
Weight out 1, 2, 3 or 4 grams of feces (more is always better)
-fill to 20 grams with fecasol, then pour through strainer
-count the total number of eggs in both sides of the slide and multiply the value relative to grams of feces used
What are the current recommendations for treatment of HOTC?
3 different dewormers all used at once:
- Fenbendazole
- Moxidectin
- Levamisole
Consider blood transfusions (20-40 mL/kg): if acute anemia, perform if PCV <15%, if chronic perform if PCV <12%
What is the best way to control HOTC?
-Monthly famacha scoring
-grazing management
-pasture rotation
-identify heavy shedders and those resistant to deworming (cull them)
-dont feed on the ground
-consider adding on copper oxide particles (not in sheep)
