Small Ruminants: Neonatal Lamb Disease Flashcards
What is the difference between neonatal and perinatal?
Neonatal- the period immediately after birth 1-2 weeks
Perinatal- the period around parturition
What can cause neonatal death intra-partum (0-24 hours)
- Born dead
- Birth stress resulting in failure to suck, hypothermia
- Anoxia/hypoxia
- Ruptured liver
- Fractured ribs
- Brain haemorrhage
What are the different common causes of post-partum lost of neonates?
- Hypothermia
- Starvation
- Infections
- Predation
- Accidents
- Congenital defects
What are the common infections that cause post-partum lamb losses?
- Watery mouth
- Salmonella
- Cryptosporidia
- Septicaemia
- Meningitis
- Joint ill
- Clostridial disease
- Pasturellosis
What are the different risk factors for lamb losses?
- Ewe factors- genetics, experience, health, nutrition, litter, stress, colostrum, vaccination
- Lamb factors- birth weight, genetics, lamb vigour, vaccination status
- Environmental factors- hygiene, shelter, castration/tail docking, sheperds, weather
How much colostrum should a lamb be given within the first 25 hours?
50ml/kg first feed
200ml/kg in 24 hours
What is the threshold for FPT of serum TP?
- Serum TP >5.5g/dL
FPR threshold for IgG assessed by radial immunodiffusion 10-15mg/ml
What are the risk factors for poor colostrum intake
- Concurrent disease- dystocia, lameness
- Undernutrition ewe
- Breeding
- Age of ewes
- Multiple births
- Lambing environment- stress, mis mothering, shepherding, weather
What are the 4 options for colostrum substitutes?
- Ewe colostrum- can use 10-15 iu oxytocin i.m to assist milking out single ewes
- Goat colostrum- good antibody spectrum, similar energy, must be CAE negative flocks
- Cow colostrum- 2 hours of calving, Johne’s and TB neg, less energy
- Commercial colostrum substitutes- variable quality
How can hypothermia be prevented?
- Lambing period
- Genetics- system, mothers
- Ewe nutrition- lamb birth weight, brown fat, colostrum
- Provide field shelter
- Identify at risk lambs
- Lamb coats
How should hypothermia be controlled?
- Don’t warm a warm hypoglycaemic lamb without giving it glucose first- will have a hypoglycaemic fit
- Oral administratoin of fluids to hypothermic lambs can cause regurgitatoin and inhalation pneumonia or asphyxia
- Use i/p glucose
What should be asssessed and done to resolve starvation
Starvation- after a few hours and a failure to suck
Holding the head- stomach tube
Not holding the head- IP glucose (20% glucose solution can be made equal by adding boiling water to 40% solution
What are the different common enteric diseases that can affect neonatal lambs?
- Watery mouth
- Lamb dysentery
- ETEC
- Septicaemia/meningitis (pasturellosis)
- Salmonella
- Cryptosporidium parbum
- Drunken lamb syndrome
What are the clinical signs of watery mouth disease?
- 12-72 hours of age
- Dull
- Unwilling to suck
- Drooling saliva
- Profuse lacrimation
- Frequently accompanied by abomasal tympany
- Scouring unusual- constipation/retained meconium
- What are the consequences of watery mouth disease?
- What does a PM show
- Death within 24 hours
* Terminal hypogylcaemia, hypothermia and lactic acidaemia
- Death within 24 hours
- Few abnormalities, abomasum distended with gas, saliva and clots of milk, Bacteraemia evident
DDXs- lamb dysentry, neonatal scours, drunken lamb syndrome
- What is the aetiology and pathogenesis of watery mouth disease?
- What are the risk factors?
- Endotoxaemia leading to terminal hypoglycaemia, lactic acidaemia and leucopenia.
Delayed abomasal emptying - Increased litter size, lamb size (small), ewe condition, time, colostrum, housed lambs
How is watery mouth disease treated?
- Enteral/parenteral antibiotics
- Glucose/electrolyte solution by stomach tube
- Not feeding milk
- Amoxicillin + claculanic acid
- Flunixin meglumine
- Oral rehydration
How can watery mouth be prevented and controlled?
- Promoting adequate volumes of good quality colostrum- stomach tube
- Clean dry bedding
- Cleaning and disinfection
- Can use metaphylactic ABs
When is antibiotic use for WMD suitable?
According to SVS
Targeted oral ABs approptiate:
* Lambs born into groups with previous clinical cases
* Triplets or low birth weights
- What causes lamb dysentery?
- How old are affected lambs?
- What are the clinical signs?
- What does a PM show?
- Caused by clostridium perfringens type B
- 1-3 days of age
- Sudden death, haemorrhagic diarrhoea
- PM- dark red intestines, blood stained peritoneal fluid, pale friable liver