Lambs and kid goats with abomasal bloat will have a swollen belly and will be dull and lethargic. Abdominal pain (colic) and teeth grinding (sign of pain) is common. Onset can be rapid, within 30 minutes of feeding and sometimes death is the first sign (i.e. found dead).
The main sign is a swollen left abdomen. Other tell-tale signs include restless acting sheep that get up and down repeatedly, kicking at their belly, grunting and extending their neck and head. A bloated sheep might lay down in distress and not be able to get back up.
Mix ¾ cup of water with ½ cup of baking soda and syringe some (carefully) into the lambs mouth. This will help neutralise the gas. Massage the lambs stomach area, this helps the gas move. The lamb may belch or pass gas, this is a good thing.
One of the most common reported problems for these lambs is abomasal bloat (tympany), which is caused by harmful bacteria in the stomach that feed on the lactose, which often gains entry with unhygienic conditions and hot milk.
Abomasal bloat seems to occur most commonly in lambs that are 2 to 4 weeks of age. It may occur later in goat kids, as they are typically fed milk for a longer period of time.
Animals that are mildly affected can be treated orally with an anti-bloat preparation. After dosing, keep the animal moving to encourage the preparation to mix with the frothy rumen contents. Bloated animals starting to show signs of distress need veterinary attention.
Life threatening distension is treated by venting the rumen through a 10 cm stab incision with a knife targeting the middle of the left paralumbar fossa. Use a sharp pointy knife with a non-slip handle.
Lambs less than five hours old will usually respond to warming alone. This is best done with a heat lamp or a hot box, however, care must be taken not to overheat lambs. Stomach tubing with colostrum will hasten the response. This is a relatively simple procedure and definitely saves lives.
It's important to know that sheep can bloat on hay too, especially risky is a sudden change to hay that is heavy with alfalfa and/or clover. In making any changes to sheeps' diets, always make the changes slowly and gradually.
Cattle and sheep have special digestion and absorption methods. Adding baking soda in the feeding process can help cattle and sheep to better absorb and digest. Baking soda is weakly alkaline and acts as a buffer in the rumen of ruminants.
The condition has been reported to most commonly occur two to three hours after eating a large meal, although bloat and GDV can occur at any time.
Bloat occurs when a ruminant, such as sheep, consumes too much fresh, lush alfalfa (or clovers or lush small grains) with a high concentration of leaf proteins called saponins.
Drunken lamb syndrome is the term given to lambs usually around a week old which stop drinking milk, become lethargic and go ataxic (wobbly or drunken) with no ob- vious cause eg no naval ill, scour, hypothermia etc.
The main cause of lamb mortality is infection. Key on farm issues impacting infection are hygiene, colostrum intake and an adequate vaccination programme. Natural colostrum contains IgG which is critical for the transfer of passive immunity to many diseases and infection to new born lambs.
Clostridial disease is one of the most common causes. Clostridial bacteria naturally inhabit the intestines but if the gut environment changes this can lead to multiplication, production of toxins and death. This generally seen due to increased feed intakes and changes in diet (pasture and grain based).
Treatment options for diet-related free gas bloat can include the passage of a tube down the esophagus to the rumen to relieve the gas pressure. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) diluted in water can be administered through the tube if acidosis is believed to be the cause of the bloat.
Constipation can just as easily happen in lambs as it can in humans. Paraffin Oil can be used in the treatment of constipation by adding just 10ml to a bottle of formula. We are sure that Violet was very grateful that this oil was available to her and that it helped to move things along in her young body.
Spider lamb syndrome (SLS) is a congenital disorder in sheep breeding that is recognized by some deformities in skeletal system especially in the limbs. A dead day-old cross-breed white lamb with deformed limbs was referred to the anatomy hall of the Veterinary Faculty of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman.
Watery mouth is an infectious bacterial disease that can kill newborn lambs usually within the first 3 days of life. Lambs pick up infection from the environment and the bacteria multiply very rapidly in the gut. Affected lambs die within hours.
Enzootic ataxia of lambs and kids (swayback) is caused by copper deficiency during the prenatal/neonatal period. This condition is caused by bilateral, symmetric loss of myelin in the dorsolateral spinal cord tracts and the cerebral white matter.
Growing lambs are fed alfalfa as the main forage source, since both protein and energy will help fuel growth and development nutrient requirements. Alfalfa is a great forage choice in early spring when ewes are lactating, and the nursing lambs are growing but high-quality grass pasture is not yet available.
Begin by trying to make the sheep belch by lifting her gently and applying pressure to her sides and stomach. If that doesn't work, pass a rubber tube down her throat and into her stomach. This act should release some gas. If it doesn't, your sheep is likely suffering from frothy bloat rather than mere gassiness.
Alfalfa hay is an excellent feed for sheep and is best used during lactation when ewes require more protein to promote higher levels of milk production. Many producers have fed alfalfa hay to gestating ewes with good results.