Dr. Susan Fritz Compassionate Care Veterinary Hospital

Fredericksburg, Tx

830-997-7643 (W)

830-997-8611 (H)

4S’s • SICK

• SHEEP

• SELDOM

• SURVIVE

The Healthy Animal • Know what is normal

• Observe animals to learn habits

– Eating, activities, urinating, normal feces

• Body temperature 102 -103

• Look at animals daily

– Catch problems early

Key to keeping animals healthy:

• Fresh feed fed twice daily

• Fresh clean water

• Clean pens

• Dog proof pens

• Secure feed room

Key to keeping animals healthy:

• Know what normal state is

• Watch animal closely

• Good relationship with your Veterinarian

• Well stocked medicine box

Items to keep on hand • Thermometer

• Needles and syringes

• Ammonium chloride

• B-Complex

• Penicillin

• Thiamine

• CD &T

•Topical antibiotic(no lidocaine)

•Super glue

•Hoof Trimmers

•Bolus gun & sulfa boluses

•De-wormer

Responsible Drug Use

1. Reduce/Minimize use

2. Management vs. Treatment

3. Appropriate, Food Animal labeled drugs only

4. You are responsible for any drug residue

5. Understand withdrawal times

Reduce/Minimize Drug Use & Management

• Slow and Easy with changes- feed, pen mates, etc.

• Treat early and short rather than late & long

• Balance showing stress with rest/treatment/healing time.

• Animals on feed show response to treatment, heal & build immunity.

Appropriate Food Animal labeled drugs only

- Not horse, chicken, human drugs

- Not Baytril - restricted

- Not Micotil - lethal (goats & human)

Off Label Use - Species, dose, time, use

- Not on label

- Responsible for residues

- Work with your Veterinarian

Slaughter Withdrawal Time

• Double cattle or pig label

• Extend for higher or longer dosage.

• Know what the drug clearance time is from the body

Appropriate Dose and Location

• 3 to 5 days therapy

• Proper injection site and technique

– Subcutaneous (SQ)

– Intramuscular (IM)

Approved Injection Sites

Intramuscular

Subcutaneous

Veterinary - Client – Patient Relationship

• Seen animal and/or premise

• Understand care/management

• Follow-up care/therapy

• Responsible for residues

Relations with Veterinarian

• Call ahead, during office hours

• State problem concisely, therapy initiated

• Schedule and honor appointment

• Give feedback

Feed Related Issues

Urinary Calculi

Symptoms of Urinary Calculi

• Restlessness, getting up and down

• Straining to urinate

• Pawing the ground

• Recurrent looking at its own abdomen

• Vocalizations that indicate pain and discomfort

Dripping/ Plugged -

Emergency! • Get urine pH (sample - refrigerate)

• Urinary acidifier – ammonium chloride

• Antibiotics- Penicillin or Naxcel

• Pain medication – Banamine

Cause • Diet, water, genetics

• Improper Ca:P ratio

• The stones will usually lodge in the bend in the penis known as the sigmoid flexure, or at the tip of the penis called the filiform preventing urination

Treatment

• Most treatment for Urinary Calculi must be done by experienced veterinarians

• In most cases the tip of the penis must be surgically removed

• Blockage removed with catheter

• Drench with ammonium chloride or administer Methigel

Prevention • Feed your animals a proper ration

• Avoid overuse of supplements

• Make sure the feed has ammonium chloride or ammonium sulfate

• Free choice mineral (Comstock - SW Livestock Mineral)

• FRESH, CLEAN WATER

If Problems, Check: • Ration

• Water (mineral content)

• Bladder infection

• changed urine pH

• precipitate sand/stones

Choking-

•Lambs eating too quickly, especially seen in Medium Wool Lambs.

•Type of Feed- pelleted vs. loose

•Very dry conditions

Symptoms • Off feed

• Depression

• Star gazing

• Salivating,repeatedly trying to regurgitate.

• Paddling movements of limbs

• Convulsions and death soon follows

TREATMENT

• Make a fist and rub from the chest floor up.

• Emergency situations may require you to pass a stomach tube to relieve the obstrustion.

• Administer antibiotics.

PREVENTION

• Placing Obstructions in the trough for the animal to eat around.

– 2” in diameter rocks can be placed in the trough to help slow down the lamb.

• Feeding a wet or damp feed mix

THIAMINE DEFICIANCY POLIOENCEPHALOMALACIA

• Blindness

• Depression

• Incoordination

• Head pressing

• Convulsions

• Death

STERNAL RECUMBENCY AND BACKWARDS FLEXION OF THE NECK DUE TO

POLIOENCEPHALAMALACIA

CAUSE • Cerebrocortical necrosis-Thiamine is required for

glucose metabolism in the brain, deficiency causes the neurons to swell.

• Causes

– High concentrate / low fiber diets

– Moldy hay, rumen acidosis

– High molasses feeds (horse feeds)

– High doses of amprolium (Corid)

– Severe Coccidia infestation

– High sulfate levels (water, ammonium sulfate)

Treatment

• High doses of thiamine

– 2000 mg/100 lbs IV initially very slowly

– 2000 mg/ 100 lbs SC every 12 hrs for 2 days

– Dexamethasone 4 mg/100 lbs IV initially then repeat every 12 hours for 2-3 days.

POLIOENCEPHALAMALACIA IN A CROSSBRED EWE

THE SAME EWE 6 HOURS AFTER TREATMENT

Control & Prevention

• Supplement hay (alfalfa)

• Regular injections of B-complex

• Evaluate feeds

– Many feeds now adding thiamine

• Catch problem early and treat aggressively

Yellow color (jaundiced) eyes

Off Feed, reddish colored

urine

Copper Toxicity

Copper Toxicity • Sheep require 8 - 10 ppm Copper

• Not a major problem in goats

• How do we get into trouble

– Supplements

– Feed not labeled for sheep

– Feed additives not labeled for sheep

– Genetics

• Medium wools and Southdown's more likely than fine wools

Symptoms • White’s of the eye are Yellow

• Urine is red

• Off feed

• Depressed

• Fever

• Must act quickly!!

What is happening? • Sheep can not utilize copper and should be feed

in conjunction with molybdenum at 10:1 .

• Excess copper is stored in the liver.

• Animal becomes sick or stressed.

• Large concentration of copper destroys red blood cells.

• Destruction of red blood cells is toxic to the kidneys and causes severe anemia.

Treatment • Drench with Sodium Molybdate

• IV with fluids (liters)

• Drench with electrolytes

• Blood transfusion (2 pts over 2 days)

Prevention

• Read labels carefully and be sure it is safe for sheep

• Biggest problem is improperly mixed feeds.

Acidosis

Also known as Grain Overload

• Off feed

• Depressed

• Weak

• Dehydrated

• Abdominal Distension

• Diarrhea- varies from paste like to watery.

Acidosis • Rapid change in feed

• Getting in the feed room

• Overfeeding

• Treat with anti-acids, Pepto-Bismol, Carmilax

What is actually happening?

• Over ingestion of small grains.

• Rapid rumen fermentation occurs.

• Lactic acid is being produced faster than it can be utilized, causing ph of rumen to drop.

• Lowering the ph kills off the bacteria that utilize the lactic acid. Increased lactic acid moves into the blood stream causing animal to become toxic.

• Increased lactic acid also kills bacteria that produce thiamine in rumen.

Acidosis • Must protect the rumen environment

– Treat aggressively with buffers

– 60 to 120 cc mineral oil to speed passage rate and prevent bloat

– Treat with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory

– Give small amounts of hay

– Give some type of probiotics

– Work back on feed slowly

Acidosis

• Banamine 2cc/100 lbs IM every 12 hrs up to 3 injections

• Penicillin 8cc/100 lbs SQ daily

• Mix .5 tsp baking soda with 1 cup water and drench every 8 hours

• Thiamine 500 mg/100 lbs 3xday

Prevention

• Introduce lambs to a new ration slowly

• Increase feeding slowly

• Be sure the feed room door stays closed.

Scours

Causes • Overfeeding

• Bacteria

TREATMENT

• Diarsynl, Imodium AD, Albon, Kaolin, Corid

• Keep hydrated

• Give small amount of hay

• Reduce feed

Environmental

Rectal Prolapse Symptoms • Rectal tissue protrudes from the anal canal.

• Refusing to eat, lethargic

Causes/ Factors • Coughing

– Dusty Conditions, Nasal Bots, Flies

• Short Tail Docking

• Age

• Diet

• Condition

Treatment • A veterinarian is most commonly used to fix a

rectal prolapse.

• Withhold feed for 24 hours before initiating treatment and administer 45-60 cc Mineral Oil every 12 hours.

• Oxytetracycline or Tylan may be injected

• Plastic Rectal ring implanted.

• Treat animal for infection, and administered medication to limit coughing or straining.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia

Cause – Wet, dirty pens with poor circulation

– Dry, dusty pens, stress

– Bacterial in origin

– Viral in origin

Respiratory • Temp over 103°

• Depressed, off feed.

• Nasal discharge, slight cough, reduced feed/water intake

• Reduced attitude- depressed

• Slightly elevated respiration rate

• Watch/Monitor/Care - fan, shade, pen buddy and TLC

Treatment •Medication:

– Draxxin

– Nuflor

•Circulate air and dry pen

•Anti-inflammatory – Banamine every 12 hours for 3 injections.

•Wet down dusty pen

Prevention

• Once PMH – 2 cc at 3 months and again at 4months will help with Pasturella outbreaks.

Footrot: Lameness, limping, bad odor

• Bacteria

• Wet conditions

• Un-trimmed hooves

Cause

• Trim and clean hooves

• Tylan 200 or penicillin

• Kopertox applied to infected area

Treatment

Pink-eye

Pink-eye • Dusty conditions

• Control flies in barn

• Treatment

– Antibiotic to animal- Tylan or Oxytetracycline

– Antibiotic eye ointment or drops

– Vetericyn

• Watch other animals and children as it is highly contagious

Sore Mouth SIGNS:

• Crusting, blister lesions around the mouth and nose.

Cause:

• Numerous viruses

Treatment:

• Supportive care

• Antibiotics may help in severe infections

Can be transmitted to humans!

Parasite Related

Coccidia

Coccidia

• Parasitic protozoan in small intestine

• Damages lining of small intestine

• Can cause death

• Wet, unsanitary conditions

• Most prevalent in stressed goats and lambs especially after weaning

• Blood in stool

Prevention • Most feeds will have medication to help prevent coccidia.

• Watch for signs of scours and take fecal sample to your veterinarian to check for coccidia.

• Treat aggressively – all animals

• Corid, Sul-met, Albon, Marquis

Internal Parasites

Internal Parasites

Internal Parasites • Swelling under jaw

• Unthrifty, losing weight

• Pale gums

• Deworm at least every 45-60 days.

• Severe infestations may require treatment every 21 days to break the life cycle.

Treatment • White Drenches:

• Safeguard 5-10 cc/100 lbs

• Panacur 5-10 cc/100 lbs

• Valbazen 1cc/11 lbs

– Mectins

• Ivermectin 12 cc/100 lbs

• Cydectin 1 cc/11 lbs

– Tapeworms

• Use Valbazen or Synanthic

Overeating and Tetanus • Vaccinate for clostridium perfringens and tetanus, type

CD&T. Make sure the tetanus is included in the vaccine or you may need to give another vaccination.

• Give booster again after 2 week and again 60 days later

• Give last CD&T to show animals the 1st of December.

• Cheap insurance

Show Related

Wool picked legs may cause

concern for classification!

Wool Picked Lambs • Lambs eating each others’ wool, leaving behind

black or discolored scars

• Takes away from overall eye appeal and class in the show ring

• Caused by:

– Boredom

– Feed deficiency

– Lack of roughages in diet

.... You can catch this

Barn Itch, Ringworm, Club Lamb Fungus

Barn Itch, Ringworm, Club Lamb Fungus

Cause: • Bacteria, fungus

• Washing and shearing

• Exposure to organism

Prevention & Treatment • Wash or spray animals with Novalsan, Betadine or other

product immediately after show.

• Lime/Sulfur dips or sprays

• Bleach pens

• Penicillin, antibiotic

• Corona ointment on spots to help with re-growth

• IV injection of sodium iodide

• Bleach- 1.5 cups to 1 gallon of water, immerse for at least 10 mins.

4S’s

• SICK

• SHEEP

• SUCCESSFULLY

• SAVED