Had a bad day: dead sheeples

[FarmerJack]

🙁 OH you never know how much you love your animals till you loose them.

Today I had a bad day! and cant figure out why?

We run over 100 sheep and I love our sheeples. beautiful things.

three acutely got sick today, laid down and died. well nearly three, i am waiting for the last one to pass on. All three were heavily in lamb, on a week at the most off.

cant figure it out. I think it is food poisoning of a sorts. its too acute for anything else.

drooling, staggers, lie down, become blank in expression, pull back their eyes (nothing).. dead!

been googling all day.. hoping the last one lives until tomorrow and i will take her to the DPI for examination to find out what it is. so sad.

[Andre]

Here’s a couple of links .. you probably saw them anyway …

Sorry for your losses there FarmerJack 🙁

http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/sheep/8179.html

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/animal-diseases/beef-and-dairy-cows/clostridial-diseases-of-livestock

[carolf]

Farmer Jack have your sheep had there pulpy kidney shots. Lost about 6 sheep 4 months ago to pulpy kidney.Showed similiar symptoms to your sheep

[Gianna]

Pregnancy toxaemia perhaps.

[Bel]

That’s terrible Farmer Jack. I have no advice to offer, but just wanted to let you know we’re thinking of you. Makes it twice as bad that they were heavily in lamb as well 🙁 Hope you find out what is was soon.

[Ggang]

sounds like grass tetany to me …… too much lush green grass which is low in magnesium

[Vickie]

What an awful thing. How did the last one get on? did it make it to the vets????

[FarmerJack]

Vickie the last one I took to the DPI.. We are very committed to testing any unusual illness or death in our herd. Strangely enough the poor girl only had a broken neck. Which never hurt the spinal cord, just the bones. She was a lunatic and was always escaping and we believe she must have run into the yard gate and bang. No other explanation could be found. we all scratched our heads on that one. Silly girl.

Well we took our surviving Ewe to be tested with DPI. We could not ease her pain by drenching so we have decided to find out why they all went down so fast. My best guess is either too much grain (as we had to lock them up for 3 days and they were not used to grain) or listeria/salmonella by eating something they should not have.

Regardless should have a full report in a week. Poor thing. But we believe in you can never be too careful.

Yes they are all inoculated for sheep diseases. Which is why we are pretty surprised.

[Bandicoot Valley]

So sorry to read of your losses, Farmer Jack. 🙁

[Author]

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