Big white dog on the job

Any time you are dealing with animals, there are great joys and great heartbreak. It's always great to see new life. And I love seeing any dogs doing what they were bred to do.

Wow busy busy with the lambing.

Thanks for the update - crossing my fingers for good weather for your lambs!

Thank you for sharing this. Folks don't know how tricky it is at lambing time and your story helps us to appreciate your hard work.

We had a rough start to lambing.

One ewe choked to death a few weeks before lambing on the grain we feed them towards the end of gestation and early nursing. She must have literally inhaled her feed.

One ewe aborted her twins but her body didn't expel them. When she started showing symptoms we went in to pull the lambs (she wasn't dilated); the smell was horrid. She died while we were trying to pull the dead lambs.

We had another ewe that went into labor but couldn't deliver. We pulled (it took two of us) her twins (very big) but they didn't survive; the ewe is doing well.

The only other problem we've had was with a ewe that developed hypocalcaemia. She went down hill very fast. She was spotted early and with the advise of our vet friend was given calcium glutamate (sub q). She bounced back quickly but had a fever that night so she was given oxytetracycline. The next day she was good to go back to the field. We're still waiting on her to lamb; she may be carrying triplets.

We have:
8 Singles
26 sets of twins
3 sets of triplets
about 33 ewes left to lamb

I also was thinking about the lambing. How cute they are!

Thanks for posting this, Mark. Been thinking of you during this time and wondering how the lambing was going. And thanks for the cartoon - one of my favorites.

Rita
Buttons, the princess sheltie
Andy and Champ, at the bridge
Nicky, the spoiled Tennessee Walker

We have two types of working dogs. Border Collies that work like this: Round up your mates

And a Maremma Sheepdog that works like his namesake: Ralph Wolf & Sam Sheepdog

Those dogs are amazing! And what a beautiful sight to watch them work!
Happy St Patty's Day.