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BCSnob's avatar
BCSnob
Explorer
Jul 18, 2016

Flock benifits of training our sheepdogs

We try training our young dogs most days. This requires us to gather the flock and possibly sort down to just a few to be used for training. This means we look at how well all look physically and are moving (limping). Saturday evening my wife noticed one ewe had an ear that was drooping and that ewe was laying down while the others kept standing (not a sign of intestinal parasites or bad feet). Earlier last week we gave our oxytetracycline to a neighbor to treat a cow with pink eye and he hasn't replaced it yet; so there wasn't much we could do Saturday night.

Sunday morning we gathered the flock to look at this ewe and now she was also circling in the direction of the drooping ear. We immediately knew what those were signs of because we had seen it once before:
listeriosis. We got the ewe into a small pen in the barn with hay and water. We were then off to Tractor Supply for a bottle of oxytetracycline and on the advice of our vet friend (and the Merck Vet Manual) a bottle long lasting penicillin G (Penicillin G Benzathine & Penicillin G Procaine). The ewe got an injection of Pen G, an injection of Vitamin B complex, oral dose of nutri-drench (electrolytes, carbohydrates, vitamins, & minerals), and oral dosing of water. The ewe is still alive this morning which is good news but she's not out of the woods yet.
The course in sheep and goats is rapid, and death may occur 24–48 hr after onset of signs; however, the recovery rate can be up to 30% with prompt, aggressive therapy.

The ewe gets more nutria-drench, Vitamin B complex, and water today; and we'll monitor her state. We will see what tomorrow brings.

7 Replies

  • BCSnob's avatar
    BCSnob
    Explorer
    Jul 27, 2016
    This ewe has been returned to her flock. She still has residual affects; droopy ear, cud collected in that side of her mouth, higher than normal gate, and possible some vision issues on that side. She'll be happier with her flock and with time the remaining symptoms may lesson. She is on the cull list for this fall and will not be run in the sheepdog trial we host every fall.

    She beat the odds and survived.
  • corgi-traveler's avatar
    corgi-traveler
    Explorer
    Jul 27, 2016
    With so much negativity in the world right now, it's nice to see a story where things get better.

    One of the wildfires burning in CA at the moment forced the evacuation of our herding trainer's ranch. The flock (70 head) was quickly loaded and trailered the BC brought them in from the field, but the GSD and Terv took care of loading the smoke-panicked sheep. They got down off of the mountain, one load at a time. They were moved from the general large animal evacuation to a friend's property the next day, and will be staying there till the all clear.
  • BCSnob's avatar
    BCSnob
    Explorer
    Jul 25, 2016
    We went away for a 3day weekend (planned sheepdog trial) so we gave this ewe another dose of Pen G, electrolyte paste, probiotic paste (to help get her rumen started), coated her with fly spray, put a bale of hay in the rack, and filled three 5gal buckets with water in her pen. There wasn't much more we could do for her even if we stayed home. She just needs time.

    When we returned she appeared to be better than when we left. She's been eating hay and drinking from the buckets. Her neck wasn't as turned as much and she wasn't trembling or groaning. Today she will get turned into the barnyard so she can start eating grass again and get used to walking.
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Jul 21, 2016
    Glad you caught that, and crossing my fingers for a good recovery!! Yes, it's good to know your animals.
  • BCSnob's avatar
    BCSnob
    Explorer
    Jul 20, 2016
    She's in a lambing stall in the barn making it easier for us to monitor and treat her. She's not moving well, so having her confined also makes easier for her to have access to water and hay. The stall and any reusable equipment used to treat her will be cleaned.

    Everything you read on the internet about listeriosis discusses bad silage/haylage as the likely source; but we don't feed silage. We suspect that grass clippings left after mowing (combined with hot-humid weather) may be the source of the infection.
  • dturm's avatar
    dturm
    Moderator
    Jul 20, 2016
    Mark, do you have to isolate her or is spread to the rest of the flock an issue? What was the source, or is listeria present everywhere and this was just a chance infection?
  • BCSnob's avatar
    BCSnob
    Explorer
    Jul 20, 2016
    Symptoms listed in the Merck Vet Manual are:
    Facial paralysis with a drooping ear, deviated muzzle, flaccid lip, and lowered eyelid often develops on the affected side, as well as lack of a menace response and profuse, almost continuous, salivation; food material often becomes impacted in the cheek due to paralysis of the masticatory muscles.

    She has a drooping ear, sagging lip, tongue hanging out of her mouth on the affected side, and salivation. After she started eating hay; cud got impacted in that side of her mouth.

    She is still alive (beating the odds so far) and appears to be starting to recover.

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