Care for the Ewe and the newborn lamb

Post lambing check - Ewe Is the ewe standing up and licking / interacting with the lambs? Water available Check the udder (milk?) Check an hour after lambing: Prolapsed uterus Drinking & Eating & Alert (Afterbirth)

Post lambing check - Ewe When you assisted the birth Any tears inside? Any lambs left inside? Give antibiotics & anti-inflammatories Is the ewe standing up and licking / interacting with the lambs? Water available Check the udder (milk?) Check an hour after lambing: Prolapsed uterus Drinking & Eating & Alert (Afterbirth)

Post lambing check – Lambs Clear nose & mouth If not breathing immediately Clear airways hold lamb up at the back legs Stimulate breathing Tickle the nose with a bit of straw Baptise the lamb’s head with cold water Easy-breathing drops on the tongue Artificial breathing: lift the ribs and push down Forcefully rub the lamb’s back (simulate the ewe licking the lamb) Dip navel

Post lambing check – Lambs During the next few hours Are lambs up and suckling? Bright behaviour Full bellies Sleeping peacefully Are lambs weak? Check for hypotermia & abnormalities Lambs that do not feed will get weaker over the first days Are lambs hungry? Check if the ewe is rejecting the lambs Check the ewe for mastitis or lacking in milk Check the ewe for any illness

Lamb hypothermia Hypothermia = body temperature is too low Normal temperature of a lamb (39 – 40 ºC) Lamb is born with a small amount of energy reserves (brown fat) Hypothermia occurs when this energy is used up and no new energy source has entered the lamb

Lamb hypothermia Which lambs are at risk? Lambs from a long and difficult birth Lambs that do not feed quickly after birth Small lambs (higher surface to body ratio results in more heat loss) Wet lambs Lambs in a cold / windy environment

Lamb hypothermia Treatment Moderate hypothermia (temp. 37-39 ºC) & less than 5 hours old Vigorously dry the lamb with a towel Give warm colostrum, 50-100 ml every 2 hours Warm the lamb under a heat lamp in a sheltered pen Still some brown fat is available

Lamb hypothermia Treatment Serious hypothermia (temp. < 37 ºC) & less than 5 hours old Dry the lamb Heat up rapidly by dipping in warm (40 ºC) water or use a warming box with hot air (37-40 ºC) Give colostrum when the rectal temperature has come up to 38 ºC

Lamb hypothermia Treatment Serious hypothermia (temp. < 37 ºC) & more than 5 hours old No energy available in its body, lamb is low in blood glucose Towel dry the lamb Give glucose best in the abdomen, at 39 ºC, 10 ml/kg of a 20% glucose solution Can be given in 2 doses under the skin Always absolute cleanliness disinfect injection site, use a new needle and sterile syringe Warm the lamb in a warming box or hot water Give colostrum when the rectal temperature has come up to 38 ºC, use a stomach tube

The importance of Colostrum Warmth Energy Antibodies to diseases Absorbed through the gut lining in first 6 hours only Providing local protection against pathogens attaching to the gut wall (scour) Quantity 50ml/kg liveweight per feed, min 210ml/kg bodyweight in 1st 24hrs Quickly First 6 hrs of life, small frequent feeds in first 24 hrs

Starvation of lambs Empty bellies Lambs become progressively weaker Starving lambs can become hypothermic See ‘Trouble shooting chart for starving lamb’

Practical Treat problems with newborn lambs See notes