[blackbelly] Crippled new born -
Hello, I have had a new born Jacob who won't lower his back legs . He wants to keep them drawn up . Any ideas? I have had 2 others born that couldn't stand. The legs would fold under at the first joint. Like they were weak. they never got any stronger. Each of these lambs were born with soft spots on their head. I have been told sheep don't have this. Any ideas? Thanks Nancy ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Crippled new born -
I haven't had that exact problem but have had weak lambs with very stiff joints that wouldn't want to try to stand. We would work with them, moving the joints slowly until they would get full range of motion and also massaging the muscles of the back, hips and thighs and helping them stand up and walk until they got the stiffness out. We had one lamb we had to do this several times over a 2 day period, but he eventually got out of it and did fine. I didn't notice any softness of his head, though - probably not the exact same problem. Onalee ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Crippled new born -
Nancy, There are several viruses which cause weakness and neurological problems in lambs whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. Only a percentage of the flock may be infected. I couldn't find anything that described the soft spots though. Also what about the genetics of your sheep. Are the ewes related that produced the deformed lambs or are they from the same ram? Finally did you worm or give any kind of vaccine or anti-toxin to the ewes during pregnancy? Sometimes these things can cause deformities. Sincerely, Cathleen Quoting Nancy Tom Richardson [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Hello, I have had a new born Jacob who won't lower his back legs . He wants to keep them drawn up . Any ideas? I have had 2 others born that couldn't stand. The legs would fold under at the first joint. Like they were weak. they never got any stronger. Each of these lambs were born with soft spots on their head. I have been told sheep don't have this. Any ideas? Thanks Nancy ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Crippled new born -
any period of time, say within the first trimester, that the ewe would have gotten too warm? Any vitamin/ mineral deficiency throughout/ or a period of the pregnancy? Especially of B vitamins-- Any injuries to the ewe prior to lambing or during the last trimester? breech births? Are their tails normal in shape and appearance? Terry W __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Crippled new born -
I have had this happen with 3-4 goat kids this year. This is the first time I have had it in any number. The kids are all about 4 weeks old now and are fine and walking normal. I think it may be just due to positioning in the womb, or cramping. Was the ewe a smaller size? Chris H. - Original Message - From: Nancy Tom Richardson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 12:41 PM Subject: [blackbelly] Crippled new born - Hello, I have had a new born Jacob who won't lower his back legs . He wants to keep them drawn up . Any ideas? I have had 2 others born that couldn't stand. The legs would fold under at the first joint. Like they were weak. they never got any stronger. Each of these lambs were born with soft spots on their head. I have been told sheep don't have this. Any ideas? Thanks Nancy ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] Crippled new born -
Nancy, Are the hind limbs contracted? In other words, are they unable to be straightened even if you try to pull them straight? If the joints are bent and seem to be fixed that way (contracted), that is called arthrogryposis, and, as has been said already, can be due to genetics, or to some insult during pregnancy such as toxic plant ingestion, chemical toxicity, or infection w/ mosquito-borne viruses (Cache Valley Virus). If it is mild, there is a chance physical therapy could help. If severe, chance of recovery is poor. If it is just muscle weakness, and the legs can actually be straightened, then Selenium/Vitamin E deficiency, and other conditions causing weakness are more likely. Stephanie P Westminster, SC On Apr 23, 2007, at 12:41 PM, Nancy Tom Richardson wrote: Hello, I have had a new born Jacob who won't lower his back legs . He wants to keep them drawn up . Any ideas? I have had 2 others born that couldn't stand. The legs would fold under at the first joint. Like they were weak. they never got any stronger. Each of these lambs were born with soft spots on their head. I have been told sheep don't have this. Any ideas? Thanks Nancy ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
