[blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!!
OK ---I know there are some knowledgeable folk who can help I need it!! I have a 130 lb ewe heavy with lamb. I'm expecting twins just any day. BUT, yesterday when I got home she was down with a broke leg. It is broke above the hop (knee) . Called 2 vets and they both said to shot her. She is soo close to lambing that I decided to wait and talk to you folks this morning. I did give her some percocet pain pills--good or bad, because I hated to see her suffer. She seems to be able to get up and lay down. And she is eating some.My questions are this: 1--can she lamb with that leg broke? (we are ready to bottle feed) 2--can the leg heal on it's own? (I know animals in the wild do heal, usually ending up with a bum leg---but they are alive!) 3-- Do you folks think it can be set? 4-- Do you all think I should just shot her and relieve her from her suffering :( ? You all are a good bunch of people and I know that somebody out there must have had this problem ALL HELP APPRECIATED!!! Stephanie ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!!
I'm so new to sheep that I can't answer this, but a c-section is what I think of. As long as they are ready to be born. Nancy and Tom had a c-section not that long ago with good results and might be able to help. I wish you the best of luck and hope it turns out well for you. - Original Message - From: Stephanie Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 8:47 PM Subject: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!! OK ---I know there are some knowledgeable folk who can help I need it!! I have a 130 lb ewe heavy with lamb. I'm expecting twins just any day. BUT, yesterday when I got home she was down with a broke leg. It is broke above the hop (knee) . Called 2 vets and they both said to shot her. She is soo close to lambing that I decided to wait and talk to you folks this morning. I did give her some percocet pain pills--good or bad, because I hated to see her suffer. She seems to be able to get up and lay down. And she is eating some.My questions are this: 1--can she lamb with that leg broke? (we are ready to bottle feed) 2--can the leg heal on it's own? (I know animals in the wild do heal, usually ending up with a bum leg---but they are alive!) 3-- Do you folks think it can be set? 4-- Do you all think I should just shot her and relieve her from her suffering :( ? You all are a good bunch of people and I know that somebody out there must have had this problem ALL HELP APPRECIATED!!! Stephanie ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!!
Looking now at your mail, there must be a feeding problem. In many thousand ewes and years, not one broken leg at our ranch. Because of the pregnancy, calcium and as may some minerals have been taken out of the bones and used by the embryos. Do you feed lime ? Duck tape and a wooden stick, if it is the front leg, what I assume, it would heal in the next three weeks, under condition that she gets the right kind of feed. Conifers, herbs, but you have to be there when the lambs are born. If you send me your phone number, Heidi gone talk with about how to do it regards Helmut - Original Message - From: Stephanie Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 5:47 PM Subject: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!! OK ---I know there are some knowledgeable folk who can help I need it!! I have a 130 lb ewe heavy with lamb. I'm expecting twins just any day. BUT, yesterday when I got home she was down with a broke leg. It is broke above the hop (knee) . Called 2 vets and they both said to shot her. She is soo close to lambing that I decided to wait and talk to you folks this morning. I did give her some percocet pain pills--good or bad, because I hated to see her suffer. She seems to be able to get up and lay down. And she is eating some.My questions are this: 1--can she lamb with that leg broke? (we are ready to bottle feed) 2--can the leg heal on it's own? (I know animals in the wild do heal, usually ending up with a bum leg---but they are alive!) 3-- Do you folks think it can be set? 4-- Do you all think I should just shot her and relieve her from her suffering :( ? You all are a good bunch of people and I know that somebody out there must have had this problem ALL HELP APPRECIATED!!! Stephanie ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.14.25/246 - Release Date: 30/01/2006 ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!!
Hi Stephanie, I have had a ewe break a hind leg and lamb successfully. Not only did she lamb large twins but her leg eventually healed. Now her broken leg sounds similar but may have been very different from your ewe. I suspect my ewe broke her leg from jumping off a four foot drop off while heavily pregnant. What I did was just made sure she was getting all the food and water she needed since she could not compete with any of the other ewes. I also kept an eye out for infection. I never used anti-biotic or Banamine but I certaintly was expecting to need it! My ewe could hardly move and it was painful to watch. I kept expecting the worse, but she lambed, raised her babies and eventually healed. I would have a hard time picking her out of the flock today. I'm sure she has lambed again since she broke her leg. My opinion is if she is trying to live (she does get up now and then is eating and drinking - give her a chance). If she lies down (especially on her side) and just stares she is giving up. At this point consider putting her down. I have had a C-section done on a ewe successfully. The cost was more than the cost of buying a new ewe. It also meant treating the incision for over a month to fight off infection. If the lambs are not totally to term their survival rate is not going to be good. If the ewe is giving up but you are not... Make sure she is laying up right. Make sure she is eating and drinking. You may have to drench her with propylene glycol and water to keep her going. Occasionally help her to her feet and make her walk around (she needs movement). I'm praying for you! Mark ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!!
Hi Stephanie, I have splint lambs with success using PVC pipe and duck tape. My ewe's leg that was broke was up high in the thigh/flank area. Her leg did an awkward flop when she walked. She pretty much did not use it to get around with choosing to be three legged. I had really planned on getting rid of her after she lambed but she just kept getting the job done. I have never splint an adult sheep. Maybe others will be more knowledgeable. If I were to do it I would set the bone as straight as possible. Put sticks that are strong enough to support the ewe's weight on both sides and start wrapping with duck tape. The sticks need to extend just past the hoove so the weight is supported above the break. Don't expect her to use the leg much at all. You may have to help her up and down for a while. Also, I would revisit the splint frequently enough to know that the circulation and such remains OK. Feed her really well and keep her moving everyday. I would not give her pain killer unless she needs it to keep her moral up. The pain will help remind her not to use the leg. Hopefully she isn't a wild thing and will remain calm allowing you to assist her recovery. You might want to hand feed her while she is hurt. You will have a friend for life with a little corn! I have seen some amazing healing by sheep. Mark -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Stephanie Jones Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 9:12 PM To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!! OK Mark, Need some info-- Yes, she seems to want to make it. :) Did you split your ewes hind leg? If so , how? Do you think I can give her anything for pain? I hate to see her hurting. It is a complete fracture of the hind leg above the hop, as you can see the bone gouging the skin from inside. It did not break the skin though. I'm thankful for any thing that you can do to help us out. I do not feel we have a feeding problem as Helmut suggested. I confident that she broke her leg tryiing to outrun a dog. She probably cut-back to quickly and slipped on the wet ground (rain) because of her weight. Stephanie - Original Message - From: The Wintermutes [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 9:57 AM Subject: Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!! ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
Re: [blackbelly] HELP --Broke leg!!!
Hi Stephanie, I believe the leg can be splinted and that will make the ewe more comfortable because it will reduce movement near the fracture (painful!), and the bones will set better that way, as well. If you can splint it, I wouldn't use pain medication because of the effect it might have on the lambs. Too bad you have such useless vets out there! You might try calling a small animal vet, if you haven't yet - they have splints made for the back legs of dogs, which are pretty much the same shape as those of sheep, and one of these might work well. Or you can use a stick as Helmut wrote, or some thick aluminum wire that you can bend into the proper shape. You want something relatively flat that will sit nicely against the leg, so I don't like PVC pipe for that reason. There are some principles you'll need to know if you've never done this before - I would take Helmut up on his offer to call him for instructions. Several things that are important are: 1) use some roll cotton or other material as padding on the leg, between the leg and splint so that the splint doesn't gouge the skin. If the skin opens up and exposes the broken bone to the outside, you may have big problems with infection. If the skin stays closed, infection is not a problem. 2) put the splint on the outside of the leg (opposite side of the udder) 3) the splint must go from just below the hoof (so the ewe bears weight on the splint, not the hoof) to just past the joint above the fracture. I'm not sure from what you've written exactly where the break is - do you mean it is above the hock(?) which is the joint that sticks out toward the back of the animal? If so, then you want your splint to go up above the knee, which is the joint above the hock that points to the front of the animal. If the break is truly above the knee, then your splint needs to go to the hip. Call Helmut! Good luck, SP On Jan 31, 2006, at 8:47 PM, Stephanie Jones wrote: OK ---I know there are some knowledgeable folk who can help I need it!! I have a 130 lb ewe heavy with lamb. I'm expecting twins just any day. BUT, yesterday when I got home she was down with a broke leg. It is broke above the hop (knee) . Called 2 vets and they both said to shot her. She is soo close to lambing that I decided to wait and talk to you folks this morning. I did give her some percocet pain pills--good or bad, because I hated to see her suffer. She seems to be able to get up and lay down. And she is eating some.My questions are this: 1--can she lamb with that leg broke? (we are ready to bottle feed) 2--can the leg heal on it's own? (I know animals in the wild do heal, usually ending up with a bum leg---but they are alive!) 3-- Do you folks think it can be set? 4-- Do you all think I should just shot her and relieve her from her suffering :( ? You all are a good bunch of people and I know that somebody out there must have had this problem ALL HELP APPRECIATED!!! Stephanie ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly- blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.info
