1 month old lamb coughing

[zoe95423]

Hello,
I have 2 bottle baby lambs. This is my first attempt since I was little on raising lambs myself. The mother had mastitis so one of my co workers gave me the lambs.
Within the last couple days, my female started coughing, then she stopped eating. After having a very good friend and experienced sheep farmer come give her antibiotics and some antacid she started eating again. But her cough has not gone away. They are currently kept in a box stall with plenty of room. They have had their shots. And are fed/cleaned regularly. I am just worried about my little girl being sick, and before taking her to a vet, was wondering if anyone on here would know what it could be.
They have wood shavings for their bedding and do have a heat lamp. Also, bloat has been crossed odd the list as to what she could have.

Thanks!

 

[farmchick897]

Did they get colostrum from the mother before you got them? How old are they?

 

[zoe95423]

They are ONE MONTH old. And I am pretty sure they did or wouldn't they be dead already?

 

[farmchick897]

Not necessarily. Just makes them more prone to get sick and die. Have you taken temp? Could be pneumonia. I would not raise any bottle fed animal in a stall with a heat lamp. They need to be outside getting fresh air and sunlight. Good luck!

 

[nok13]

woodchips= dust=coughing?

can you bed them in fresh straw? we did use heat lamps at night or put sweaters on them (depends on location and breed i guess), but during day, sunlight and air is good also. at a month old, yeah they can be outdoors if protected from wind and predators and bullying animals... as far as colustrum: if they didnt get the first day's worth, will get sick more, by third day mother's colusntrum is different anyhow so the first day is the most important... but some make it. if coughing and eating, take temp., dont forget to give probiotics if getting antibiotics, and the other thing: a sickly lamb means often a sickly ewe or ram, not always, but many times, so think how much energy u will put in to maintiaing them (vet bills etc). btw, TLC is the best medicine for sick lambs and goats (tenderlovingcare) i.e. they need contact with you as their mother, teach them to start eating grain (give them rumen starter if u have), good clean non dusty food, //its true that many industrial places keep feed lot lambs together with no human contact but really herd animals thrive with maternal or sibling contact as a neccesity.

 

[zoe95423]

I was told by almost everyone to use a heat lamp, and its not a fully enclosed so there is plenty of ventilation in there. Its been cold and rainy here for the past week. I live in northern NY. Her temperature was taken and normal on Saturday when she first seemed sick. I am not the one giving her the antibiotics a local very experienced sheep farmer is. We just cannot figure out the problem. She is acting 100% normal since antibiotics. Other than the coughing. She runs and plays and eats the milk replacer and the "creep feed" . Her poop is also normal. She does not have a running nose and does not sound congested at all. I have them with shavings because that is what I was told to put them in , and what people use around here a lot. Hay is a lot more expencive them shavings are so its become more commonly uses for bedding.

 

[zoe95423]

Also we don't have the parents. And we are just raising them for meat. Until October.

 

[nok13]

hay is expensive but straw is straw. it should be clean from mold and dust , good straw smeels good, and is good comfy beding for animals; not sure what wood chips are, as most of us here in this country either have dirt floors since its mostly dry here, or straw on dirt or straw on cement, in layers. we also use those infra heat lamps, and w also put on sweaters (some converted sweatshirt or sweater) for delicate or sick lambs or kids. there are various diseases that also cause a cough but no runny nose or anything like that... trying to remember the names (chlymidia family maybe?)

 

[farmchick897]

I agree that pine shavings are typically used around here and seem to work fine. Dry cough could be lung worms, have you wormed for that? Also, could try VetRX you get for goats and put drops in the nose. I would not be too concerned if they are eating fine, not running a temp and have no discharge coming from nose..

 

[zoe95423]

After having a second dose of the antibiotics , she no longer has the cough. We don't know hat she had. But I am glad it is gone. They got a little outdoor time yesterday, since it was nice up here. This weekend we are getting our fence up (finally). And today the male lamb is getting castrated! What a joy.