A Turn for the Worse

Sheila does not feel well.

It happened so fast, and has consumed much of my time.  I have been brought to tears and to exhaustion, and as yet, still don't know if my efforts will pay off. I hope and pray that it does.  

Crying back to her lambs because of being separated.

Last Friday morning, when I went to feed the sheep, the ravenous eater was not at the feeder. Sheila, my most affectionate (and favorite sheep) was not feeling well.  While the others were biting at the hay, she stood with her head low (when there wasn't any food).  Something is not right.  I went inside the pen for a closer look.  The thing I noticed was that she appeared to have trouble breathing.  I called Dan, my friend and help on The Derby Farm, and asked if he could bring his truck over.  I think I need to get her to the vet.  Rousing himself out of his warm house into the cold morning didn't bother him at all.  He rushed as best he could, even stopping to get a cage and ramp to get her into his truck.  We had to push her to get her to walk, but got her up into the truck, leaving her wailing twins behind. I thought she might have mastitis.


Dr. Wirz checked her temperature.  She had one alright.  Checked her lungs, her milk, and for worms. The test came back positive for worms.  Treatment was to give her an intravenous antibiotic, a shot to bring down her temperature, and to de-worm her.  The milk did look white and fine at this point, although only one tit was in working order, and on that one tit was a huge bloody sore. (I'll get to that later. I think I figured this whole thing out.) At this point, he thought she only had pneumonia because her milk was fine. I was to give her another shot for her fever Friday night when I got home from work, and twice for the next two days. Plus, I was to give her another dose of antibiotic on Sunday.  Thought it was best to separate her while she was not feeling well, so Sheila went into a jug with her twins.

Hard udder with mastitis

By Saturday morning, things had gotten worse.  Her udder was engorged, slightly blue, and hot. I knew it! She does have mastitis!  But just yesterday her milk was fine.  Maybe the infection spread because of the pneumonia. The lambs were still trying to nurse, and that didn't seem good. (Remember, I am new to this, learning as I go along.) So, I went into the jug and milked her a bit.  Yucky red watery stuff came out.  Okay, what do I do?  I still have a few shots to get her fever down, and one more dose of antibiotic.Then, I wait it out until Monday, when I head back to the vet with the new symptoms and lots of questions.

Esther cornering the lambs to see if they'll take a bottle

It is Wednesday now, and I have been keeping up with taking care of Sheila by trying to eek out as much of the bad stuff from her udder as she'll allow.  I gave her *amoxicillin squeezed right inside her little tiny tit opening, and I have had to separate her lambs from her.  The good news is that since the lambs are 5 weeks old, and already eating hay, pasture, and a bit of oats, they should be okay.  Although, the vet wants me to try to bottle feed them a bit of formula twice a day so that they don't loose too much weight.  Sheila is in pain and uncomfortable.  But, she is eating again.  I think she might be feeling a wee bit better.  Plus, she doesn't have the lambs to worry about any more.

Sheila's twins want to be near her, but are doing fine without her.

Many farmers would do what they call "cull" her.  Send her out to the back pasture and let nature takes its course.  Once her udder dies, she is not good for having lambs anymore, and so she is a liability. But, I am attached to Sheila. She is a beautiful and friendly sheep, and I want to save her.  She is worth all the effort.  While I have been sitting on top of my white plastic bucket in the middle of her jug putting in a lot of effort to massaging her udder with bag balm and milking her, I have gotten to thinking.  Not very much liquid comes out when I milk her. Her lambs chew on the rubber nipples to get the milk out.  I wonder...perhaps they have been having trouble sucking milk out of her udder, so have bitten her tit. So, there is the bloody sore on it.  Hence, bacteria could have gotten in to her through her sore and into the udder causing the mastitis.  A seasoned farmer might have seen this coming sooner.  But now I know what to look for, and hopefully it won't happen again.

Starting to feel better. Hope she makes it!

Next blog I'll post more pictures of the lambs and try to get a video of them.  I'll also give an update on Sheila and the two other pregnant sheep on The Derby Farm.


* Funny coincidence: I am on amoxicillin, too.