Bruno’s Canine Social Media Network
The sheep camp I’m
currently attached
to is one of the
most forward thinking
places I’ve worked on
during my short time
here on the western
range.
I haven’t been privy to some of the more
concentrated operations. I have a cousin,
Bridgette, who works with people that do
intense management so I decided to get on the
Canine social media network to see what was
happening in her neck of the woods. Her text
back to me was that most of the operations in
her area do intensive shed lambing.
Bridgette related that their principles
are based on preventive
medicine. They have
a vaccination program
tailored to that particular
area. They vaccinate for
Vibrio (technically called
Campylobacter, why these
scientists make things so
difficult I’ll never know) to
prevent abortions. Some
outfits in her area use a
combination vaccine for
Vibrio and Chlamydia (there
isn’t a good sheep herder term
for this one). I understand these two organisms
have totally different incubation periods (Vibrio
is seven to 21 days where Chlamydia ranges
from 50 to 90 days) so they may not protect for
each organism at the same level at the critical
periods of gestation. Bridgette mentioned that
some do antibiotics in the feed to prevent
Chlamydia.
In Bridgette’s area they have sorted their pregnant ewes by ultrasound into those that are going to have singles and those that are having multiples. This helps with being more feed efficient and giving more time to get the twins and triplets going. Her rancher was quite excited about the price he got for his open ewes he took to market.
Now that they have only pregnant ewes to deal with, the ewes are vaccinated with a multi-valiant Clostridia. This provides the lamb with protection via the colostrum. Regardless of being a single or multiple, the navel of each lamb is clipped and dipped in strong iodine prior to going into the jugs. Some outfits try to short cut this process by using a spray bottle. Bridgette text that this method does about as much good as me lifting my leg and watering a thirsty Juniper tree. She says that proper dipping will prevent lots of joint abscesses. The outfit she works with processes their lambs as soon as the navel is dry. They castrate, dock and vaccinate with a multi-strain perfingens plus sore mouth.
They identify lambs with their mother using minimal scourable paint. This helps wool quality. The lambs and mother are removed from the cubicle (jugs) in a couple of days. The cubicle is cleaned, disinfected and bedded with adequate good, bright straw before another guest arrives. Some outfits have good results keeping the ammonia level low by sprinkling the cubicle with Treble Super Phosphate prior to bedding with straw. Bridgette reports that using the phosphate keeps the ammonia level low, which helps prevent pneumonia.
Tuffy’s Facebook entry has his picture. His ears were stripped up from an encoiunter with a coyote,. You could tell that he had been through many experiences. He relayed an experience in his band of ewes that had an outbreak of sore mouth. The scene he told about was absolutely horrifying!
The sore mouth spread from the lamb to the teats of the ewe, which led to mastitis. The mother was in such pain that she wouldn’t allow the lamb to nurse so the lamb started robbing milk from the other ewes. In a week’s time it had spread throughout the entire band of 800 ewes and 1,200 lambs. A Facebook response came in from a Border Collie, working on an outfit in the Land of the Gentle Breezes, reporting that this outfit now vaccinates all of the ewes for sore mouth at the same time they do the booster shot for Clostridials prior to lambing. Tuffy reports this protects the ewe from the possibility of teat lesions preventing mastitis as well as providing passive antibodies to the lamb.
Sore mouth is a mixed bag. Granddad Dog told me once, if ain’t broke don’t fix it.” If you don’t have problems don’t bring it in. Granddad Dog’s final bit of advice: A good shot of quality colostrum in the first hours of life is the best medicine ever manufactured.”
Prepared by Cleon V. Kimberling, DVM
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