Author: Cheryl Smith DVM
Date: 05-14-07 10:15
Dear Tim, I am not an "expert" on sheep and goats but as a beginner shepherd and experienced small animal veterinarian I can advise you to contact your vet. as soon as possible and plan on an overhaul of your current deworming/parasite control management programs. If you are seeing "bottle jaw" it means your stock is/are already quite low (compared to normal) in there blood protein levels (liquid portion of blood ; albumins and globulins) and quite likely also extremely anemic(low in circulating red blood cells) They are in trouble!!!
Exploring aggressive deworming, maticulous attention to pasture rotation, minimizing stress to already ill animals will get you through this season. Learning about the parasite life cycles will help you decide when and how you are going to graze your pastures and have a better understanding about how to minimize re-exposure and losses.
Hang in there, this problems affects many and can be very discouraging. Many hobby shepherds don't continue because of management issues like this. I actually transfused (whole blood transfusions) to save 3 of my sheep-not practical and potentially not cost effective, but it bought me time to get things under control.
Best wishes, C. Smith
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