Help! Bloated sheep!

[Wild Claws]

I have a 6 month old ram lamb who looks to be very bloated. He recently got into a cat food bag. I am not sure how much he ate. When you push on his stomach it seems to have alot of liquid in it. Is there something i can do for him? I cant call the vet because they are closed..... Would gas x work? Do i give him baking soda? If so how much? I just finished giving him 10 ml of water with as much baking soda as i could dissolve.

 

[Sussex19]

I don't know about sheep but with goats 10ml (I think that was it, it's been a while since I needed it) of olive oil or similar can help. Also exercising and massaging its stomach can help.

 

[Wild Claws]

I don't know about sheep but with goats 10ml (I think that was it, it's been a while since I needed it) of olive oil or similar can help. Also exercising and massaging its stomach can help.

Thank you for your help! I did try those things but sadly he didn't make it........

 

[StinkyAcres]

So sorry @Wild Claws. Bloat is awful. My livestock vet offers after-hours emergency visits. Are you sure yours doesn't? It seems like emergencies always happen when the vet is closed!

 

[Wild Claws]

So sorry @Wild Claws. Bloat is awful. My livestock vet offers after-hours emergency visits. Are you sure yours doesn't? It seems like emergencies always happen when the vet is closed!

Thank you! Unfortunately it doesn't... we live i a small town so thete is only 1 vet. I did end up calling an emergency vet and the guy i was talking too was just very rude saying that its to late and he is going to die ... Rip little P.j. you will be missed ❤

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so sorry you lost him.


They do make treatments for frothy bloat that you can buy at feed stores or find online. I have no idea how effective they are. Most require administration as a drench or via a stomach tube, though. I can dench my goats, but I'm thinking I need to learn to tube, just in case.

 

[Sussex19]

I'm so sorry, we lost a pet buck to it last year even though we took it to the vet, so some times there's just nothing one can to.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It happens so damn fast.

 

[Wild Claws]

Thank you everyone

 

[cassie]

With my goats I found that Gas X was by far the best choice. It is safe, effective, easy to administer, and works very fast. The trouble with oil is that if you accidentally get some in the lungs it will cause a mechanical pneumonia. In this case you will have cured the bloat but killed the sheep. Something else to consider is that the sheep may have enterotoxemia (clostridium perfingens) because of what he ate. Bloat is one of the symptoms of entero, and while it must be treated, the only effective treatment for entero is a dose of clostridium perfingens antitoxin. It ought to be available at the feed store in the refrigerated case where vaccines are held. See how teh sheep acts after you give him the Gas X.