HELP: lamb with listeriosis - what can i do?

[Bleenie]

A friend has a young lamb with listeriosis. I picked the baby up today to try and help but it doesn't look good to me. I am wondering still if there's Anything at all I can do to save this guy. I don't keep sheep so have no experience with them.

Any helps appreciated.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Large doses of Pennicillin are what's needed
Vitamin B Complex will also help

 

[Bleenie]

Thank you Very much.

When we got home today I gave him tylan50 and terramycin in his electrolytes. I do have pennicillin on hand though so will start that.

 

[Bleenie]

He is still with us this morning. his suckle is weaker but physically he looks the same and is squirming around in the box he's in. I'm thinking of moving him into something smaller so there's less wiggle room. I have been having to tube feed him to make sure he gets enough. We got some goat milk from a friend and someone with sheep mailed me so if he gets better i can switch him over to the raw sheeps milk.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You need to check his body temp.
They can't digest food if they are too cold

If you don't have a thermometer, stick your finger in his mouth, and don't feed him unless it's really warm

 

[pysankigirl]

Massive amounts of Penicillin to get past the blood/brain barrier.
dexamethazone to decrease swelling in the brain.
is his neck craning around?
We lost two goats with this last year...it is hard to recover from.
If you can. consult with a local teaching vet hospital...we took ours to Virginia Tech in Lynchburg VA and they were able to make him much more comfortable than we were. and putting in a mainline was part of it because you have to hit them with so much Penicillin so often.

good luck.

 

[Bleenie]

So daily IM shots of antibiotics aren't enough? I was considering bringing him inside so i guess that's what I will have to do. Thank you for the tip on the body temp.

His neck was craned around but it's improved, he was holding his head up today but still squirming in circles.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: Thiamine or B Complex should be given daily also.
B Vitmins are water soluble, so they don't stay in the body long.
If he's getting dehydrated, give some electrolytes

Here's a homemade recipe:

Electrolyte Solution
1 Qt Water
½ tsp baking soda
1/4 cup Karo Syrup or Black strap molasses
½ tsp salt

 

[Bleenie]

He passed away this morning.

Bear Foot, that's the exact recipe i was using, it works wonders for calves.

 

[pysankigirl]

So daily IM shots of antibiotics aren't enough? I was considering bringing him inside so i guess that's what I will have to do. Thank you for the tip on the body temp.

His neck was craned around but it's improved, he was holding his head up today but still squirming in circles.

My experience was with adult goats. young sheep may be different.
I was told to hit ours with massive amounts of penicillin every 4 hours. I'm sorry but I don't remember the dosage, not that it would do you any good because different animal and age anyway.
The vitamin b was only given just in case the diagnosis was goat polio, not Listeriosis. I was told that if they responded to the B vitamins it WASN"T listeriosis but that the symptoms are so similar that it is hard to tell until you dose.

but I think the type of listeriosis you are dealing with with a young sheep may be different?

We finally isolated where the goats were getting it from...and it was the BOSS seed under the birdfeeder!!!!! (we were not feeding grain at all because they were wethers and it was summer so they weren't eating hay)

I am so sorry you are dealing with this.