Help! Lamb with milk in its lungs

[chickenslave2]

I was feeding my new lamb about half an hour ago and he was fine when he finished drinking but then he started coughing and sneezing softly. His breathing sounds like there should be milk in it but I put a stethascope to his chest and he seems clear. He coughed up a little bit of milk a while ago but I'm worried. A few of my past lambs died from unknown causes and I don't want to lose another.

He's lively and running around but he doesn't seem right.

Please help!

 

[cassie]

If he does indeed have milk in his lungs there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. First of all, is the hole in the nipple too large and he is getting milk faster than he can swallow it? Has he been vaccinated for entertoxemia? You said you lost some bottle lambs from unknown causes, and entero could be the cause. It can kill very quickly. If you haven't yet vaccinated your lamb do so ASAP. You can get a vial of CD/T from the livestock supply. If I were you, I would get some clostridium perfingens antitoxin, too. The antitoxin gives immediate protection but it is short term.The toxoid gives long term protection but it takes about 10 days before it becomes effective. I would give the antitoxin immediately, and then the toxoid in a couple days but you might want to check on that.If he were my lamb and he seemed off, I would put him on a course of penicillin. If there is milk on the lungs it would help by preventing an infection, and if he is working on a case of regular pneumonia it would help in that case, too.

 

[chickenslave2]

No, he hasn't had any vaccines because he's so young and very weak, but he's beter this morning and I've got a mate for him now. Thanks for the advice!

 

[cassie]

I don't know what you mean by saying he is too young. I used to vaccinate my baby goats with CD/T the day they were born and then every three weeks until after weaning. My vet told me to do that because entero was so common where I lived and baby goats (and I assume baby lambs) are very susceptible to it. Very often the only indication that the kid had entero was finding it dead in the pen. If you cut it open you would find the tell tale purple striations on the intestines.

 

[chickenslave2]

I'll see to having him vaccinated. When I came home he was snuffling really loudly and he isn't very active. I'm getting worried again. I hope he makes it through the night.

 

[honeyb711]

It sounds like a trip to a vet wouldnt hurt. Given i know nothing about lambs, except that they are VERY cute

That is what i would do if i had a sick baby though & limited knowledge. Things get worse far to fast with little ones.

Now you have 2? I would get them both checked out & take whatever measurements are needed regarding vaccines etc. Goodluck.

 

[honeyb711]

The precious babies i got to spend some time with today

 

[chickenslave2]

Quote: They're so cute

I haven't been able to get a vet appointment at the moment. I had heard of people tipping kangaroos up so they were facing the ground with their tail in the air and their head facing the ground to clear the milk out of their lungs, so I wondered whether it would work in this case.

I tried it and immediatley afterwards my lamb which had milk in its lungs looked around him and began to wander. He had only been sitting and trying to sleep. He's so much better now, I was worried he wouldn't make it through the night but he did. I don't know whether it was because I had tipped him foward or not.