eating is good, even if it's just a little. changing position is good, so's fly flicking.
we donated blood from one of our sheep for a research project and I think the vet scheduled the blood draws (a pint) 18 days apart (300 lb ram)... that gives you an idea of what it takes to grow new blood cells. I'm going to guess she'll be 2 months before she's medium pink in the eyelids, and another month before she's a good deep pink/red. I don't think you'll be baster feeding her after the first or maybe the second week... but as I said, I've not had a critical anemia, so I dont' know for sure. as long as the anemia is from worms, and you've cleared them out, and she's getting enough nutrition to have the components to make blood, she'll make more. there are some other things that can cause anemia, (part of why you want the fecal results) but i think they're not that common.
I don't think you'd hurt a 100 lb sheep with a cup of cream of wheat, maybe two, but I haven't used it so it's probably best to ask Dr. Sara that. certainly if you're getting some greens into her, it reduces the risk.
do you have access to alfalfa pellets?
what about grass hay pellets?
if you do, you could soak them until they break down, mix them with the cream of wheat, and feed that too... alfalfa is higher protien and mineral density than grass hay which will help her build up faster, but if she's not used to it you have to switch over a bit at a time.
you can feed as much grass hay slurry as you can get into her, just make sure you're getting plenty of water and she stays hydrated (check her skin with the pinch test). basically 1.5 to 2% of her body weight in dry pellets would be a normal daily ration. so if she weighs 100 lbs, you could feed her 1.5 to 2 lbs of dry pellets (weighed before soaking). you can switch some of the grass pellets for alfalfa pellets each day, starting with 1/2 cup the first day, increasing it some each day. I don't know what the volume on that will be, but I'd plan it out so it takes 7-10 days or more to switch over. if you're worried about it at all, max out at 50/50 with alfalfa/grass pellets. hopefully within the next 10 days she'll be eating on her own.
if she's not familiar with eating pellets, I'd soak them before giving them to her, even if she's eating on her own... sheep have to learn to chew the pellets, not gulp them down or they can get choak (where the pellets wedge up and block their throat)... and you don't want to add a new problem to what you've already got, choke is another vet call.
bother your vet about the fecal. you won't know what the real results are until you have that info... the fecal shows not only the severity of the worm load, but the kind of worms involved... and that may suggest different wormers. I don't know that quest is good on everything, it's not what we're currently using here (we've got a lot of resistance). it will also tell you if the problem ISN'T worms, which is unlikely, but if there's a different cause it has to be addressed.
I would expect her to lie down for a while... this isn't like a cold where recovery is rapid, she's got to make a new blood supply...
did Dr. Sara say when to set up the next fecal to check how the Quest worked?
did she have an opinion on RedCell?
I would take her out a little taste sampler, see if she'll take any of these off your finger: molases, honey, pepto bismol, applesauce, shredded carrots, bran mash. if she will, then you can add that to some cream of wheat/hay pellet slurry and see if she'll eat it on her own without being basted...
if you can baste her more often, several times a day, that will help. tough to do when you're working, but if you can do it before work and then twice after work that's better than bigger amounts less often... provided she's not freaking out.
as she starts to feel better, she may get harder to dose, or she may get easier. some of my sheep catch on, others fight more as they have more energy...
and be sure to do a pinch-test for hydration every time you're out there. you might want to bring a bucket of water for her and put it near by, where she can drink without getting up. she may not have the energy to get to the water tank. her blood volume needs to stay up while she's making new redcells... if she gets dehydrated it can cause organ failure, so make sure her skin hydration shows she's good on that count.
it's going to be a fair amount of work for at least the next week or two, hang in there and look for little signs of progress... getting up more, munching a little on her own, fighting you over the drench... for right now, any day she has her head up and can change position is a good day.
to you and Jennifer, and of course, your wooly girl.
