It is not uncommon for scours (diarrhoea) to occur in young lambs. Scours in lambs is a dark green to black colour with a very pungent smell. While the cause is often a bacteria such as E Coli, Cryptosporidium or
Diarrhea in suckling lambs is associated with changes in gut microbiota, serum immunological and biochemical parameters in an intensive production system. The incidence of diarrhea in lambs is frequent in large-scale sheep farms, which greatly impacts the growth and health of lambs.
When lambs/kids eat food or drink water contaminated with these droppings they get sick. The animals are depressed and not eating. They have a watery, whitish-yellow or greyish diarrhoea that is known as "white scours".
Stools (droppings) from a healthy baby lamb are usually yellow or light brown in color and has the consistency of caulking compound. As the lamb matures (at about 30 days of age) their stools will become pelleted. Take time to observe that the lamb is relieving itself regularly.
Cryptosporidia can cause scours in lambs and kids 5 to 10 days old. Affected animals are often active, alert and nursing, but their diarrhea is very runny and yellow. Preventing scours isn't always 100% possible, but you can control scours using some best management practices prior to lambing and kidding.
Fluid therapy is the mainstay of therapy. Antibiotics are used for both treatment and prevention of E. coli scours in lambs. Spectinomycin oral pig scours medicine is commonly used, though it is not approved for sheep and goats.
It is not uncommon for scours (diarrhoea) to occur in young lambs. Scours in lambs is a dark green to black colour with a very pungent smell. While the cause is often a bacteria such as E Coli, Cryptosporidium or Coccidiosis, another common cause is when a lamb is introduced to new milk.
Common signs of coccidiosis are dullness, rapid weight loss, staining of the back end, straining and diarrhoea containing mucus and blood. Figure 3. Diarrhoea with mucus from a lamb with coccidiosis.
Other causes of scouring include bacterial infections such as salmonella and yersinia. Infection can occur in a couple of ways. The bacteria can be found in the gut of healthy sheep. Sometimes when stressed, particularly due to time off food, the bacteria can overgrow and be shed by carrier animals.
Due to the damage of the cells lining the intestines, the primary symptoms of coccidiosis in sheep is sheep diarrhea, which may be foul smelling and contain mucus and blood. Sheep diarrhea may have a dark tarry appearance and, in severe cases, large blood clots can be seen.
They usually start with restlessness and anxiety. Affected animals may experience abdominal pain, urine dribbling, distention and rupture of the urethra. They will usually experience a loss of appetite. They may have a humped-up appearance and edema under their belly.
A typical sign of a worm problem is unthrifty sheep. An unthrifty sheep is one that is not eating properly, is losing condition, tends to lag behind the mob when moved and, in severe cases, is clearly weak. A worm problem often (but not always) results in sheep scouring and becoming daggy.
Slippery Elm Bark is another favourite herb of mine. It is used in the treatment of scours, especially with honey to stop scours in baby lambs. It is soothing and gentle on the digestive tract and intestines.
Clinical Signs and Diagnosis
Growth or weight gain may be diminished, especially in young animals. Inappetence, weight loss, pale mucous membranes (indicating anaemia), and bottle jaw (due to fluid accumulation under the skin) may be observed.
Visual Dehydration Symptoms
There are both physical signs and behavioral signs that can indicate if an animal is dehydrated. Common signs include lethargy, tightening of the skin, weight loss and drying of mucous membranes and eyes.
It's ok to leave healthy animals undrenched Extend interval between drenches Don't drench more frequently than every 28 days. Use only a fully effective combination drench. Long-acting drenches at lambing can hasten the development of drench resistance.
Cryptosporidium is one of the major causes of scours and can be transmitted to humans via fecal-oral route, resulting in diarrheal illnesses.
In puppies, coccidia often causes bloody or mucus-coated stools or watery diarrhea. Coccidiosis is transmitted through contact with infected feces and ingestion of oocysts passed in the feces of an infected animal.
Is your dog or puppy having diarrhea, but it smells almost like fungus, or not like normal diarrhea? Funny-smelling diarrhea can be a sign of a gastrointestinal issue in your dog known as coccidia.
A healthy sheep poop is solid and brown and can be easily broken into pellets. Keep an eye out for poopy, messy butts.
"But overfeeding is the biggest issue once a lamb is on milk replacer, and it too can produce scours." This is because milk should be processed in the sheep's fourth stomach, and overfeeding can spill milk into the rumen, where it ferments, so the lamb gets gassy and the stomach becomes extended.
Lamb Shaking after a feed
When heated, the milk should be at room temperature. Test a small amount on the back of your hand to check the temperature. A lamb shaking but not cold following a feed could, however, be a sign of a tummy problem causing pain and discomfort. In this case a vet visit may be required.
As with most other diseases, it is far better to prevent coccidiosis than to treat it. By the time clinical signs have been observed, much of the damage has already occurred. Lambs and kids that survive a clinical infection may never recover from the performance set-back.