Well, if you will remember, I am keeping two pregnant Ewes for my friend. Today around 11 a.m. I noticed the younger of the two pawing the ground and showing some discomfort. She continued this until 3 p.m. and then she delivered the head and one leg of a little lamb. I reached in to assist her, and found that the other leg was twisted around the lambs back and blocking his arrival, so I untangled it and the mom pushed him out quickly. When he was out, he wasn't breathing, so I gave him a puff or two and got him to breathing on his own (anyone else give their animals mouth to mouth??)I then noticed that blood was PUMPING out of his umbilical cord, only there wasn't any umbilical cord there! There was just pumping blood from a hole where the umbilical cord should have been. I clamped it off tightly with my fingers, but it still kept coming. At this time a friend of mine arrived and she clamped it while I ran for the phone and called the vet. I have a wonderful large animal vet here in Flagstaff and he doesn't hesitant to tell me stuff on the phone; not one time did he say, "well if you can bring him up here....". He told me to get the stronger iodine (7%) and dose the area and using a pair of pliers pinch the cord area thus collapsing the artery. Well, by golly it worked!! The little guy lost lots of blood and was very weak, so I carried it in the house and stomach tubed him (this was after trying to milk the ewe....she out weighs me by about 250 lbs....and it was 20 degrees with a blowing wind today and my fingers were frozen). Gave him colostrum, a bo-se shot, and a shot of penicillin. He doesn't look well. The area keeps breaking open and bleeding. If he makes it through the night, I will carry him to the vet in the morning for stitching. While talking to the vet on the phone, he asked if the ewe was still laboring with another lamb. I told him I believed she was. He said not to wait to long before checking, as most likely the cord broke because it was wound around the body of another lamb in the womb. So, after caring for the first little guy as well as I could, I went out to check the ewe. Sure enough, there was another little guy in there; dead. He was folded nearly in two, and it took me quite some time to straighten him out to deliver him. Sure enough, there was cords wrapped around him. What an adventure for my first lambings. I have given the ewe penicillin and probios. My heart aches for her. The other ewe looks eminent herself. I pray it is not tonight, as my husband is out of town and it is -3 already. In His Grace, Sissy

-- Sissy Barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), February 01, 2002

Answers

Oh boy. How's the other one doing?? How's the little one? It sure sounds like you are handling this better than I would.

(((((((hugs to you)))))) and God bless.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), February 01, 2002.

Hi Doreen, The little lamb died this morning. :( But, I know that I did everything I could. Sissy

-- Sissy Barth (iblong2Him@ilovejesus.net), February 01, 2002.