4 day old lamb not pooing???

Discussion in 'Breeding, Raising, Feeding and Caring for Animals' started by kelsval, Aug 19, 2012.

  1. kelsval

    kelsval Junior Member

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    Hello all :)
    We are raising a lamb for a pet, and have had her for 3 days. The first day we got her, she did a small black hardish poo, and has not had a poo since. We are bottle feeding her on profelac and admittedly i have fed more in the past two days then what was recommended. I am now thinking she may be a bit constipated. Should day old lambs be pooing daily? if so what should i do? she is drinking beautifully and seems happy. All advice greatly appreciated...thankyou
     
  2. hardworkinghippy

    hardworkinghippy Junior Member

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    Kelsval,

    She should be pooing several times a day.

    Act quickly on this one, go and check as soon as you've read this. The second lot of black poo is incredibly sticky and may have clogged her up.

    [​IMG]

    If necessary, clean her out gently by hand, squeezing gently around the body side of her anus. Once the plug (if there is one) is clear she'll be fine. If there is a risk of fly strike you must clean and thoroughly dry the area.

    If she's constipated she'll be looking pretty sorry for herself after two days - but if she's not blocked then some gentle massage will help to get her body working again.

    Another thought, do you allow your dogs near her ? They may be cleaning the poo by licking her - normally the ewe does that - and that's why she seems so contented. ;)

    Good luck and let us know the outcome.
     
  3. kelsval

    kelsval Junior Member

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    Hi hardworkinghippy, thankyou for your reply and picture. No i have not seen her do this sort of poo yet. Her bottom is clean, and i am massaging and wiping her bottom to perhaps stimulate a poo. Do you have any other ideas to get her pooing? Will she die if she does not poo?
     
  4. hardworkinghippy

    hardworkinghippy Junior Member

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    Yes she will - but if she's strong and still eating you can save her.

    Cut down on the strength of her next bottle - ie. make it more watery.

    Next thing to do is to give her an enema to help loosen the stools and make them come out easier. Use a syringe or if you don't have one any small flexible tube which will go easily into her rectum. You can either use a gentle soap or a fine oil like sesame or a runny cooking oil. Be very gentle, squeeze the tube or syringe gently but firmly and take your time. You may have to repeat this a few times to unblock all the shit.

    Massage her and from time to time lift her tail and tickle and gently prod around her anus to stimulate her to push.

    Leave her to rest a while in between handling her - lambs need to sleep a lot.
     
  5. hardworkinghippy

    hardworkinghippy Junior Member

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    I've just found a good article describing how to give an enema in this link : https://en.allexperts.com/q/Goats-3480/2008/3/baby-goat-eating-wont.htm

    It's for a goat kid but the same applies to a lamb.

     
  6. Farside

    Farside Junior Member

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    How is that lamb of yours?

    I don't know a lot about lambs but I know baby humans can have a similar problem because their sphincter muscles wont relax and the build-up of poop and gas is very uncomfortable for them.
     

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