3.625
This 5-crop Scottish Blackface ewe is dull, weak and unable to stand even when supported. She is in a batch of ewes brought down off hill grazing and housed two days ago. The flock is due to start lambing in four weeks. The menace response is present, and there are no obvious cranial nerve deficits. On auscultation, there is rumen stasis with the development of bloat; the rectum is flaccid and contains pelleted faeces. Two of 210 ewes in this group also show similar clinical signs. None of the affected sheep has an elevated rectal temperature. Since housing, the sheep have been fed big bale silage and 300 g of concentrates once daily. All affected sheep are scanned for twins. Sheep are typically affected with hypocalcaemia during late gestation and rarely assume lateral recumbency even during the advanced stages; bloat and passive regurgitation of rumen contents appearing at the nostrils are common. Calcification of foetal bones is the reason for this condition during late gestation in sheep. Serum calcium concentrations are below 1.4 mmol/l when clinical signs appear. There is an almost immediate response to slow intravenous administration of 20 mls of a 40 per cent calcium borogluconate solution given over 30 to 60 seconds with eructation and the ewe able to raise her head. Typically, the ewe will stand within 5 minutes of intravenous injection; urinate, defaecate and wander off to re-join the rest of the group. Relapses are rare, and there is no requirement to give subcutaneous “depot injections”; such injections are painful and are of no benefit. Subcutaneous calcium injections (often around 60 mls) given by farmers take up to several hours to effect a response. Calcium solutions should be warmed to body temperature before injection, but this is rarely done.
3.626
This 4-crop ewe appears dull, weak and unable to stand even when supported. The ewes were housed three weeks ago and vaccinated against clostridial diseases yesterday. Lambing starts in four weeks. The ewe’s head is held on the ground. The menace response is present, and there are no cranial nerve deficits. There is rumen stasis with the development of bloat; the rectum is flaccid and contains pelleted faeces. The rectal temperature is normal. The ewe has an elevated respiratory rate and an abdominal component. No other sheep in the group are affected. There is an almost immediate response to slow intravenous administration of 20 ml of a 40 per cent calcium borogluconate solution given over 30 to 60 seconds. No other treatments were given.
3.627
This 4-crop Rouge de l’Ouest cross ewe appears dull and bloated. She is weak and unable to stand even when supported. The ewes were housed three weeks ago and vaccinated against clostridial diseases yesterday. Lambing starts in two weeks. The ewe’s head is held on the ground. The menace response is present, and there are no cranial nerve deficits. There is rumen stasis with the development of bloat; the rectum is flaccid and contains pelleted faeces. The rectal temperature is normal. The ewe has an elevated respiratory rate and an abdominal component. The ewe is shown again 5 minutes after intravenous injection of 20 mls of 40 per cent calcium borogluconate solution.
3.628
This 5-crop ewe appears dull, weak and unable to stand even when supported. The ewes were housed three weeks. Lambing starts in about four weeks. The ewe’s head is held on the ground. The menace response is present, and there are no cranial nerve deficits. There is rumen stasis with the development of bloat; the rectum is flaccid and contains pelleted faeces. The rectal temperature is normal. The recumbent ewe in the background has a markedly elevated respiratory rate and an abdominal component. The ewe in the foreground shows fine muscle fasciculation about her ears and head. There is a good response to slow intravenous administration of 20 ml of a 40 per cent calcium borogluconate solution given over 30 to 60 seconds although the ewe is still tachypnoeic; the three ewes were normal the following morning.
3.629
This 4-crop ewe appears dull, weak and unable to stand even when supported. The ewe’s head is held low. The menace response is difficult to interpret because the eyelids are almost closed; there are no cranial nerve deficits. There is rumen stasis with some rumen contents on the lower jaw. The rectal temperature is normal. There is an almost immediate response to slow intravenous administration of 20 ml of a 40 per cent calcium borogluconate solution given over 30 to 60 seconds. No other treatments were given.
3.630
This ewe hogg is weak on the left side due to involvement of the long tracts. There is ipsilateral (left) trigeminal and facial nerve paralysis.
3.631
This sheep with listeriosis is depressed, disoriented and unable to stand. There is evidence of left trigeminal and facial nerve paralysis.
3.632
This Greyface gimmer with listeriosis is obtunded (involvement of ascending reticular activating system), and weak (hemiparesis resulting from involvement of the long tracts). There is paralysis of the right cheek muscles (trigeminal nerve paralysis). Facial paralysis has resulted in drooping ear, deviated muzzle, flaccid lip and lowered eyelid on the affected side.
3.633
This Texel gimmer is dull, weak and unable to stand. The provisional diagnosis was listerial meningitis with the acute onset and lack of specific cranial nerve signs suggestive of a predominantly meningitis aetiology rather than the usual encephalitis with cranial nerve nuclei involvement. There was a very good response to penicillin and corticosteroid therapy within 24 hours.
3.634
This heavily pregnant Greyface ewe has been unable to reach food for more than one week due to a severe storm (note the faeces at the hindquarters). The ewe is weak, unable to stand, blind and shows very fine muscle fasciculations of the ears and face.
3.635
This ewe appears dull and depressed with a lack of menace response. The ewe is not eating and unable to stand. Broken mouth could have contributed to the low condition score and weakness. There is some improvement after slow intravenous administration of 20 ml of a 40 per cent calcium borogluconate solution, but the sheep does not stand. An oral electrolyte solution and propylene glycol were given using an oro-gastric tube.
3.636
Lateral recumbency and lack of menace response during the early stages of PEM. The ewe is unable to stand and handling induces brief seizure activity.
3.637
This yearling sheep is weak on all four legs as a consequence of polyarthritis associated with vegetative endocarditis.
3.638
Weakness and recumbency in this gimmer result from joint pain as a consequence of erysipelas. Note the synovial membrane hypertrophy and erosion of articular cartilage by comparing the stifle joints at necropsy.
3.639
Weakness and toxaemia resulting from severe mastitis.
3.640
Profound weakness and rapid weight loss caused by subacute fasciolosis.
3.641
Emaciated Scottish Blackface ewe unable to stand as a consequence of chronic paratuberculosis. Extensively managed sheep are inspected too infrequently. The clinical diagnosis is supported at necropsy and confirmed following histological examination of gut sections.
3.642
Emaciated Scottish Blackface ewe unable to stand as a consequence of paratuberculosis. Extensively managed sheep are inspected all too infrequently. This ewe was euthanased immediately (shown dead at end of recording).
3.643
Weakness and multiple cranial nerve deficits caused by basilar empyema.
3.644
This 7-day-old lamb was normal for the first five days. It is now hungry, weak on all four legs and shows evidence of cervical pain. Clinical examination reveals no limb joint swelling. Infection of the atlanto-occipital joint by Streptococcus dysgalactiae was suspected. The lamb was treated with procaine penicillin and intravenous dexamethasone and was normal within 24 hours. The penicillin therapy was continued for five consecutive days. There was no recurrence of clinical signs.
3.645
This 6-day-old is in excellent body condition and is growing well but is suddenly weak on all four legs. The flock is currently experiencing problems with polyarthritis, but there are no palpable joint swellings in this lamb nor is it lame. The diagnosis reached was infection of the atlanto-occipital joint by Streptococcus dysgalactiae. The lamb was treated with procaine penicillin and intravenous dexamethasone and made an uneventful recovery.
3.646
3-month-old lamb with delayed swayback showing weakness of the hindlegs.
3.647
This 18-hour-old Scottish Blackface lamb is very weak/recumbent with fluid/gas distension of the abomasum and intestines. There is marked salivation causing a wet lower jaw indicative of “watery mouth” disease.
3.648
Weakness associated with pain arising from polyarthritis.
3.649
Emaciation, weakness and pain caused by polyarthritis.
3.650
Weakness and emaciation in a 4-month-old lamb caused by severe cobalt deficiency (white liver disease).