After last weeks horrendous storms, Aaron Meikle from Beef and Lamb NZ sent me this lamb saving technique to publicise.
Certainly in my 30 year term of shepherding ewes at lambing time this technique would have come in handy, and I'm sure beats a dry sack, lamb warmers and the stomach tube, which were all used with varying degrees of success.
I found lambing in good weather an enjoyable job but when the weather turned nasty it was tough going, coping with large death rates that can ruin a years work.
The prevenative jab of that slow to feed "dodgy twin", would also be helpful as those line calls on interference would allow these animals a better chance at the first good feed and improve the chances of long term survival.
20% Dextrose Intra-peritoneal Injection Technique from the Clutha Vet Club Newsletter
Lambs aged 5 hours or more that are suffering from exposure have a greater chance of recovery if they receive an injection of dextrose BEFORE they are warmed because they have already used up the store of energy they were born with trying to stay warm and warming them when energy stores are exhausted can hasten their death. The dextrose can be given by one of two ways:
a) An intra-peritoneal (intra-abdominal) injection of 10mls/kg of (preferably warmed but cold is okay) sterile 20% Dextrose. Hold the lamb by its front legs or sit it on its backside between your legs or it can simply be lying on its side on the ground. The 20% Dextrose
comes in a 500ml flexi pack with a draw-off tube attached. The easiest way is to connect a vaccinating gun or you can use a 60ml syringe. Using a short 18G needle (no longer than ½“ – a 3/8” one used for vaccinating is ideal) inject into the lambs abdomen just in front of the navel at a slight angle towards the chest with as much hygiene as possible – perhaps spray the area with iodine. Make sure the Dextrose goes right into the abdomen not just under the skin. Note – the Dextrose must be 20% strength.b) Or a subcutaneous injection of 30mls/kg of preferably warmed Dextrose Saline (not 20% Dextrose.) Inject over the ribs on both sides & massage in well. Note: The intra-peritoneal route (a) gives the better results as it works quicker and it is also so quicker to administer. Both techniques are superior to stomach tubing as well as quicker to perform. The 20% Dextrose solution, syringe & needle should be carried as part of the lambing shepherds gear as the procedure is best done by the shepherd immediately out in the paddock rather than delay the procedure until back at the lamb warmer as some lambs will succumb during the delay.
Alternative Use For The Technique
As well as being used to revive totally collapsed lambs as described above, some farmers have been using it more as a preventative. If on the daily rounds they see a ewe with a set of twins & one of the twins is “looking dodgy” but not yet actually collapsed, they inject the suspect looking twin with dextrose as described above but leave it there. This avoids the work of having to catch the ewe & lambs to bring them all in (& the resultant mismothering
3 Comments
I rem when I is was a young kid staying at my grandparents place during lambing and a big storm.
My grandfather was reired then with a small hobby holding with a few sheep. He would bring the sick near dying lambs in, and I would fill babies bottles from a concoction of warm fliud on the stove my grandmothwer made up out of sugar, some brown stuff which I think may have been molassis or treackle ....anyway it was very sweet and rather nice lol
Then the lambs where put in the oven and on the open oven door, laid around the floor with hotwater bottles and blankets....I remember those bring long nights, with great fondness.
Are these 'new' prodeedures or simply old ones reinvented? I often wonder when apple cider vinegar and tea leaves in the troughs will be redesovered ?
I remember as a kid , growing up on the farm ... we had a sitting room , with a gramophone player , and some musty old books .. bloody big books , some leatherbound , ah the aroma of them .
.... a favourite of mine was a huge dictionary . They were popular back then . I wonder if they'll be popular again , re-discovered sometime ...... I earnestly hope so .
Happy days .
We welcome your comments below. If you are not already registered, please register to comment.
Remember we welcome robust, respectful and insightful debate. We don't welcome abusive or defamatory comments and will de-register those repeatedly making such comments. Our current comment policy is here.