I have a rescued lamb that won't eat. This is very upsetting for my wife as 
the lamb is getting weaker and weaker and will die at this rate, she has 
spent many hour looking after the poor thing. There is an emotional 
attachment which we tried to avoid, but which has caught my wife.

THE QUESTION

I need information on what to do as our orphaned lamb refuses to eat bottle 
lamb formula and has not moved onto eating grass by itself.

An *optional* sub-question would be to list any message boards, friendly 
organizations/individual etc that would be open to pleas for advice on the 
problem. Perhaps just any you pass in your researching travels.

IMPORTANT NOTE

My wife is a qualified and experienced farmer (sadly not in this area). 
Technical explanations will not intimidate us. Please do not *dumb down* 
research results.

We need to avoid the conclusion '...just go to a vet.' as financially, time 
and distance wise this is not an option.


BACKGROUND (to aid research)

The lamb was rescued from a stock auction site. It has been mixed in with a 
batch of adult Rams that were being sold. The location of the mother, and 
how the lamb got into the rams is unknown. Essentially the lambs past is a 
mystery.

The lambs age is unknown.

Initially the lamb took strongly to the lamb formula and the bottle. In the 
last four days the lamb refuses the bottle and will not eat grass or any 
other plant life.

We live in Australia, the lamb was rescued in western NSW.

The lamb does has a blocked, snotty nose. Lamb has health looking faeces and 
urine. There is no obvious indications of worms. The lamb has not had any 
apparent trauma (except the obvious).


Thankyou for your efforts.

---end question---

Ring me if you have any more questions on 0428 5000 43.

Thanks!

James

---

Clarification of Question by ruthnotta-ga on 11 Apr 2004 23:04 PDT

Don't ring me on the phone number below. The number was cut & pasted in by accident.

Hi ruthnotta,

As you know, time is of the essence if you are going to succeed in
preventing dehydration. Stomach tubing is a sure-fire way of getting
liquids into the lamb, but please proceed with extreme care.

Stomach Tubing Young Lambs:
http://www.danekeclublambs.com/OrphanedLambs.html

Stomach Tubing a Lamb: Photos:
http://www.danekeclublambs.com/OrphanedLambs.html

HOMEMADE ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION: You can make in a pinch:
1 quart water
2 ounces dextrose (corn syrup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
http://www.danekeclublambs.com/HomemadeElectrolyteSolution.html

Orphaned Lambs: Links:
http://www.danekeclublambs.com/OrphanedLambs.html

I'll keep this short and to the point so you can get started. If you
are uncomfortable using the tube, you could try using just the syringe
inserted into the cheek and shooting the liquid to the back of the
throat (the same way you give liquid wormer to a cat). Even a little
bit of electrolyte solution, given in frequent small doses, will help
tremendously. Adding a bit of molassas makes it more palatable plus
adds a bit of energy. If you have any questions, please post a
clarification request before closing/rating my answer.

Good luck - please let me know how the little one makes out,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used: "electrolyte solution" homemade lambs

I hope these links can help you:

http://www.taxproboise.com/byc/care.html (scroll down to "snotty nose"
for a brief discussion of drugs that may be useful)

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:fH3PY65jeisJ:hem.bredband.net/ronpar/Parker.07.pdf+feed+%22sick+lamb%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
(scroll down to "handling" on page 8 - I could not view the PDF link,
but the HTML is mostly legible)  This link suggests that one problem
may be that the lamb misses its mother and is refusing to eat without
her nearby - there may be psychological tricks you can use to get
around this (the equivalent of putting a ticking alarm clock near a
puppy's bed to mimic the mother's heartbeat)

Here's a New Zealand bulletin board whose members may be of
assistance: http://www.lifestyleblock.co.nz/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6351
(see devan's comments on electrolytes)

All the best,
Carl

The lamb perked up once we left the property. This perhaps indicates
that it was something on that property that was toxic, or whatever.

The good news is that the lamb is now health and eating like a horse
(or atleast like a lamb should).