“My sheep won’t eat!“

This time of year, it’s not uncommon to have some isolated occurrences of lambs or kids suddenly going off feed or backing off their feed intake. There are many possible causes, but the most likely end result is pre acidosis (rumen ph being too acidic or too basic) or full blown acidosis. Here are some common problems that can lead to your small ruminant going off feed: 1. Animals being pushed hard on high grain diets with high levels of fat supplementation. 2. Stress 3. Rumens low in beneficial bacteria and protozoal count, as a result of previous antibiotic treatments. 4. Bacterial infections. 5. Viral infections. The bottom line is that if a late season show lamb or Kid suddenly goes off feed, they need to be attended to promptly. Here’s what you CAN do: •Take them completely off feed and supplements for 48 hours providing only fresh water and small amounts of grass hay. •Use the following to get them eating again and to help buffer the gut, so that normal rumen function can return. 1. Vitamin B complex injection- 2-3 cc’s Intramuscular. 2. Oral administration of sheep/goat nutri- drench. Follow label suggestions. 3. Administer a good quality paste or liquid probiotic. 4. Use a buffering agent like buffer gel or baking soda. You can find buffer gel on the internet or at some livestock health supply stores. Vets Plus Inc. and Merricks Blue Ribbon both make excellent buffer gel. The main ingredients are sodium bicarbonate and magnesium oxide. Household baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and you can mix 1 tablespoon with 180 cc of water and use that drench twice a day, as long as symptoms persist. 5. A weak electrolyte 120 cc spiked with 20 cc of propylene glycol, given orally twice a day. Pro tip- You have to get them hungry! You can slowly increase the grass hay, if they want it. Hay and fresh clean water the first 48 hours, plus your supportives. Slowly introduce small amounts of feed over time and delay supplements. Don’t forget to avoid drenches with milk based energy or fat and sugary type drenches. They are hard on acidic rumens.