[Jacob-list] Help!

[stonecroft235 at juno.com]

I've got a medical question for the list.  I have a four-horned ram lamb
destined for the freezer whose horns are not fused at the base but are
growing tightly against each other and basically parallel to each other,
and the one lower horn is actually starting to curve around the upper
horn.  The first evidence of a problem was bleeding and oozing from the
base of his horns above his eyes, which I treated by spraying regularly
with blue coat, carefully avoiding his eyes (this guy is really tame and
permits just about anything as long as I scratch him at the same time).  
 Rich and I were out of town over the weekend and our substitute
shepherdess was our daughter - she did a fine job of feeding but I had
not asked her to do anything medically for this lamb -  and when we
returned I noticed this lamb's eyes were really a mess - the upper and
lower lids were swollen, lumpy looking, and the skin even had a reptilian
sort of look to it.  His eyes were tearing somewhat, but no pus and his
eyeball was fine.  I referred to all my books and didn't find any answers
-- so called the vet.  The vet arrived, carefully checked the lamb, and
appeared to be thinking ---- I'm not known for patience, so broke the
silence and asked what he thought it was.  He replied he really wasn't
sure (this vet is the most sheep savvy vet in our area & is originally
from Ireland and worked on sheep farms) but thought PERHAPS it was an
auto-immune problem - and I had the distinct impression that the
auto-immune diagnosis was reserved for clinical mysteries!!!!  He
suggested using 1% cortisone cream & applying it to both the horn bases
and the eyelids and to immediately administer Ivomec to prevent
screwworms, all of which I have done/am doing.  The lamb is healthy in
every way, grazing normally, eating normally, butting everyone out of his
way at feeding time, not losing weight, etc.  His eyes seem to be tearing
less, but really still look pretty weird, and the bases of his horns 
still are open wounds with some bleeding and oozing (bleeding/oozing is
not enough to run down into his eyes) but no signs of infection.  ANY
IDEAS??

Thanks--

Sue Martin
Stonecroft
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