[Jacob-list] Grass Tetany or Magnesium Deficiency

[CARL FOSBRINK]

Leigh,
   
      I can't say what caused your ewe's death because it could have been any number of things.
     We keep Ragland Sheep and Goat mineral in free choice to our sheep and goats at all times. A salt &/or mineral BLOCK will cause them to wear their teeth down faster. 
      The bump under the chin could have been an abscessed tooth or may not have been. When we find a bump the first thing we do is insert a needle and draw fluid to see if it is blood or puss in there.
       Also it is better not to feed on the ground as that causes them to ingest more worms. We bought bunk feeders with hay racks for cattle and cut the legs off with a saws-all. They work great for the sheep now.    
       I realize that a veterinarian often costs more than an animal is worth, but you can purchase a good book on sheep problems for a decent price.
   
  Carl  
Leigh Nelson <shmee1 at mail.com> wrote:
    Yesterday apparently healthy 3 year old ewe died from unknown causes.  I was hoping to get some feedback from the group about similar situations and any opinions on things to do differently in the future.  I am new to farming and started with sheep about 2 years ago.  
   
  Two weeks prior to lambing all ewes are given an annual vaccination (Glanvac-6), E-sel, & dewormed (Safe-guard).  I also deworm again in the fall twice, spaced out 14-days.  Hay is fed twice a day outside on the ground.  Grain (with trace selenium) is fed in the morning only, this year we did not flush but just gave a little bit to help keep there weight up for lambing.  Salt licks are readily available.  Water is given through an automatic waterer, so fresh clean water is always available.  In the winter the sheep are kept close to the barn in a small sacrifice area, they can chose to go inside or outside as they like.
   
  The ewe in question lambed last year in July, thus teaching me that Jacobs can breed in March.  I was trying to not breed her with the ram at the time because they both had the same sire.  She had one lamb with no assistance and was a great mother.  The lamb was weaned early to mid October.  This year she was exposed to my new ram mid November, giving her time to recover from the last lamb.  
   
  All was going well until last Tuesday when we happened to notice that she was in the far side of the sacrifice area outside.  I was concerned that she might be aborting so we went to check her out.  Everything thing seemed fine so we just chalked it up to sheep being sheep.  Now, I have to mention this girl was always a bit flighty and didn't miggle well with the flock since the day we got her, basically her normal was abnormal.  On Friday morning I noticed that she wasn't eating grain, so I isolated her from the rest of the flock and then had to leave to go to work.  At night I did a complete inspection of her and found a bump under her chin, thinking this was bottle jaw, I immediately dewormed with 3 cc Safe-guard given orally.  At this time I also noticed that she was stiff in the back end and was leaning against the wall for support.  Although her symptoms didn't indicate a selenium defficiency I gave her a shot of E-sel because I thought it couldn't hurt.  In
 addition her breathing was a bit laboured, making a loud noise every time she exhaled.  I stayed out in the barn with her for about 3 hours that night and didn't see any change.  Saturday morning she was sleeping comfortably but still stiff and having trouble breathing.  Finally I phoned the vet, he told me that stiffness indicates mineral difficiency.  He suggested that we get some Epsom salts from the grocery store and dissolve it in water.  This would give her some magnesium.  By the time we started to give her this she was on her side and convulsing.  We didn't see any improvement and she died soon after.
   
  My question to the group is did her symptoms indicate a magnesium difficiency?  Were we just too late giving her the epsom salts?  Should anything have been done differently?  I purchased some mineral supplements last year but just haven't gotten around to figuring out the dosage and was planning on mixing it with the grain.  Is this how most people do it or do some people just give the sheep unlimited access?
   
  Any input would be greatly appreciated.  
  Leigh
   
   

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Carl and Judy Fosbrink
  www.4hornfarm.com
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