As if I don't have enough worries trying to keep this farm going, recently a few of my sheep started developing abscesses that looked suspiciously like CL (caseous lymphadenitis), which is a contagious, incurable disease.
I quickly isolated the affected sheep, and spent $90 to have one of the abscesses tested. It took a week to get the results, and I worried all the while. If it WAS CL, I would have to cull any sheep that had it, and I'd have to spend a small fortune getting the whole flock tested.
Any sheep that tested positive would have to be culled, and if this year's lambs were affected, I would lose out on all my sales income for the year, because I would never knowingly sell infected sheep to another breeder.
But now the results are back, and we can breathe a sigh of relief: Our vet says the abscesses are NOT CL, just simple, non-infectious, non-contagious sebaceous growths.
What a relief, both for me and for the affected sheep, who are now delighted to be released from their quarantine and back with the rest of the flock.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A Sigh of Relief
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4 comments:
I'm glad it turned out to be something relatively benign. Still, quite a worry. I hope the rest of your summer is uneventful.
THANK GOODNESS. There is nothing like a scare like that for all-out concentrated worry. Glad to hear that weaning went well for you despite that small mishap with Glory. My fingers are crossed that your little lamb pulls through.
Nancy
How is the lamb doing from your previous post? Is she still hanging in there?
Yes, thanks everybody for your well wishes about the sick lamb. She's still hanging in there today.
She's not any worse, and maybe a little bit better. She stands up and walks around a little, and she is nibbling food, so she has a little appetite.
She's very thin though, so I expect it will take her a while to make a full recovery.
Oddly, her twin is bright, happy, and unconcerned about suddenly being weaned.
I never understand how one lamb can suddenly get sick while another nearly identical lamb remains perfectly fine.
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