Nessa

It's been a long time since I've written here but I want to get back to keeping everyone updated about farm things!

About 2 weeks before I left to go back to the States this summer one of our lambs became very sick. She was unable to stand on her own, and even when you tried to set her up on her feet, her legs would collapse from under her even while you were supporting her. Obviously because she was unable to stand, she was also unable to get milk from her mom, so multiple times a day we had to milk one of the ewes and syringe feed the little lamb.

Yummy, vitamin rich grass!

A week passes and there were no signs of improvement. I was at the farm every day, trying to get her up and walking by holding her up because I didn't want her to lose strength in her muscles. She tried so hard and was so determined, but she just couldn't support herself no matter how hard she tried. She would raise her little head up and look at me and make a soft little bleat as if to say "thank you", and I would carry her back to her little bed in the shed and give her a nice scratch behind her ears as she fell asleep.

I hate to see any animal suffer, so even though others on the farm told me there was nothing that could be done for her, I refused to accept that. Obviously there are times where that is true, but I knew there had to be a reason for her sudden illness when she had previously been able to walk perfectly fine for weeks. I searched and searched for answers until I finally came across something called White Muscle Disease (also known as Stiff Lamb Disease). The symptoms of this disease were textbook to what she had. Arched back, difficulty moving or unable to move or stand at all, swollen joints, too weak to nurse, but otherwise remain bright, happy and cheerful. That was exactly her.

Nessa and I enjoying the fresh air

I brought this up to Steve and we both looked into it more and knew we had found the problem. We called the vet the next day and described the symptoms and they agreed with us. White Muscle Disease is caused by a Selenium and Vitamin E deficiency. Usually grazing sheep consume enough of these vitamins and ours obviously do because we have never had this problem, so why this little one was affected we're still not sure. Luckily though, once we figured out what she had, the solution was fairly easy. We got a Selenium and Vitamin E injection from the vet and administered that to her. I continually carried her outside for fresh air and to let her eat grass because the vitamins in the grass were obviously much better for her than eating the processed lamb food. She was always quite pleased with her grass and we enjoyed our afternoons lying out in the fields together.

After a day or so she started perking up. She was able to keep weight on her legs and was sometimes even capable of taking a few steps, which was a huge improvement! The day before I left to head home for the summer was the first day she was able to walk unassisted. She was wobbly but she could do it, and she followed me around everywhere, calling out to me the whole time :)

Today, she is the happiest little lamb! She is small for her age, probably due to the nutrients she wasn't receiving during her sickness. She is very lucky as well because White Muscle Disease can eventually cause heart and lung problems if left untreated. We named her Nessa, for no reason in particular other than it was stuck in my head one day. She is bouncy, playful, and loves running around the fields begging for treats (because she knows she's spoiled!).

I am so happy I took the initiative to find out what was wrong with her because if I hadn't we wouldn't have our cute little pet today, and we now know what to look out for in the future so we will no longer have to wonder what to do if this happens again. 

Nessa today :)