Wonder of Wonders: Survival

I am more stunned then anyone, but the credit goes to my wife.

We had twin lambs born last night and it was -5 degrees out, the ram-lamb about 3 pounds and the ewe-lamb about 2 pounds. I had just checked for lambs at 3 PM, and at 5 PM they were so cold their ears were blocks of ice and their hooves were frozen to their knees. Both were limp and lifeless and if it had not been for their chest moving, I would have thought they were dead.

So we bring them into the house which is standard protocol. Naturally you cannot warm them up until you deal with kytosis or you will put them in antiphelic shock and kill them that way. So I inject them with 3 cc of A and D and 5 ccs of Dextrose as the wife rubs them dry with a towel and gives them enimas. Sitting next to the woodstove they start to thaw, but their mouths are closed tight, so we just wait. By 7:30 PM they are starting to bleat in pain (a good sign), and then by 8:30 PM they are tossing their head about in spasms (another good sign).

I went to bed, but at midnight the wife notices they have their heads on the floor and their tongues are no longer flicked back against their esophagus (which is why you NEVER give a feeding tube to a cold lamb), and makes a bottle. Both suck it down, and with warm milk in their rumens they perk up and stand. At 3 PM when I get up for my lambing shift and to check the sheep for more lambs, they are walking all around.

A complete and amazing recovery. This is on par with some other amazing recoveries, but it never ceases to amaze me when it happens.

For other sheep farmers; never assume a cold lamb is dead. They come back from near death for a full recovery.

Wonder of Wonders: Survival