How do I know if my lamb is too cold? And what can I do about a lamb that is cold?
The normal temperature of a lamb is 39°C-40°C. The rectal temperature of any dull, weak lamb that seems unable or unwilling to suckle, should be checked. The SOONER action is taken, the better the lamb’s chances of survival.
*the quickest way to tell if a lamb is too cold it put your finger in it’s mouth. If it feels cold, it is hypothermic, as their normal temperature is higher than ours*
On no account feed a hypothermic lamb with milk or colostrum until you have raised it’s temperature to a minimum of 37 degrees C.
1. Hypothermia due to exposure or heat loss:
- Generally occurring from birth to five hours old, although may occur in older lambs in extreme weather conditions.
- Losing heat faster than generating heat – will have high blood glucose levels and some energy reserves
- WARM first (warming box, warm water bath, car footwell or heat lamp) THEN feed.
- Once warm, 20ml glucose solution by stomach tube (if able to swallow) followed by 30-50ml colostrum
2. Hypothermia due to starvation
- Generally occurring from 10 hours to three days old
- More likely to occur in outdoor-lambing flocks where underfed lambs may not be detected early
- No energy reserves, dangerously low blood sugar level, cant produce enough body heat
- FEED first (glucose), THEN warm
- If conscious, 30ml glucose solution by stomach tube. Warm (heat box etc), check, feed with colostrum once warm.
- If unconscious, 40 ml 40% glucose solution (20g glucose powder in 100ml warm boiled water) by intraperitoneal injection: https://mediaspace.nottingham.ac.uk/media/Administering+an+intraperitoneal+injection+of+glucose/1_9anda08x
- Administration of solution:
- hold lamb by forelegs with body hanging down against your legs.
- injection site is 1” below and 1/2” to the side of the navel
- spray site with antiseptic
- insert needle pointing towards the tailhead
- inject the solution slowly over 10 – 15 seconds ( no resistance should be felt )
- you may inject the lamb in the neck with long acting antibiotics