A previous blog post describes the importance of good quality colostrum in the prevention of watery mouth infections. But what to do if you get a case?
Firstly, how do you recognise it?
The name is self-explanatory, as the lamb will be dribbling and possibly moribund.
Watery mouth is caused by e.coli infection in the gut.
Within the first 24 hours of life, the gut is porous, allowing antibodies in the colostrum to pass through into the bloodstream. After that time the gut alters and antibodies no longer pass through.
E.Coli bacteria are present in the environment in animal dung, so keeping the lambing area clean, well bedded, and disinfecting pens between ewes is important, as is ensuring the ewes’ udders are clean.
E.coli bacteria basically stop the lamb’s digestive system from working- the lamb isn’t swallowing properly- hence the dribbling- the stomach becomes bloated, and the meconium (first poo) doesn’t come away.
So to treat, we need to combat the bacteria, and we need to get the gut working.
Oral antibiotics (eg Spectam) have been highly effective in combating the bacteria but are now less available due to over-use and antibiotic resistance. However, the use of injectable antibiotics is still effective in the treatment of watery mouth, and if caught early a 1ml dose of Betamox (Trymox) into the muscle is often sufficient.
If the lamb has become moribund then treatment is more of a challenge. The stomach is likely to be bloated and the body temperature may have dropped. The last thing we want to be doing is filling the stomach with more milk if it’s not functioning! So keeping the lamb warm (in a warming box or under a heat lamp) and tube feeding tiny quantities of glucose solution frequently (10ml hourly if possible) is the best way to keep fluid levels up and provide some extra energy, without compounding the problem. At this stage there may also be some gain from a pro-biotic to help keep the gut healthy.
We also need to get the gut moving, and the best way to start this process is to get the meconium free by giving an enema of 30ml warm soapy water, and gently massaging the belly.
Treatment of watery mouth at this more advanced stage is not always effective and survival rate may only be 50%. So prevention is always recommended!
In brief, the key steps are:
1: prevent
2: antibiotic
3: warmth
4: hydration
5: enema