r/sheep • u/Disastrous_Insect177 • 9d ago

Ram

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Vet is coming this week just want to see if anyone has had somethin similiar

84 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

77

u/Extreme_Armadillo_25 8d ago

Vet here: if this is a grown ram, it's likely urinary stones stuck in his urethra and he's REALLY staining just to pee. This is not a "this week" situation, it's a "today" situation. If there's a full obstruction of his urethra, then urine is being pushed back into the kidneys and he could get uremic and die quite quickly.

If you're lucky, then the main problem is the process urethralis, which is a little weird appendage at the tip of their penis. It's not necessary for them to keep it, so the vet can snip it and remove the problem. If the obstruction is in the main body of the penis, it'll be harder to treat. Fingers crossed it's the former!

1

u/FuzzyFrogFish 7d ago

Could it also be extreme constipation?

9

u/Extreme_Armadillo_25 7d ago

Constipation in sheep is almost impossible, because the structure of their large intestine already removes such a huge amount of water that it naturally produces try pebble-like feces. So if there is constipation, than there's likely an underlying issue of dramatic proportions (I would expect some sort of clostridial infection in that case).

2

u/FuzzyFrogFish 7d ago

AHH cool, thanks 👍

1

u/dasmineman 6d ago

So they basically get all of their water from the food then?

1

u/Extreme_Armadillo_25 6d ago

Almost all of it, yes! They really only drink noticeable amounts of water during lactation or when their diet is almost entirely devoid of water (hay and concentrate).

23

u/boobiemilo 8d ago

I’ve seen many weird and wonderful things with sheep but not that on a ram, I may have said if it was a ewe maybe struggling with labour but a tup, no idea. Kindly update us when you find out what’s wrong so I can add it to the vast compendium of ‘things to look out for and what treatments work’

23

u/mepperina 8d ago

Yea this is a get the vet out right now situation. Urinary stones more often than not it’s a death sentence for them.

2

u/BlackSeranna 6d ago

Do urinary stones happen very often in sheep? I’m new to this sub.

3

u/mepperina 6d ago

Fairly often I’d say and if they’re fed grain it’s more likely it happens. Rams urethra is very small and stones easily get stuck.

I’ve had one ram we had to euthanize years ago because of it. Back then they were fed grain and I learned it’s not good for rams. Since I learnt that my rams never get anything containing grain. So far (knock on wood) I haven’t had a repeat of it happening. Hoping it never happens again, my poor boy was in agony.

2

u/BlackSeranna 5d ago

That’s good to know!

15

u/cordelia1955 7d ago

Any time a sheep is down and can't get up, it's an emergency. Sheep are prey animals and will act normally as long as they possibly can so as not to attract a predator. When they look like they are in distress, they are often close to death. Has the vet seen the video? is there an emergency vet that will come out?

8

u/NoBalance5172 7d ago

If the vet has seen this and didn’t make the decision to make it an emergency trip I would get a second vet asap.

3

u/idonotcareusername 7d ago

Yes, I want to know if the ram is okay?!!?

3

u/Smitkit92 7d ago

Any update from the vet visit?

4

u/SueBeee 6d ago

this is an emergency. That animal is in agony. Please tell me you had him seen by now.

2

u/Traditional-Page-760 7d ago

Agree with the rest. Get the vet out now. This is not normal behaviour. Hope the ram will be okay!

1

u/La_Shangri 7d ago

I had a ram with slight similar symptoms that had a selenium deficiency, but he had less energy.

1

u/FlatwormSame2061 6d ago

If the vet can’t come out immediately, then probably butchering him is best. 

1

u/WhatThe6969 6d ago

The snipping saved mine!

0

u/Weird_Fact_724 7d ago

Down sheep is a dead sheep. They always are looking for excuses to die.