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Premier Sheep-Goats Equipment and advice from the folks that use it…Every Day! Premier has partnered with renowned veterinarians to provide our customers professional advice.

Our on-staff sheep/goat nutritionist plus veterinarians have years of real-world experience. For this free service send us an email at [email protected]—they’re available during our regular office hours. (Note: We also strongly urge that all livestock owners establish a close working relationship with their local veterinarians.)

09/21/2026

Question:
Lambs look normal at birth, by 24 hours, starting to look droopy, by 48 hours, going down and throwing head back, not stiff like teta**s, dead by 72 hours. Affected 30%of the flock, also higher than normal open ewes.

Veterinarian Response:
What you are describing sounds like a K-99 e.coli infection. This is usually only present in the first 3 days of life as the lamb will only have the K99 receptors in the intestine until day 3. Usually lambs will get infected in the first 24 hours of life. The bacteria and the immune response by the lamb leads to acute watery mouth, shock and rapid death. Treating the shock and electrolye imbalance can result in saving some lambs. Usually we would like to confirm the cause with submissions to a veterinary diagnostic lab. The problem may or may not be present in the next lambing season.

If we can confirm the cause using a K99 antibody product immediately at birth to newborn lambs can help prevent infection and death loss.

- J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

04/06/2026

speaks for itself

02/04/2026

Question:
I have a twin lamb born early this morning and am noticing it has not deficated on its own. It does have an a**s but seems small. I can see the black tar stool pooled at the a**s and am able to put pressure on it and a small amount of stool will release. Would you consider this a deformity or will it correct soon? At the moment, lamb seems fine but since I have never seen this in my 30 plus years of raising sheep, thought I would ask the experts.

Veterinarian Response:
A condition called “Atresia Ani” can occur where the lamb does not have an a**s or the re**um and large intestine do not meet. These are terminal as the lamb cannot defecate and cannot be surgically corrected. These is very rare.

I think what you might be seeing is a meconium impaction. Meconium is that black tarry material that is in the intestine at birth. This is usually passed in the first 12 hours of life and the stool becomes more normal as the lamb eats. Milk is a natural laxative that keeps the GI tract l**ed up and results in a normal “pudding” type consistency in nursing lambs. Sometimes the lamb will get “bound up” by the meconium. This can be treated with a warm, soapy water e***a. I usually recommend putting 95-100 degree soapy water in a 6 cc syringe and without a needle insert the tip in the re**um and slowly insert the material into the re**um until you get resistance or it come out the side. The temperature is very important as a cold water e***a can give the lamb nearly instant hypothermia.

If you have a esophageal feeding tube that can work but it is often too big. I like it because it is flexible and you will not cause damage but usually you cannot get it in the a**s.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

01/29/2026

Question:
In the last couple of years, my dairy ewes' placentas are so thick that lambs are unable to break through and breathe. I have to right there or pull lambs. Generally, my ewes have triplets and it seems to be second or third lamb born. I feed dairy quality alfalfa hay and supplement with whole corn and barley the last four weeks. I use premier minerals, usually gold star plus selenium and vitamin E. This is a high producing diary flock that I milk after lambs are 30-45 days old. I use both dairy rams and Targhee or Texel meat rams. Doesn't appear to make a difference on the sire. Is there something I should be doing to reduce the risk of lambs suffocating at birth? The mothers are attentive, but it happens so fast that I lose a few every year.

One of my ewes had twins on Sunday and the placenta around the second lamb was so thick I had a hard time tearing it loose.

Veterinarian Response:
We can see thickened placentas present with some of the abortion pathogens. It is not uncommon to hear the complaint during and abortion outbreak, however I also have heard the thickened placenta complaint with no history of abortion and in situations with good lamb viability.

In those circumstances we do not have known cause for seeing thickened placentas. While it is pretty rare it usually persists through that lambing season but does not carry through to the next lambing season. This leads me to think of a nutrition or environmental cause, rather than genetic.

I know that it is frustrating but if you are not seeing abortions associated with the thicken placentas the cause is likely elusive.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

12/30/2025

Question:
I have a four day old kid that seems to have a bladder infection, or it keeps trying to urinate. Also seems to have a little swelling around navel, not noticeable, just by feeling. What would you recommend treating with?

Veterinarian Response:
Excenel or excede are your best options as the active ingredient, ceftiofur, is actively excreted in the urine. Since the lamb is a newborn there is a chance that the urinary plumbing did not develop correctly or that there is a navel infection that is connected to the bladder. In all instances treatment with one of those two antibiotics are your best bet.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

12/23/2025

Question:
What Lepto vaccine would you recommend for katahdin bred ewes and CDT shot.

Veterinarian Response:
For CD/T I recommend using the Vision brand manufactured by Merek. This is a bit more expensive but has the lowest rate of injection site swellings. As far as lepto vaccine I usually do not use in in flocks unless there is a history of Lepto. In terms of preventing abortions Campylobacter and Chlamydia are very much more common than lepto in sheep. Where I have used it I have been happy with the Leptoferm brand from zooetis.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

12/22/2025

Question:
Can you tell me what producers are using for antibiotic treatment in lambs since there's no penicillin? Specifically broad spectrum to use with banding tails. We always gave 1ml penicillin SQ with CDT when banding tails.

Veterinarian Response:
I am using ampicillin (polyflex) in every situation that I would normally use penicillin. It has a spectrum of activity that is similar but actually more broad (expansive). The only down side is that it is more expensive.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

12/05/2025

Question:
We have a 3 year old bred ewe due in January that has bloated. We tried tubing her, she seems to have a blockage, can't get into her stomach to relieve the pressure. We tried rolling her and she coughed up more phlegm. Any other suggestions that we could try.

Veterinarian Response:
If you cannot get the gas relieved with a stomach tube you should place 16 to 32 oz of mineral oil into the rumen through the stomach tube. Mineral oil will do two things. First it will break up foam if it is frothy bloat. Second it will l**e the GI tract because it is not digested and may relieve a blockage. It must be mineral oil. Vegetable oil will not work as it gets digested.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

12/04/2025

Question:
I have a six month old goat that I noticed is frothing around the mouth. She is eating well and seems fine otherwise. Any idea what could be wrong?

Veterinarian Response:
You are probably looking at a tooth problem. If you are up to it you could try to take a look in its mouth. THIS IS HARDER TO DO THAN IT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD BE!! It takes two people. One to hold the mouth open and insert a gag such as a rag or partially roll of vet wrap to block the mouth from closing. The other person looks in the mouth with a flashlight. DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGER IN THE BACK OF THE MOUTH!! Ruminant molars are razor sharp and will cut your fingers. You are looking for sores, abnormal teeth or very bad breath. If there are sores and bad breath examine the hay for foxtail awns or other grass seeds that are barbed. If there are no sores but very bad breath you may have a tooth infection.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

11/28/2025

Question:
I was curious what vaccination you recommended for my ewes before breeding season, I’m trying to find a all in one to give them, I had 3 abortions all late gestation out of almost 100 ewes last year, I didn’t know what your recommended? Other than that I’m just looking for a vaccination to cover/prevent the flock from any more problems.

Veterinarian Response:
There is not an All in one vaccine available.

There are two vaccines available for sheep to protect from abortion. Campylobacter and Chlamydia. If you did not confirm the actual cause of abortions I would to both to try and protect your flock. These are both given prior to breeding per the label instructions.
– J. L. Goelz, D.V.M.

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