Spencer sheep

diplomaticandtactful

Well-Known Member
Apr 25, 2003
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Poor old lad who is around 14/15 got stuck this morning, his old legs are arthritic and he gets around in a fashion. Most people would cull him but he eats, has good teeth, weight, feet, just his legs are rubbish. Got him some feed and water and then tried to get him up.

He was stuck and distressed so with my Buddy inflicted bad back I got him up but he wanted to sit down. He was due to be shorn this week but I got the kitchen scissors and decided to hand cut him, as the weight of his fleece wasn't helping him. It takes a long time to shear a willing sheep with kitchen scissors. A sheep friend came over and gave him the once over, a vitamin injection and trimmed his feet, and we reckoned he was just an old man who gets a bit stiff and sore.

We then had fun catching The Big Yun who is a huge opinionated Icelandic sheep so she got done as well by hand.

Spencer is still just on his legs and getting around, so see how he gets on.
 
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Vet just been as he seems to have gone blind and walking in aimless circles. Had some injections, one more to give tonight and then see. He was walking quite well but no one home.
 
It sounds like it might be time unfortunately. Hope the vitamins help pick up a bit. A good haircut will make him feel better I'm sure. Sounds like hes had a good innings if hes made it to that age.
I have one ewe who didnt lamb last year. Gave her a second chance and whilst she did lamb it was a disaster. She went off food a fortnight before she lambed. Lambed to her due date overnight, typical, so when I got there in the morning the lamb was dead. Either it came out dead or died shortly after. I will never know. I kept the ewe in for a week to get rid of udder but she still wouldn't eat. I ended up pulling hand pulling her grass and ivy and she was eating some of it. So I turned her back out in the field with a couple of others, but she still wont eat her hard feed and obviously isn't eating much grass now as shes like a bag of bones. Two months since she lambed. I gave her another wormer this week incase shes got a gut full. It sometimes helps but I really dont know what's wrong. Sometimes she doesnt come up to the yard so I fear that shes probably died. But I go out to look and shes just stood. I've got to make that decision soon I cant bear to see her looking so thin.
 
He's a fighter, he had fluke many years ago and recovered. I won't let him linger, I was quite prepared for the vet to have him pts today but she thought his eyesight issue was reversible and give him a bit of a chance
 
Poor old lad who is around 14/15 got stuck this morning, his old legs are arthritic and he gets around in a fashion. Most people would cull him but he eats, has good teeth, weight, feet, just his legs are rubbish. Got him some feed and water and then tried to get him up.

He was stuck and distressed so with my Buddy inflicted bad back I got him up but he wanted to sit down. He was due to be shorn this week but I got the kitchen scissors and decided to hand cut him, as the weight of his fleece wasn't helping him. It takes a long time to shear a willing sheep with kitchen scissors. A sheep friend came over and gave him the once over, a vitamin injection and trimmed his feet, and we reckoned he was just an old man who gets a bit stiff and sore.

We then had fun catching The Big Yun who is a huge opinionated Icelandic sheep so she got done as well by hand.

Spencer is still just on his legs and getting around, so see how he gets on.
Oh bless! Sounds just like Ramsey - loved his food, and if his legs hadn't let him down, he'd have pootled on indefinitely.
 
I've given him his injection, I think he can see as he ducked his head under the tape, earlier on he was blundering into things. If he goes down again best I can do is cover him with a horse rug as it's supposed to rain tonight.
 
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Just been out, he was lying down in the long grass, managed to get him up and into the field shelter, brought over 2 bales of straw, one as thick bedding one to wedge him upright, so he is liying propped up with a big pile of haylage at his nose eating away. at least he is not out in the rain. I am soaked to the skin!
 
Just been out, he was lying down in the long grass, managed to get him up and into the field shelter, brought over 2 bales of straw, one as thick bedding one to wedge him upright, so he is liying propped up with a big pile of haylage at his nose eating away. at least he is not out in the rain. I am soaked to the skin!
You're a great mum! He's a lucky little lad.
 
You're a great mum! He's a lucky little lad.
wish I could have got the sheep hurdles over and in place to keep him in but they are right at the back of the stable block and probably grassed in so will go and cut them out in the morning if he is still with us
 
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I can't think that there are many sheep (except for @Frances144 's) that get such loving care.

You are surely accumulating an enormous wedge of good karma!
he's an old man, I am surprised we have managed to keep him going so long, as his old legs have been poorly for over a year, surprised he got through the winter. I doubt he will get through next winter but you have to give him a chance.
 
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Well you're certainly giving him a fighting chance - that's the best we can do.
 
I left him propped up in the field shelter last night and found it empty this morning. He had gone all the way up to the top of the hill and was lying with his back to the wind and rain. I managed to bring him back down and bedded him down and propped him up again, left him with some cut grass. His sight seems to have returned but he is very weary. Managed to almost knock my front teeth out by walloping me when I was moving him. Just perfect given my back is so blooming sore. Not sure what to do other than monitor him and see. Have managed to find the sheep hurdles so he is shut in on a deep bed of straw and has a bale behind him to keep him upright.
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Pull some ivy and put in a bucket, make sure theres no berries on it. They usually eat ivy if there off there food and will eat it over grass quite often. Dont over do it as it can go through them but it keeps the rumen going.
 
I can't get him up, been syringing water into him every couple of hours and OH has gone to get some sheep food for him to see if we can tempt him to eat
 
eaten some sheep cubes given him more water propped him up with more bales so hopefully he will rest and recover, if not I think we will have to call it tomrrow
 
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