Hypothermia is a condition that shepherds need to watch for in young lambs. It occurs when a lamb’s body temperature drops below a normal temperature. This can be life threatening to a lamb and immediate detection and treatment increase the lamb’s survival rate. Several factors put lambs at a higher risk for getting hypothermia such as:
- small lambs
- triplets or quad
- cold, wet weather
- wind
- a lamb that is not nursing well
- a lamb that did not nurse within the first couple of hours after birth
- lambs who had prolonged difficult births
Mild Hypothermia
Mild hypothermia is defined by a lamb whose body temperature is between 98.5 F and 102 F. These lambs may appear lethargic, standing with their backs arched, or not keeping up with mom and siblings. Usually these lambs just need to be dried off well with a towel and placed in a warming box or under a heat lamp. After they are dry they will also need to be fed colostrum. I first try to encourage the lambs to nurse from mom. If they are weak, they will not have an adequate sucking reflex and will need to be tube fed with 50ml of colostrum every two hours until they are warm or able to nurse from mom.
Severe Hypothermia
Severe hypothermia occurs when the lamb’s body temperature falls below 98.5 F. These lambs often are non responsive and extremely lethargic. They can appear to be floppy and unable to stand on their own. Dry the lamb first and warm it in a warming box. I have put lambs in show boxes before and placed them by a heat vent in our house. This gives an indirect warmth. I also cover them with a wool sweater to help hold the heat in. When the lamb reaches a body temperature above 100F, it can be tube fed.
Hypoglycaemia
Sometimes, if the lamb is over about 6 hours of age and is chilled, it can become hypoglycemic. That is when the blood sugar levels drop below normal. These lambs will show usually die during the warming process and exhibit thrashing about during warming. When treating older lambs, they need to be treated with glucose before warming them. They must receive an intra-peritoneal injection of 10 ml per kg body weight of a 20% glucose solution.
Treating lambs with hypothermia is usually successful if it is caught early enough. Lambs older than 6 hours of age, are at a higher risk, but they too can be saved if treated properly. We always try to head off hypothermia on our farm through preventative measures.
For more information on preventative measures against hypothermia in lambs read, Keeping Lambs Warm.
As a treat for all you shepherds, I want to give you a recipe to a secret sauce that Theresa at Great Bay Wool Works gave me a couple of years ago when I had a weak lamb. This sauce turned my lamb around and gave it the energy boost it needed. Please note that you should never drench a lamb that can not hold up its own head and always consult your vet when dealing with a sick lamb.
