Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T02:13:14.080Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Questionnaire Survey of Ovine Dystocia Management in the United Kingdom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

P R Scott
P R Scott*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A questionnaire survey of farm experience, undertaken during lambing time in the year 2000 by 95 second-year veterinary undergraduate students, highlighted numerous areas of concern. On those farms attended, more than one third of shepherds (32; 34%) neither washed their hands in an approved scrub nor used arm-length disposable plastic gloves before attempted correction of a lambing problem. Sheep received a prophylactic antibiotic injection after an assisted lambing on just 33 farms (35%), while the majority of farmers (62 farms; 65%) treated only those ewes that became sick some days after assisted lambing. Veterinary assistance was requested to only 22 of 359 (6.1%) dystocia cases from a sample population of 79 610 lowground ewes. When lambs could not be delivered by farm staff the ewes were either humanely destroyed (65) or injected with antibiotics but subsequently died because of ensuing toxaemia from the emphysematous lambs in utero (272).

Keywords

animal welfaredystociasheep
Type
Short Communication
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , February 2003 , pp. 119 - 122
Copyright
© 2003 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Anon 2000 National Animal Disease Information Service. UKVet (March/April) 5(2): 8Google Scholar
Evans, S and Scott, P R 1999 The future for veterinary services on sheep farms. Proceedings of the Sheep Veterinary Society 23: 129–133Google Scholar
Gessert, M E and Scott, P R 1996 Combined xylazine and lidocaine caudal epidural injection in the treatment of ewes with preparturient vaginal or cervico-vaginal prolapse. Agri-Practice 16: 15–17Google Scholar
Hay, LA 1991 Obstetrical problems and birth injuries. In: Martin W B and Aitken I D (eds) Diseases of Sheep, Edn 2 p 8. Blackwell Science: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Menzies, P I 2000 Antimicrobial drug selection for common infections of sheep and goats. In: Prescott J F, Baggot J D and Walker R D (eds) Antimicrobial Therapy in Veterinary Medicine, Edn 3 p 597. Iowa State University Press: Ames, USAGoogle Scholar
MLC (Meat and Livestock Commission) 1997 Sheep Yearbook 1997 p 33. Meat and Livestock Commission: Milton Keynes, UKGoogle Scholar
Scott, P R 1989 Ovine caesarian operations: a study of 137 field cases. British Veterinary Journal 145: 558564CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, P R, Sargison, N D, Penny, C D and Pirie, R S 1995b Application of lumbosacral spinal anaesthesia for ovine caesarean operation and vasectomy in the field situation. Theriogenology 42: 891–893CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, P R, Sargison, N D, Penny, C D and Strachan, W D 1995a The use of combined xylazine and lignocaine epidural injection in ewes with vaginal and uterine prolapses. Theriogenology 43: 1175–1178CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, P R and Gessert, M E 1996 Evaluation of caudal epidural lignocaine injection during dystocia correction in ewes. Veterinary Record 138: 19–20CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, P R and Gessert, M E 1997a Management of post-partum cervical, uterine or rectal prolapse in ewes using caudal epidural xylazine and lignocaine injection. The Veterinary Journal 153: 115–116CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, P R and Gessert, M E 1997b Evaluation of epidural xylazine injection for caesarean operation in ovine dystocia cases in general practice. The Veterinary Journal 154: 63–68CrossRefGoogle Scholar