Today, Katie noticed an unusual brown mound out in the pasture. Walking toward it, we soon realized it was an animal down. Then, as we got closer, we could see that it was a sheep and we saw it kicking its legs so we knew it was alive. Katie went up and looked at the sheep and tried to get it up. She moved the sheep and after some effort, it got up and wobbled and fell back down.
We went in and called the vet and got her out within an hour. I don’t know that she said “my sheep has fallen and can’t get up” but we said it was an emergency. When the vet arrived, she checked the sheep and nudged it and this time the sheep jumped to its feet and stayed upright. It walked around and then headed away to join the rest of the flock.
The vet said that the sheep was likely fine. It didn’t seem to have any neurological damage, which might cause it to fall over, and it was obviously not blind. It had somehow fallen and ended up on its back against a slope. This sometimes happens to older, more arthritic sheep and this male was relatively young. According to the vet, the sheep would have died if it did not get assistance. A sheep’s stomach produces gas continuously, and when it is on its back, the gas is trapped and the sheep becomes bloated. The vet said she gets calls likes this even from people with a lot experience raising sheep. It happens. Sheep are particularly helpless.
We have to watch the sheep more closely for a few days.
