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Out walking the dog earlier and I noticed a sheep on its side on its own. I left the dog with the wife and made my way across to check on it. It moved its head slightly as I approached but didn't attempt to move. It seemed calm when I got up to up but in hindsight, I think it was in shock. I walked around it to check before trying to roll it over (legs were currently pointing uphill). However, at the back end, I couldn't help but notice a lot of its insides on the outside (about the size of a large loaf of uncut bread).
I made my way to the nearest farm as quick as I could to alert them. They seemed to know who might own the sheep in that field but didn't seem overly concerned.
I'd imagine it's not uncommon and there's most likely nothing can be done for the poor thing. I'd like to think that someone might go and check on her and help her on her way if needs be.
Is there anything more I could have done?
Offered it a whisky?
Srsly, I don't think so, good on you for doing something about it.
that's a sheep giving birth or having a miscarriage. you could have stuck a hand in and pulled out the prize! farmer should've been concerned really as that's his job!
Offered it a whisky?
Nah, a beer would have been better...
https://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/our-beers/cask-ales/riggwelter/
No sign of a lamb and it looked a lot like intestine that was hanging out. I imagine it was some sort of birthing related prolapse.
Sounds like a prolapse to me. Very common at this time of year. I have stuck a couple back in ovr the past 3 days. There was perhaps nothing more you could do other than make sure she was standing/laying comfy, and inform the farmer as it is quite a delicate operation to effectively invert the vagina back inside the sheep!!! If the bit sticking out was bright red and smooth (albeit probably dirty) then there is a good chance that the sheep will be fine after treatment and will have a healthy lamb in a couple of days. Sometimes the whole uterus can be pushed out, or crows can damage the inside of the vagina before it gets pushed back inside, in which case prognosis is not very good.
that is more grim than I thought
Let's hope it wasn't a uterine prolapse. Pics of that may make you bring up dinner!
It definitely looked like lower intestine that was outside. There were crows about half a mile or so away and that was one of the things that made me think she was still alive. They'd not started on her yet and I hope the farmer responded before they did.
The farmer I spoke to was dairy but he seemed to know who did own the sheep in that field. Even if he didn't get on with him, I have to think they'd not leave an animal to suffer like that.
Welsh Farmer has it.
Prolapsed vag or afterbirth.
Bit more googling around the subject and I wonder if it might actually have been a ruptured prolapse. There was definitely a "string of sausages" hanging out the back. If that was the case, I hope someone more knowledgeable than me got there soon.
On some of the farms where I go rabbit shooting there appears to be more dead sheep than alive. Eventually they decompose. It now cost the farmers to dispose of the carcasses as its illegal to bury them.
It cost's them nothing to plead ignorance.
That's the one thought I don't want to have. You'd hope she'd at least be dispatched. Having said that, there was half a skeleton no more than a mile back.
I made my way to the nearest farm as quick as I could to alert them. They seemed to know who might own the sheep in that field but didn’t seem overly concerned.
First one would be they probably knew exactly what it was and would tell the other farmer, being overly concerned is probably something that shows on what happened after you left and they spoke to the other farmer. They are not going to leap into action and run over to deal with other people's stock if the other farmer can.
It's also a time of year where a lot of farmers are running on bugger all sleep and a high level of seen a lot of stuff over the last few weeks.
Just be thankful you didn't have to deal with a cow's prolapse 😳