Care in Drenching Sheep

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 60, Issue 1, 15 January 1940, Page 50

Care in Drenching Sheep

NOW that the season for drenching sheep is at its height, it appears opportune to draw the attention of owners to the need for care in,. the handling and drenching of sheep. It is an easy matter to force .the drench into an animal, but if this is done some of the drench may easily pass down the windpipe and set up pneumonia. . If the' sheep are allowed to pass quietly through the race 1 and the

drench is carefully and slowly given with the sheep standing on all four legs, with the head not raised too high, no difficulty should be experienced. Injury to Mouth ; Apart, from pneumonia, there is a possibility of injury to the mouth of the sheep by the forceful use of a drenching measure or by the nozzle of a' drenching gun. In past years cases

of such injury have , been reported by owners, more particularly following the use of a drenching gun. The injury \ may not become apparent '. for some little time after the drenching has been carried out, and the drenching gun or method of drenching is not suspected as the cause of the trouble. In such cases a careful examination of the mouth may show an ulcer of the cheek or gum where the injury has taken place. Later, an abscess of the gum, jaw, or cheek is seen, and the animal is unable to feed and loses condition , rapidly. The abscess may burst externally, in which case recovery takes place, but on the other hand, the pus may burrow into a tooth cavity or a septicaemia may be set up, which results in death. , . In any case, these injuries inside the mouth are so difficult to treat that every effort should be made to avoid them. , Careless Use of Drenching Gun In the majority of cases■ investigated in past seasons the. careless use of the drenching gun nozzle was responsible. The use of a drenching

gun facilitates the dosing of a large number of lambs or hoggets, and simply because it increases the speed of the operation there may be a tendency to carelessness in-its use. Frequently the nozzle becomes roughened against the teeth of the sheep, and unless care is used to see that the nozzle is not pressed against the cheek it is an easy matter to puncture the thin lining of the mouth. The nozzle should rest on z the tongue, and the dose is delivered at the back of the tongue. If the lining of the cheek is punctured and any of the drenching fluid gains entrance, it is impossible to prevent abscess formation, as many of the drenches contain irritants such as bluestone. Rubber Tubing A roughened nozzle may be protected by the use of a piece of rubber tubing. In the drenching of hoggets and sheep . it is important to see that the ingredients of the medicine are ,in the correct amount according to the quantity of water used, and that the dosage is according to the age and condition of the animals to be ditenplhed.