PREGNANCY TOXEMIA IN EWES AND DOES

Dr. Steve Angelos, DVM, DACVIM

Pregnancy toxemia is a disease that occurs in late pregnant sheep and goats. In the last month of gestation, the fetus, or fetuses, accomplish 80% of their growth. As a result, they require large amounts of nutrients from the mother. The disease carries a high mortality rate and without intervention most animals will die within a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Toxemia occurs more often in females carrying two or more lambs/kids. The disease most often results from chronic poor nutrition, or a stress-induced acute form of toxemia brought on by climatic changes like heavy snow or rain, transportation stress, or stress from a minor illness.

The signs that can be observed with pregnancy toxemia include: abnormally small fecal pellets (this is a sign that the animal has been eating poorly), isolation from the flock, grinding the teeth, reluctance to rise, or vision/neurologic changes. Because pregnancy toxemia is usually caused by poor nutrition in late pregnancy, the best methods of prevention are focused on improving nutrition in late gestation. Many animals cannot eat enough to meet these demands on hay alone unless it is an extremely high quality forage. Therefore, feeding grain or concentrates in some form is necessary, in addition to hay. This additional feeding is often added during the last 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy, and needs to be introduced gradually to prevent a grain overload situation. A good rule of thumb is to feed a pound of grain per doe or ewe per day.

If you are suspicious that your animal may have pregnancy toxemia and the animal is still eating, it is sometimes possible to correct the situation with oral medications and supplements. More advanced cases may require intravenous fluids containing glucose. In many cases, it is necessary to remove the fetuses by C-section if the ewe or doe is to be saved. Unfortunately, when a case progresses to this stage the outcome is usually not good for either the mother or her kids/lambs. In all cases you should consult with your veterinarian if you have concerns that pregnancy toxemia may be occurring.