Ewe-Go Energy & Calcium Drench (Twin Lamb)

A bespoke mix of oral calcium and energy for healthy ewes.

Twin Lamb disease (low blood glucose) and low blood calcium are common problems in ewes before lambing. Distinguishing between the two can be difficult. Ewes suffering from one problem are likely to be affected by the other to some extent. Ewe-Go contains both energy sources and calcium. Energy sources are glycerol and propylene glycol. These are converted to glucose by the ewe meaning all the energy is available to the ewe. Also contains calcium chloride as a source of calcium in the gut.

Choose between 1 litre bottle flexi-packs so any drenching gun can be fitted for easy administration.

Dose Rate: 100ml per ewe, daily for 5 days.

How to spot, treat and control twin lamb disease pre and post lambing

As lambing time approaches the perennial problem of pregnancy toxaemia will become an issue for shepherds and vets alike. More commonly known as twin lamb disease, it is a condition which many of us who have cared for pregnant ewes will be all too familiar with.

What does twin lamb disease look like? The signs in the initial stages of the disease can be subtle, but are usually recognised by experienced shepherds. A ewe isolating from the flock, or hanging back slightly, should start alarm bells ringing. Going off its feed and not joining the scrum at the trough are also signs and, if left untreated, the ewe will deteriorate, become uncoordinated, wobbly and sometimes going blind. Following this, the ewe will go off her legs, collapse and eventually slip into a coma before dying.

So, why does twin lamb disease progress from mild behavioural changes all the way to death? Ewes in late pregnancy have many metabolic stresses. Around 70% of foetal growth takes place in the last eight weeks of pregnancy. To achieve this rapid growth, lambs require increasing amounts of glucose from their mother. To compensate for this, surely the ewe should be eating for two, or even three? In theory that’s all well and good, but in practice it is not as straight forward.

Reduced intake
As the lambs grow rapidly inside the ewe they take up more and more space within the abdomen, space which would usually be occupied by the rumen. This reduction in space leads to a reduction in feed intake and the ewe has to produce the glucose needed from internal fat stores. As fat is broken down to produce glucose other substances called ketones are also produced. As ketone levels in the blood rise and glucose levels drop, the brain is effectively starved of glucose, leading to the signs of odd behaviour, wobbliness, eventual coma and death. Reduced feed intake and increased demand for calcium for lamb growth and the start of lactation causes ewes to become low in calcium. Calcium deficiency inhibits the ewe’s ability to produce glucose, exacerbating the twin lamb disease.

In its own right hypocalcaemia is a dangerous condition for heavily pregnant ewes, presenting with similar signs to twin lamb disease. Many ewes suffering from twin lamb disease are suffering from calcium deficiency at the same time.
Ewes with twin lamb disease have been found to have increased levels of inflammatory markers in their blood, which further inhibits the ability to produce glucose. This inflammation is thought to be a major contributing factor to the deaths of ewes with twin lamb disease. Studies have shown the addition of a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) alongside treatment providing energy sources can increase ewe survival rates by 50%, a finding which mirrors our first-hand experience in veterinary practice of treating these cases.

Treatment
How can we treat twin lamb disease? The problems presented by twin lamb are threefold: energy deficiency, calcium deficiency and inflammation. The energy deficiency can be corrected by giving glucose, but this only works if administered intravenously.
Oral glucose in ruminants is lost in the rumen, as the natural bacteria living in the rumen quickly take any glucose administered orally for themselves, meaning none makes it into the ewe. What we can give orally are glucose precursors, namely proprionate, glycerol and propylene-glycol. These substances are of little interest to the rumen bacteria, but the ewe can quickly and easily use them to make glucose for herself.
Calcium can be given in the form of intravenous or subcutaneous injections of calcium borogluconate, or oral forms of calcium can be administered. While both injectable and oral calcium can be effective, oral is easier to administer and can provide a longer lasting calcium boost to the ewe.
The third aspect, inflammation, is easily combatted by NSAIDs. I always advise the use of NSAIDs whenever treating cases of twin lamb. My personal choice for providing energy and calcium is a combination product such as Ewe-Go, which provides multiple sources of energy and a calcium supply in one oral product.
Sam Ecroyd Vet, Tyndale Vets Ltd