Lambing - Worried about watery mouth?

As many of you are no doubt acutely aware thanks to late night checks and early starts for many of us lambing time has arrived! Lots of our farmers are worried about what they can use for “watery mouth” or “rattle belly” caused by an E.Coli infection in newborn lambs causing drooling and bloating hence the names. This disease can account for a significant proportion of neonatal losses in lambs.
Previously we have used Spectam to good effect but this product was withdrawn a few years ago and since then we have been using Bimamix but this has now also been withdrawn. This has left us with a dilemma of what to use to help prevent “watery mouth”. Thorough cleaning and disinfecting of lambing pens is key to reducing disease as well as through dipping of the navels (dipping is twice as good as spraying) as soon as possible after birth.

Luckily a new product has just been launched which looks like it will be extremely promising to help reduce watery mouth and other neonatal diseases in lambs. Rather than being an antibiotic (as we are trying to reduce over dependence on these) it is an oral drench that you give at birth in a similar way to Spectam. It contains a high concentration of IgY, a type of antibody which helps bind pathogens in the gut to prevent infection with an added bonus of an energy boost.
We recommend this is given to ALL lambs born on farms where there have previously been cases of “watery mouth” or you have used Spectam or Bimamix in the past.

At under £1 a dose we expect that it will pay for itself in reduced mortality and improved growth rates. There is also a new navel dip which studies have shown to be more effective than iodine called NoBACZ and will be available soon. Please contact us on 01548 853322 Option 2 to discuss your requirements or to order your supplies ready for lambing.