Why is my lamb drinking less milk than usual? Should I be worried?

Did the lamb get colostrum? If not, you need to call your vet out ASAP to get him some. There is a homemade recipe you can follow but sheep's colostrum is going to be best. It would be more helpful if you mentioned the lamb's age. Homemade colostrum substitute: 680ml cow's milk 1 x beaten egg 1x teaspoon cod liver oil 1 x teaspoon glucose -feed 50mls every three hours for the first 24 hours. If your lamb is small and weak feed smaller quantities (20-50 ml) more frequently (every 4 hours). This is not ideal and does not contain the antibodies that are passed to the lamb through the colostrum, but if you don't have colostrum it can give the lamb an energy boost and it will help him pass his first stool. After he has had a day of colostrum, your lamb will need to go onto a normal sheep's milk substitute. If you find an orphaned lamb and do not have any sheep milk replacement, you can feed the lamb full cream powdered milk until you can buy some. You can feed warmed pasteurised full cream cow's milk if you have nothing else. Switch to sheep milk replacement as soon as possible and follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to prepare it. Buy the best brand you can afford and use the same brand until the lamb is weaned. This will reduce the risk of abdominal upsets and scours. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Diarrhea is never "normal". If you are bottle feeding her it is most likely the formula that is causing the issue. You need to be sure you are mixing it correctly and that it is the correct formula for a lamb. The diarrhea can also be from intestinal parasites. I suggest you have a vet out there to check her. I don't know how much she weighs so I can't tell you if you are feeding the correct amount but I can tell you that at one month old she only needs to be fed every 8 hours. Have you been creep feeding? At one week of age she should have had creep feeding started and as long as she is eating that well then you should be able to feeding her that only. If you would like to do a private consultation I may be able to help you more.

In order to give him the best chance for survival you need to get your vet out there to check him out. Colostrum is the "first milk" that a ewe produces after lambing. Colostrum contains a high level of several nutrients that are important for lamb health and performance. Colostrum also contains a high level of antibodies against a variety of infectious agents. At birth, the lamb does not carry any antibodies because antibodies in the ewe's bloodstream do not cross the placenta. It is critical that lambs receive colostrum during the first 24 hours of life in order to ensure adequate absorption of these antibodies. Antibodies are large protein molecules that can cross the intestinal wall and enter the blood stream of the lamb only during the first 24 to 36 hours of life. Absorption of these antibodies is most efficient during the first few hours after birth. It is recommended that lambs receive 10 percent of the body weight in colostrum by 24 hours after birth. All lambs need colostrum. While it is possible for lambs to survive without colostrum in a relatively disease-free environment, the likelihood of disease and death is higher in lambs that do not receive colostrum. The ideal colostrum source for supplemental feeding of lambs is from healthy ewes in one's own flock. So, if the lamb did not get colostrum this could be a huge problem. Your vet will be able to tell if he got enough colostrum and if not, they can give him some through his neck vein. I am assuming this is available in Romania. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I think the bunny looks fine. Just because it is smaller does not mean it is not healthy. You can add goat milk (regular, not low fat) to the kitten milk replacer and a pinch of acidophilus (aka Probiotic) to the formula to promote healthy gut flora. Formulas vary depending on region. Avoid Esbilac and any puppy formulas. FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY and let them have free choice alfalfa hay. At 3-6 weeks of age they should be eating about 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings a day) but it may be LESS depending on size of rabbit so they little one may only eat 8-12cc. That is OK. Hope this helps.

They may look alive because it will take a little time for the dewormer to work and kill the worms. When there is a very high worm burden, you will see live and dead worms coming out for many days, or even weeks. I would recommend that Cotton see a vet for evaluation and fecal parasite testing and count. She may need a different dewormer. Occasionally, when there are a lot of worms that die all at once, the body can have an allergic reaction or the worms can even create an intestinal blockage which would cause your lamb to not want to eat, she may need veterinary treatment.

Check her temperature. If she has a fever, call out your farm vet. Potential causes include infection, vitamin/mineral deficiency (namely vitamin E and selenium), parasites (the most worrisome being meningeal worm) or trauma. Keep her warm and as stress free as possible. If necessary, rig up a sling to help her get around. The easiest is a towel slung underneath her behind the front limbs. Without an exam, it is difficult to determine definitively what is happening. If her symptoms are worsening, consider an emergency vet call out or trip to the nearest veterinary ER.

It sounds like you are doing a great job with Luna so far! I would first make sure that she has pooped today. If she has not this can lead to an ‘overfull’ feeling and make her not want to eat. If she has pooped and is still refusing food for more than 24 hours then I would recommend taking her in to be examined by your veterinarian to ensure nothing is wrong. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.