21 March 2007 -- Now it might seem early to make mention of Watery Mouth in lambs but it could be that the management you put in place now will help reduce the incidence of this nasty disease at lambing.

Watery Mouth or E. coli scour is the biggest bacterial challenge facing newborn lambs in their first few days of life.

The disease happens after bacteria enter into the lamb through the mouth and attach to the gut wall where they multiply and produce toxins.

Where these toxins enter into the bloodstream they can lead to brain and nervous system damage so that, even if the lamb is subsequently cured of the E. coli infection, it will be unviable and frequently die later of something else.

The lamb will react to the toxins in one of two ways. It will increase gut movement and reabsorb fluid from its body (scour) or it will stop suckling as the toxins and gas produced accumulate in the stomach.

Where there is a build-up of gas the pressure of this will make breathing and swallowing difficult and this will cause the lamb to drool from the mouth (watery mouth).

The following are steps that can be taken to minimise the risk of Watery Mouth: 1) Try to have the ewes as clean as possible at lambing time. Where the ewes have dirty hindquarters increase bedding and consider dagging ewes.

2) Lambing pens should be cleaned and disinfected after each ewe. This will prevent further build-up of infection. Use plenty of hydrated lime and clean straw.

3) Colostrum is the lamb's best defence against infection. Ensure that the lamb get adequate colostrum as soon as possible after birth. Each 4.5kg lamb needs to get 200ml in the first four hours and repeat every six hours. Where colostrum yield is poor, increase protein level in ration. Where lambs are weak etc. you should intervene and use a stomach tube to ensure that the required intake of colostrum is achieved.

4) Maintain meticulous standards when cleaning stomach tubes, teats, bottles,etc. Use a sterilising solution. 5) Act fast when you see lambs that are infected. If you're not quick then you're wasting your time. Infected lambs should receive antibiotic treatment (under veterinary prescription) in addition to an electrolyte mix where the lambs are dehydrated.

The earliest symptom is a droopy looking newborn lamb who might be sitting around, often with its ears hanging.

If left untreated, a little later that lamb will probably have a distended stomach, be reluctant to move and may appear slightly wet around the mouth.

By the next round, about one to two hours later, the lamb is likely to be drooling from the mouth with slobbers sometimes reaching to the ground.

Unfortunately, it is often at this stage that many farmers finally recognise Watery Mouth. While it is not impossible to bring lambs back from here, the chances of doing so are reduced.

In many cases lambs suffering from Watery Mouth die of starvation or hypothermia. This is because the newborn lamb suffering from Watery Mouth looks like it has a full stomach when it is actually swollen.

And, chances are it will be sitting looking like it is comfortably curled up in shelter when, in fact, it is going downhill fast.

Once you have identified a lamb with Watery Mouth you should dose it with the appropriate treatment.

Some say that in addition to treatment the lamb should be given colostrum while others say it should receive only electrolytes and glucose.

Others also say the lamb should be kept warm but not be allowed to get too warm.

If the lamb is drooling badly and has a cold mouth then treat it and put it in the lamb warmer until its mouth is no longer cold.

If the lamb is not drooling but is damp around the mouth then treat it and if the weather doesn't look too bad, it's got shelter, its mother likes it and its mouth is not cold then a lamb cover might be the best option.

Most vets will recommend antibiotics. Some farmers appear to have a greater degree of success with these than others and certainly some farmers have told of antibiotics working for the first year but not the second.

Other farmers have tried herbal products such as Lamblift and report a good strike rate. Others have tried colostrum supplements and other "brews" and met with mixed success.