Pregnancy toxaemia in breeding ewes

Summary

Pregnancy Toxaemia, also known as lambing sickness or twin lamb disease, is caused by low levels of glucose in the blood which adversely affects brain and nervous system function.

It most commonly occurs in ewes bearing twin and sometimes large single lambs during the last month of pregnancy, when there is a high demand for glucose from the rapidly growing foetuses.

The incidence of the disease may typically be between 1-2% and up to 10% of twin-bearing ewes.

Topics include:

• Glucose and Ketones
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Causes
• Preventions