What to Do If a Sheep Swallows a Plastic Bag by Mistake? Detailed First Aid Treatment Methods

    In recent years, with the expansion of planting areas, large amounts of plastic film remain in the fields. When the wind blows in spring, it is scattered everywhere, which often leads to sheep accidentally swallowing plastic bags. If a sheep that has swallowed a plastic bag does not receive timely treatment, it can easily die. Today, the editor will introduce several ways to deal with a sheep that has swallowed a plastic bag:

Sheep

    I. Clinical Symptoms

    The sheep is depressed, has weak chewing, and sometimes during rumination a foamy liquid flows from the corners of its mouth, and sometimes it also makes retching-like movements. In the early stage, the sheep is constipated, with dry feces that are dark brown, and later it develops diarrhea; the sheep's feces change from dry to thin and contain mucus. A sheep that has swallowed a plastic bag also shows restlessness due to abdominal pain, mooing, groaning, constantly looking back at its abdomen, or kicking its abdomen with its hind hooves. When resting quietly, most sheep lie on their right side with the head and neck bent against the chest and abdomen, and occasionally stretch out the head and neck.

    II. Emergency Treatment Measures

    1. Remove the contents of the rumen.250-300 ml of vegetable oil or 500-1000 ml of liquid paraffin can be given in one drench. Alternatively, dissolve 150-200 g of sodium sulfate (or magnesium sulfate) in 1000 ml of warm water and give it in one drench.

    2. Promote rumen motility.Mix 5-10 ml of nux vomica tincture, 10-15 ml of gentian tincture, and 20 ml of 95% alcohol with 500-800 ml of water and give it in one drench. Alternatively, use 24 ml of 3% pilocarpine or 5-10 ml of 0.05% neostigmine for one subcutaneous injection, then give the sheep another injection after 4 hours so as to expel the foreign matter from the sheep's body as quickly as possible.

    3. Stop abnormal putrefaction of the contents in the sheep's gastrointestinal tract.10 g of ichthammol can be dissolved in 100-150 ml of 20% alcohol, add an appropriate amount of water, and give it to the sheep in one drench.

    4. Improve digestive function.10-15 g of sodium bicarbonate and 20-25 g of yeast powder can be mixed with an appropriate amount of water and given to the sheep in one drench.