The struggles begin...

One of our 3-pound lambs is looking like she'll be a bottle baby. I went outside this morning to find her downed with hypothermia and hypoglycemia. My mom helped me give her an intraperitoneal injection of dextrose (for those who don't know, that's an injection 1 inch below and to the side of her navel) and then we warmed her up and tube fed her some colostrum. Since then she's been recovering well and has been able to stand and walk but is still weak.

She's a good example of why I was not pleased that Emma was pregnant at such a young age. Emma was doing pretty well for being a 9-month-old ewe lamb herself, but she was showing some struggle with keeping up with both of her babies and seems to have chosen a favorite to focus on.

In the meantime, we'll be praying for a full recovery for the sick lamb and if she recovers she'll be living inside until she's big enough to handle the cold temperatures without a mother protecting her. I think she'll adjust well to being a bottle baby since she's already started complaining if she gets left alone for a second.

The picture above was from earlier today when she was a lot weaker, although she is asleep on my lap as I type this post. She sure is a fighter and I'm hoping she'll pull through! We'll be doing everything we can to give her her best chance.