Sheep Pregnancy Toxemia Prevention

Pregnancy toxemia in sheep is a preventable metabolic disease with serious welfare implications for ewes carrying multiple lambs.

Key Facts

Pregnancy toxemia (twin lamb disease) occurs in late gestation when energy demands from multiple fetuses exceed dietary intake
Ewes carrying twins or triplets are 3-5 times more likely to develop pregnancy toxemia than singleton-bearing ewes
Clinical signs include progressive weakness, apparent blindness, star-gazing, collapse, and death if untreated
The condition results from glucose insufficiency causing excessive fat mobilization and hepatic lipidosis
Treatment with propylene glycol, glucose, and corticosteroids is effective if started early but outcomes worsen with delay
Prevention requires body condition scoring at tupping, early pregnancy, and late pregnancy with targeted supplementary feeding
Excessive body condition at conception followed by weight loss in early pregnancy is a primary risk factor

Welfare Considerations

Pregnancy toxemia causes significant and progressive suffering through neurological deterioration from glucose insufficiency and hepatic dysfunction from fat mobilization. The weakness and apparent blindness of advanced toxemia cases indicate severe central nervous system dysfunction that is distressing and painful. The condition is entirely preventable through nutritional management, making its occurrence on commercial farms a welfare failure that reflects inadequate monitoring and management rather than an unavoidable disease. Body condition scoring programs that identify ewes in poor or excessively good condition before breeding and in early and late pregnancy allow targeted nutrition interventions that prevent most cases. The economic incentive to breed ewes for maximum litter size without providing corresponding nutritional support drives much of the preventable toxemia burden. Farms that implement routine body condition scoring and adjust nutrition based on pregnancy scanning results eliminate most cases.

What You Can Do

Implement regular body condition scoring for ewes throughout the reproductive cycle and at key points in pregnancy
Use pregnancy scanning to identify ewes carrying multiples and provide them appropriately higher nutritional planes in late gestation
Train farm staff in early recognition of pregnancy toxemia signs to enable prompt treatment before neurological deterioration
Support agricultural extension programs that provide nutritional management training specifically for reducing metabolic disease in sheep