Sheep Pregnancy Toxemia Welfare | Animal Welfare Hub

Pregnancy toxemia (twin lamb disease) causes metabolic collapse in late-gestation ewes carrying multiple fetuses, causing significant suffering and death that is largely preventable through nutrition management.

Key Facts

Pregnancy toxemia is caused by insufficient energy intake relative to demands of multiple developing fetuses
Affected ewes show weakness, blindness, and neurological signs before death without treatment
The condition typically affects the most productive ewes carrying triplets or twins
Early nutritional intervention and glucose supplementation saves most ewes when caught early
Body condition scoring and feeding adjustments in late pregnancy prevent the majority of cases

Welfare Considerations

Pregnancy toxemia causes progressive neurological deterioration — weakness, blindness, seizures — before death in ewes that are otherwise highly productive animals in their most reproductively demanding period. The welfare cost is high and prolonged in untreated cases. Prevention through appropriate nutritional management of late-gestation ewes requires investment in body condition monitoring and supplement provision that is straightforward and well within the economic reach of commercial sheep operations.

What You Can Do

Support sheep welfare standards requiring late-gestation nutritional monitoring
Advocate for body condition scoring as a mandatory component of sheep welfare assessment
Choose lamb products from farms with documented reproductive welfare management
Raise awareness about pregnancy toxemia as a preventable welfare problem
Donate to sheep welfare research on nutritional management in late gestation