Farm Animal Welfare

Sheep Pregnancy Toxaemia Prevention

Pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease) causes fatal metabolic disease in late-pregnant ewes carrying multiple lambs, and prevention is straightforward.

Key Facts

Pregnancy toxaemia occurs when energy demand exceeds intake in late pregnancy
Ewes carrying twins or triplets are at highest risk in the final 6 weeks of pregnancy
Body condition scoring and pregnancy scanning enable targeted feeding
Early treatment with propylene glycol improves survival if detected promptly
Prevention through adequate nutrition and body condition monitoring is highly effective

Welfare Considerations

Pregnancy toxaemia causes progressive weakness, recumbency, and death in affected ewes. The condition is almost entirely preventable through appropriate nutritional management informed by scanning and condition scoring. Prevention is far more effective and welfare-positive than treatment.

What You Can Do

Scan ewes to identify multiple pregnancies and increase rations accordingly
Monitor body condition scores throughout pregnancy to identify at-risk ewes
Provide trained staff for lambing period to detect and treat early cases promptly