Managing calcium deficiency in ewes around lambing — a welfare emergency requiring prompt intervention.
Hypocalcaemia in ewes causes rapid welfare deterioration from onset to recumbency. The initial signs — muscle tremors, stiff gait, and anxiety — progress within hours to inability to rise, coma, and death if untreated. The distress of a ewe that cannot rise and cannot care for her lambs is significant. Lambs from hypocalcaemic ewes face starvation without the intervention of the shepherd.
The welfare emergency demands rapid response. Intravenous calcium borogluconate provides the fastest welfare relief — recumbent ewes may rise within minutes of correct treatment. Subcutaneous administration is safer (no cardiac risk) but slower. The satisfaction of watching a moribund ewe recover within minutes of calcium treatment is matched by the welfare tragedy of ewes found dead from untreated hypocalcaemia.
Prevention through correct transition nutrition — avoiding over-supplementation with calcium pre-lambing (which suppresses the calcium mobilisation response) and ensuring adequate magnesium (which is required for calcium homeostasis) — significantly reduces incidence. Regular observation of ewes around lambing enables prompt detection and treatment.