Pregnancy Toxaemia in Sheep: Welfare and Prevention 2026

Pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease) is a metabolic condition in ewes carrying multiple lambs, causing severe welfare compromise if unmanaged.

Key Facts

Pregnancy toxaemia occurs when energy demands of late pregnancy exceed intake, causing fat mobilisation and ketosis
It primarily affects ewes carrying twins or triplets and those in poor or very good body condition
Clinical signs include depression, apparent blindness, teeth grinding, and progressive recumbency
Treatment with glucose precursors (propylene glycol, glycerol) is effective if started early
Prevention through appropriate body condition at tupping and adequate late-pregnancy nutrition is highly effective

Welfare Considerations

Pregnancy toxaemia causes acute, severe welfare compromise - affected ewes become depressed, unable to feed, and in later stages comatose and unable to stand. The condition develops over days and untreated ewes die within 3-5 days of severe signs. The stress on late-stage fetuses is also significant, often resulting in stillbirth or very weak lambs. Prevention through systematic body condition scoring of ewes before and after tupping, appropriate nutritional supplementation in late pregnancy, and regular monitoring for early signs substantially reduces both ewe and lamb welfare burden. Farmers should be aware that very fat ewes are at equal risk to thin ewes due to impaired appetite.

What You Can Do

Implement body condition scoring for all ewes before tupping and in late pregnancy
Provide adequate late-pregnancy nutrition, especially for ewes carrying multiple lambs
Monitor ewes closely in the last three weeks of pregnancy for early signs of metabolic disease
Train farm staff to administer glucose precursor treatment for early-stage affected ewes