Pregnancy toxaemia affects ewes in late gestation with poor body condition or carrying multiple lambs, causing severe metabolic disease with high mortality without intervention.
Ewes with pregnancy toxaemia experience severe metabolic distress causing progressive neurological signs from ketone body accumulation. Affected animals become increasingly depressed and eventually unable to stand. The blindness and star-gazing posture indicate significant neurological compromise causing distress. Without treatment, ewes deteriorate rapidly over 2-5 days before death. Prevention through body condition scoring at mating and providing adequate energy in late pregnancy is highly effective at preventing this welfare emergency.