I am stuck in the recliner with a blanket and a cat on my lap with a 2nd day of a nasty headache. I believe it goes with the nasty weather outside and the change in barometric pressure.
One of our shearing customers has a very sick sheep. She thinks they may have eaten too many acorns which can cause poisoning. This is from the Merck Vet Manual online. I refer to this manual a lot! https://www.merckvetmanual.com/toxicology/quercus-poisoning/overview-of-quercus-poisoning
Taken from the web page- Signs include anorexia, depression, emaciation, brisket edema, dehydration, rumen stasis, tenesmus, smell of ammonia on the breath, serous ocular or nasal discharge, polydipsia, polyuria, hematuria, icterus, and constipation followed by mucoid to hemorrhagic diarrhea.
Consumption of a pelleted ration supplement (1 kg/head/day) containing 10%–15% calcium hydroxide plus access to more palatable feeds may be used as a preventive measure if exposure to acorns or oak leaves cannot be avoided. Calcium hydroxide, activated charcoal, ruminatorics, and purgatives (such as mineral oil [1 L/500 kg], sodium sulfate [1 kg/400 kg], or magnesium sulfate [450 g/400 kg]) may be effective antidotes if administered early in the course of disease. Polyethylene glycol (1 g/kg/day) administered in the feed or water will bind tannins and reduce tissue damage. Fluid therapy to correct dehydration and acidosis and transplantation of ruminal microflora may be beneficial. Clinical recovery usually occurs within 60 days but is rare if renal dysfunction is severe. Improved range management to limit grazing in immature oak stands will prevent development of the syndrome.
Calcium hydroxide is Pickling Lime. Pickling Lime is Calcium Hydroxide. It's also called “food-grade lime”, because in making the Calcium Hydroxide the processors make sure that the process remains pure and doesn't introduce anything untoward (e.g. it's not done in rusty old bins.)
Magnesium sulfate is Epsom Salt
Polyethylene glycol-propylene glycol
https://csuvth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/Plants/Details/5
We know our sheep eat a lot of acorns here in the fall. I am not aware if we have had this problem, although it could explain 3 of the deaths we had last spring. It is hard to keep them away from the oaks as most of the woods here are red oak.
http://riverroadveterinary.com/acorn-poisoning-in-livestock-animals/
http://beef2live.com/story-acorn-poisoning-potential-threat-cattle-sheep-0-120209
I hope our customer's sheep recovers from whatever he got into. And, I hope this helps anyone else who has had this happen to their livestock. I've learned a lot today in researching this.
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