Speckled Jill is our first lamb to arrive this year. She is a very special case because she was born with neurological problems. Her journey so far has not been an easy one with her carer doing everything she could to get her well. Unable to progress with improving her health, her carer contacted LCA to ask if we would be happy to take Jill on board.
Jill has seen Josh, who is one of our wonderful vets in Romsey. He confirmed that Jill is blind although there is nothing structurally wrong her eyes. The problem is that her brain is not communicating with her body in the correct way. As a result, Jill is struggling to understand how to graze.
Jill’s LCA carer is now giving her high doses of Vitamin B and cortisone and we are hoping that blood tests will give us some answers. For now this sweet girl is enjoying her bottles and receiving lots of love and attention. Jill has a long road ahead of her and currently, with the seriousness of her situation, we don’t know in which direction that road will take her. We are, however, doing everything we can to make it in a direction that will give Jill a long and happy life.
15 January 2024
Speckled Jill is adjusting well to her new environment and loves cuddles and scratches. We have discovered that Jill is blind but is very responsive to voices. As a result, she needs to be assisted with drinking her bottles. Her nutritional requirements are being supplemented by softened lamb pellets syringed into her mouth and Critta Care, a supplement used for unwell animals.
We still do not know what the future will hold for Jill and hope that further tests next week will shed more light on her condition. For now, we can only try to remain positive and hope that a solution can be found to her health issues.
27 January 2024
Today we bring you the sad news that always comes with heartache and sadness. Beautiful Jill seemed to be progressing well and at one stage her future looked so promising. Unfortunately, repeated seizures started to take a toll on her body and blood tests showed significant signs of either a liver shunt or liver disease.
A liver shunt is a birth defect in some animals where the blood vessels in the abdomen bypass the liver and enter the systemic circulation. This can result in the accumulation of toxic byproducts of digestion. They can be diagnosed by blood tests, ultrasonography, or other imaging techniques and treatment options may include surgery, medication, or dietary management.
We decided that the best course of action was to have a CT scan performed. If the scan had shown a liver shunt then surgery was a possible cause of action that may have saved her life. Sadly the CT scan, examined by 3 radiologists, showed that there was no liver shunt. The specialist who saw her said that there was possibly of an abscess on the brain or even a congenital brain condition. An MRI could show that but would not help in Jill’s case. We were left with little option but to take each day one at a time with her health.
On Thursday, Jills condition worsened. Her liver was definitely not functioning well and it seemed her whole system was struggling. Jill’s body was failing and she had reached the stage of being 100% palliative. We could have prolonged her life a little longer but we knew this was not fair on her. With no quality of life the decision that is always so difficult for us was the only option.
We did everything we possibly could to save Jill. To start the year in such a sad way is never what we want but, unfortunately, cases such as Jill’s are an inevitable part of what we do. We remind ourselves that there will be many positive rescues throughout the year to encourage us and keep us doing what we do.
RIP Jill who crossed the rainbow bridge 25 January 2024
Photos: Lea Unwin-Smith and Eliza McIntosh
