Hi there. I went on a field trip to the OSU lambing barns with my DS's kindergarten class and I saw some sheep with some strange looking things on their sides. Anyone know what these might be? Sorry the pic is blurry, but the sheep were kinda far away and it was dark in there.
There was one pen full of sheep with those things on their sides and then there was the nursery.......
What a cutie!
Some of the "other" lambs. ;o)
Anyone? Anyone? :o)
Have you considered calling OSU and asking them what the objects are on the sheep's side? If they are allowing school kids in the lambing barns, they shouldn't be too surprised by the question. Just tell them the kids wanted to know and you want to provide the correct answer.
mgh
Great Pictures of ALL the cuties.
Judy
Yes, I have thought about that. While we were there we saw exactly one person working there and he was tube feeding a new lamb and the phone was ringing and ringing with no one to answer it. He was a bit busy. I did ask him why some of them had twine wrapped around them and found out it was because of prolapse. By the time I saw these other sheep the guy was in a different area that we could not go into.
The lambing barns at OSU are set up every year for children to come visit...it's quite a popular field trip here.
Thank you, Judy!
University of Idaho (my has cows with the same device. It is my understanding that it allows researchers/students to sample the contents of the stomach to see what foods & grasses are being eaten and how they are digested.
I found this article about the University of Idaho cows. I'm sure the same applies to the sheep you saw.
http://www.argonaut.uidaho.edu/archives/092900/newsstory8.html
Thank you, willmetge! I'm sure that's what these are then. It seems very strange that they could do this and the animal can live a completely normal life....even having babies still.
I believe the term is 'fistulated'....though I am not sure of the spelling. I have seen film of this done with cows too. The film we were shown had been filmed from INSIDE the cow's stomach! It didn't seem to be bothered from this a bit. The portal on the cow had a lid on it like a Tupperware bowl.....you just peeled it off when you wanted to look inside.
I saw a cow with a huge see thru cap on its side many years ago at the U. of MO ag center. You could watch the intestines working. Fascinating!!
Thank you, Virginian. I looked up fistulated and found this article......the beginning of it talks about the fistula: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.monkeysvsrobots.com/mvsrpm/images/politics/fistcow.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.monkeysvsrobots.com/mvsrpm/politics_comments.php%3Fid%3D256_0_23_0_C&h=210&w=289&sz=16&hl=en&start=10&tbnid=z9EykfrsJQIhrM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfistulated%2Bsheep%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
My goodness. I guess it's all in the field of studies, but it looks terrible. Hopefully it's not as bad for the animal as it looks to us.
It looks mean. I don't think I'd want a big old plug in my side for the dr. to peek in and check things out, although it might be more cost effective from the insurance companies point of view.....lol.
~Julie =0)
Well, the sheep I saw didn't look at all bothered by it. If it's going to help them in the long run, then I'm ok with it......although there are other things done in the name of science that are good for things in the long run that I am not ok with......but I won't go there. ;o)
My neighbor has a hole in her side.....not for science though...for life. She had to have most of her intestines removed due to Crohn's Disease and it doesn't hurt her to have the hole there. It is a bother sometimes, but it doesn't hurt her.
