Originally from: frances fish
                        
Hi Sue, We keep wensleydales and have never seen a fat one. This would take a tremendous amount of doing and a shovel for the food . Clearly something other than obesity going on here. Could she be diabetic ?Normal diseases we can get, sheep can get.She would be more prone to infection because of it. Head against wall and obvious pain suggests colic perhaps ? Also had to deal with laminitis in our flock. Usually, like you,bought in animals, usually after we had given a few days of coarse mix but thats not your problem. Has your grass been fertilized this year ? Do you know if your pasture is deficient or unusually high in anything say, iron ? You do not say if she is scouring, although this is such a common problem with this breed it could not be significant.The vet profession are usually, in our experience, useless at any diagnosis that doesn't involve a quick fix with an antibiotic often in conjunction with a steroid followed, inevitably, by a big bill ! I hope you are one of the lucky ones and do get a diagnosis. You are clearly spending a deal of money trying to do the best for this poor ewe. How many times have I said to my poor long-suffering spouse, "If only we knew more,if only we could find out more, if only the vets knew more". But, sad fact is, sheep, on the whole are not worth much and any research tends to be in cattle or done in New Zealand.So, we alll battle on, doing our best, working in the dark, unless, by sheer chance we strike lucky and the condition is curable.I do, with Coleen, feel for you.Hope all goes well and sheep survives.I always work on the theory, Never say die until they stop breathing, then you have to admit the battle is lost. Frances