My Old Ewe Has Had Her Ear Ripped Off

[Robbi]

One of my old ewes has had her left ear completely ripped off, she has some blood on her neck but otherwise is not injured, I discovered the injury this morning when I was feeding the flock some hay. My dogs have been with me or in the house for the last 24 hours and have never shown any interest in the sheep, there are houses near us with dogs and I do sometimes see dogs unsupervised on our road.

Is it acceptable for me to knock on peoples doors and ask them if they have seen any stray dogs near my sheep in the past day or should I put a sign on my fence warning about not letting dogs roam free near livestock? Do I contact the police?

The old ewe is coping but scared, I have put antibiotic powder on the stump where the ear was and will keep her in the pen for the next few days as I think she may be in shock, her old friend is standing close to her and keeping her company.

Could it be something other than a dog?

[Jed]

Dog, dingo, wild dog. I would speak to the neighbours.

[kelpiecuddles]

Could even be a fox harrassing them, they seem to be getting pretty desperate and pushy at the moment

[Weasels]

Wouldn't be a dingo or wild dog in the Adelaide Hills, but could be a feral/stray dog or a possibly a desperate fox if the sheep is elderly Weez flushed a big fox out of our creek and saw it off the property yesterday :/

Could it have been caught on a fence or bit of stray metal or wire?

[Robbi]

My sheep are very tame and usually stay near the house in winter as I hand feed them but they can go down into a gulley, I have seen some foxes around.

Jed what is the best way to broach the subject with neighbours, I know most of my neighbours quite well but there are some new people down the road, they have two dogs and have only moved in about a month ago, I think that they would be the first people to visit. Do I say that my sheep has been attacked or do I just ask them if they have seen any loose dogs around?

[Robbi]

"Could it have been caught on a fence or bit of stray metal or wire?"

I did wonder if it was an wire accident but I think it looks more brutal than just a wire tear but still cant know for sure.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Robbi

[Kirislin]

If it was wire you'll find her ear. I'd be suspecting dogs. Poor old girl.

[Nekhbet]

if it was wire there would be a bigger tear and there would be blood everywhere. Either some sick person cut it off or a dog got it, they grab face/ears easily if trying to pull a prey animal down. It's weird though that only the ear is missing.

[Nushie]

If you are going to approach your neighbours i would just say that your sheep has been attacked and that you suspect wild/stray dogs and that you thought it best to warn all your neighbours so that everyone is aware.

That way you arent blaming anyone and if by chance it was their dogs then they might think about keeping them contained better.

I dont live in the country, but its a good start.

[Robbi]

if it was wire there would be a bigger tear and there would be blood everywhere. Either some sick person cut it off or a dog got it, they grab face/ears easily if trying to pull a prey animal down. It's weird though that only the ear is missing.

Oh, I hadn't thought of a person doing something awful, she is very tame and would have been easy to catch but not many strangers around, still sheep will be in the house paddock for now.

[OSoSwift]

Locally we had a cow who had had her ears cut off for some sick reason. Not sure they ever found the revolting human that did it.

I would suspect a wild dog, have a good look around the area she may have some bite marks hidden in her wool, I would also consider an injection of long acting antibiotic just incase.

If she caught the ear on wire I would imagine a tear trhough or around the ear but not the ear taken off in what sounds like a fairly clean manner.

I would hope a human hasn't done it but to be honest it is potentially possible, although unlikely in this case.

[Kirislin]

If it was a dog I'd say there's a good chance it will come back.

[Dogsfevr]

Some locals in our area have had issues with morons bringing Pitbulls in to attack live stock so they have brought in shooters.

I would alert neighbours & council,you not accusing anyone of anything as you have no idea who or what did it but a warning of be aware goes along way .

Whether it be a sick human who thoughtt it was funny or dog issue

[Robbi]

Nushie,I have decided to tactfully visit the new neighbours down the road this evening, unfortunately housing is starting to move into what was once all farmland in my area in the hills, people don't seem to appreciate that dogs and livestock don't mix

This is the first time in many years that I haven't had a ram with the flock so no lambs on the ground this year thankfully as they may have been more badly injured. Maybe time to get a guard donkey?

[Robbi]

Some locals in our area have had issues with morons bringing Pitbulls in to attack live stock so they have brought in shooters.

I would alert neighbours & council,you not accusing anyone of anything as you have no idea who or what did it but a warning of be aware goes along way .

Whether it be a sick human who thoughtt it was funny or dog issue

Good idea, I will give the council a call.

[Kirislin]

Some locals in our area have had issues with morons bringing Pitbulls in to attack live stock so they have brought in shooters.

I would alert neighbours & council,you not accusing anyone of anything as you have no idea who or what did it but a warning of be aware goes along way .

Whether it be a sick human who thoughtt it was funny or dog issue

Good idea, I will give the council a call.

are you allowed to shoot roaming dogs on your property or are houses too close by?

[Robbi]

There are houses on my eastern border but national park all along my southern border, the neighbours on the western side would probably shoot a stray before it made it to my place. I don't have a gun but would try to catch any dog I find on my property and ring the council.

It is awful to think my sheep aren't safe at the moment, hopefully keeping them close to the house will make them a little bit more secure though.

[casowner]

In our area in the last 18 months we have had over 10 alpacas, 2 horses, 60 sheep plus 2 calves killed because of dogs. The main culprits were an aged lab and a mastiffy cross thing who lived one road over, they were caught on my property trying to get into my deer yard. The most recent were two purebred gsd bitches that were in the forest (now shot), there were 2 guys caught burying huge amounts of pills in the forest and we think the dogs were theirs and they ran off

I live in a constant state of paranoia with mine so will be glad when my anatolian and central asian matures

Edited July 24, 2013 by behluka

[grumpette]

Robbi have you thought about a couple of alpacas to guard the sheep?

Another idea is to put a couple of signs up saying "Wild dogs in the area, baits laid" and then warn the new neighbours. This has worked for a few stock owners around here.

The next step has been to shot the offending dogs when the moronic owners still don't contain their dogs. One poor owner lost 26 lambs and 4 ewes last year

[casowner]

Robbi have you thought about a couple of alpacas to guard the sheep?

Another idea is to put a couple of signs up saying "Wild dogs in the area, baits laid" and then warn the new neighbours. This has worked for a few stock owners around here.

The next step has been to shot the offending dogs when the moronic owners still don't contain their dogs. One poor owner lost 26 lambs and 4 ewes last year

Grumpette we have 3 and trust me with dogs they are no help, my lambs were taken last night by foxes in the same paddock. A neighbour had his alpacas all torn to bits in one night only a month or so ago by dogs

Donkeys are better but still can get injured they can also pick up sheep and toss them