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Aspiration pneumonia
Aspiration pneumonia occurs when a liquid or food, instead of going down the esophagus towards the stomach, goes down the trachea and arrives in the lung. We also talk about false route or false swallowing. It is not a contagious disease: i...
What is it?
Aspiration pneumonia occurs when a liquid or food, instead of going down the esophagus towards the stomach, goes down the trachea and arrives in the lung. We also talk about false route or false swallowing. It is not a contagious disease: it is an accident. And in sheep farms, this accident almost always has the same origin, the one that must be remembered above all else: poorly done drenching, that is to say the administration of a liquid with a drug gun, or bottle-feeding the lamb too quickly. The inhaled liquid is doubly aggressive. It chemically burns the lung tissue, and it brings in bacteria from the mouth which multiply there. A severe infection, often purulent and smelly, then sets in in the lower and front areas of the lung. It is one of the rare respiratory diseases in sheep that is almost entirely preventable, and entirely in the hands of the breeder: it is prevented by action, not by medication.
Key point
An animal that coughs or expels liquid from the nose during a drenching must be reported to the veterinarian the same day, without waiting for the onset of fever. A lamb that is breathing quickly and refusing to nurse after a bottle is a life-threatening emergency.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
The very first signs sometimes appear during the administration itself: the animal coughs violently, struggles, liquid comes out of the nostrils. You must then stop immediately, rest the animal's head and notify the veterinarian, even if the animal seems to calm down afterwards.
In the hours that follow: rapid and shallow breathing, cough which returns in fits, animal which remains standing aside, head lowered and neck tense.
Refusal to eat and drink, depression which sets in quickly.
Fever, usually within one to three days after the accident.
Nasal discharge, which becomes thick, sometimes tinged and often mixed with food or milk in lambs.
A very characteristic fetid odor from the breath and discharge appears when the infection takes a purulent turn: this is a sign of seriousness.
Noisy, wheezing or snoring breathing, animal blowing with half-open mouth.
In bottle-fed lambs, the picture is often brutal: a few minutes after feeding, it coughs, becomes agitated, then becomes limp, refuses to suck and breathes quickly. A lamb that is breathing quickly and refusing to nurse is an emergency, regardless of the context.
In the most serious cases, the animal lies down and never gets up again, with possible death within a few hours.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
Poorly carried out drenching is by far the first cause. Several errors often combine: raising the animal's head too high, which aligns the mouth and trachea and opens the way for the liquid; pushing the cannula too far down the throat; push the liquid too quickly, without giving time to swallow; continue while the animal struggles, coughs or holds liquid in the mouth.
Bottle-feeding the lamb too quickly: teat pierced too wide, bottle pressed to go faster, lamb held on its back or head raised, milk too abundant for its ability to swallow.
Force-feeding a weak, cold or lying lamb. This is a major trap: a hypothermic lamb no longer has a sucking or swallowing reflex. Pouring milk into his mouth is like drowning him. A cold lamb must first be warmed, and its feeding depends on a probe placed by a trained person, never on a bottle given urgently.
Tubing, catheterization, and administration of fluid to a recumbent or weakened animal performed without checking the position of the probe.
Oils given by the bottle, including paraffin oil or cooking oil used against bloating. They are particularly dangerous: they do not trigger the cough reflex, pass without the animal reacting, and cause severe lung damage.
Diseases that interfere with swallowing: nervous disorders, throat problems, paralyzed animals or animals in a state of extreme weakness. In them, the wrong path can occur spontaneously, without human intervention.
Prolapses, difficult births and animals lying on their backs for a long time also expose them to inhaled regurgitation.
Mass drenching of a herd carried out quickly, in groups, at the end of the day, with equipment ill-suited to the size of the animals.
Drug gun with a cannula that is too long or with a broken tip, equipment intended for adults used on lambs.
Animals brutally restrained, heads pulled back, or stuck in a corridor where they struggle.
Orphaned lambs or multiple litters bottle-fed, particularly in the first few days.
Lambs who are hypothermic, weak, poorly born, or have not taken colostrum.
Animals already sick, lying down, dehydrated or showing nervous disorders.
Family habit of giving oil, herbal tea or liquid remedy from the bottle in case of bloating or diarrhea.
Staff not trained in the procedure, replacements or occasional help during periods of high load such as lambing.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
Always tell the veterinarian what was administered, when, how, and if the animal coughed during administration. This information changes everything: it immediately directs you towards inhalation and avoids wasting time on other avenues. There is nothing to hide, it is a frequent accident, including among experienced breeders.
The veterinarian auscultates the thorax: the affected areas are typically located at the bottom and in front of the lung, on the side which was the steepest at the time of the accident.
He takes the temperature and assesses the respiratory effort, the coloring of the mucous membranes and the general condition.
A chest ultrasound or an x-ray, when available, will clarify the extent of the lesions.
Blood tests assess the severity of the infection and general condition.
The fetid odor of the breath, when present, strongly directs the veterinarian towards a purulent development and modifies the prognosis.
Examining a dead animal highlights the characteristic lesions and sometimes the contents itself inhaled into the bronchi: it also makes it possible to confirm the origin of the problem and to adjust the herd's practices.
Treatment
It's an emergency: the sooner treatment begins after the accident, the better the chances. Do not wait until the next day to see if the animal recovers.
The veterinarian sets up antibiotic therapy, chosen to act on the bacteria in the mouth that have descended into the lung, and generally carried out over a long period of time. The choice, the path and the duration are his alone.
An anti-inflammatory is very often combined, on prescription, to limit the damage of inflammation and get the animal back to eating.
Supportive care is essential: calming down, animal kept upright or lying on the sternum rather than on its side, clean water available, dry litter, dust-free shelter. Oxygen therapy can be offered in a veterinary facility for severe cases.
Do not administer any liquid by mouth to this animal without veterinary advice: the risk of recurrence is high, particularly if it is weakened or lying down.
If the accident has just occurred, do not raise the animal's head and do not try to make it "spit out" by hanging it or shaking it: these actions aggravate inhalation. Place him calmly, with his head free and slightly lower than his body, and call the veterinarian.
Waiting times for meat and milk for the products used must be requested and respected.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
This is where everything comes into play: the correct action prevents the disease, no medication replaces it.
For drenching: keep the animal's head in line with the neck, without ever raising it above the horizontal. Pass the cannula along the side of the mouth, in the space behind the incisors, aiming at the back of the tongue and without pushing it into the throat. Deliver slowly, allowing the animal to swallow. Stop immediately if he coughs, struggles, or keeps liquid in his mouth.
Adapt the equipment to the size of the animals: an adult cannula is too long for a lamb. Check the tip before each session.
Never release an animal that is struggling violently or whose restraint is poor: it is better to take it back calmly later.
Never drain an animal that is lying down, weakened, dehydrated or showing nervous disorders without veterinary advice.
For the bottle: keep the lamb standing or in a natural position, muzzle slightly downwards as when it is suckling its mother, never on its back or with its head raised. Use a teat with a suitable hole, let the lamb set its own pace, never squeeze the bottle to go faster.
A cold lamb does not bottle feed. It warms up first; The supply of milk or energy to a hypothermic lamb requires a precise technique, to be learned from the veterinarian before the lambing season.
Ban oil, paraffin and liquid remedies given in the bottle against bloating: this is a classic and formidable cause of inhalation. If bloat occurs, call the veterinarian.
Train all people who handle the animals, including occasional help during lambing. A demonstration of the gesture by the veterinarian, once, avoids losses for years.
Possible complications
Formation of abscesses in the lung, often permanent, with an animal that coughs and loses weight for months.
Extension to the lung envelope with pleurisy, intense pain and poor prognosis.
Evolution towards a purulent and putrid infection of the lung, indicated by the fetid odor of the breath, very difficult to cure.
Septicemia and death within a few hours to a few days in lambs.
Survival with a permanently damaged lung: the animal remains a poor fattener and will often have to be culled.
Recurrences if the practice at the origin of the accident is not corrected: the same error, on the same farm, causes new victims in each campaign.
When to see a veterinarian
An animal coughed, struggled or expelled liquid through its nose during drenching or bottle-feeding: call the same day, even if it appears normal afterwards.
A lamb is breathing quickly and refusing to suckle: it is an immediate emergency.
An animal breathes with a half-open mouth, stretched neck, or breathing at rest.
A foul odor emanates from the breath or nose.
Fever appears in the days following oral administration.
Milk or food comes out through the nostrils.
An animal lies down and never gets up after a drenching.
An animal has difficulty swallowing or nervous disorders: any administration by mouth must be suspended and consulted.
Prognosis
The prognosis depends mainly on the quantity inhaled, its nature and the speed of treatment.
A small quantity of water or aqueous product, treated in the following hours, often evolves favorably.
Abundant inhalation, or the inhalation of milk, food or oil, gives a guarded to poor prognosis despite well-conducted treatment.
In bottle-fed lambs, progression can be very rapid and mortality high.
Animals that survive frequently have pulmonary after-effects and do not regain their performance.
On the farm scale, on the other hand, the prognosis is excellent: correcting the drenching and bottle-feeding technique makes the problem disappear.
Frequently asked questions
I drenched my sheep and he coughed, but he seems fine: should I be worried?
Yes, call the vet the same day. Inhalation often only manifests itself after one to three days, with fever and rapid breathing. Treated immediately after the accident, the animal has a good chance; treated once pneumonia sets in, much less.
How to hold the animal's head to drain without risk?
In the extension of the neck, never raised above the horizontal. With the head raised, the mouth and trachea align and the fluid goes directly to the lung. The cannula is passed to the side of the mouth, behind the incisors, without pushing it into the throat, and the liquid is released slowly, allowing the animal to swallow. If he coughs, we stop immediately.
My lamb is cold and is no longer suckling, can I give it milk from a bottle to revive it?
No, it's very dangerous. A hypothermic lamb no longer has a swallowing reflex: the milk goes down into the lung. You have to warm it up first. Providing energy to a cold lamb requires a precise technique, to be demonstrated by the veterinarian before the lambing season, never to be improvised from a bottle.
I was advised to give oil for bloating, is it safe?
No. Oil is one of the most dangerous liquids to give from a bottle: it does not trigger a cough reflex, it passes without the animal reacting, and it causes very serious lung damage. Bloat is an emergency that should be treated with the veterinarian, not with a bottle of oil.
References
ANSES — Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire (France)
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
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