A few weeks ago, I shared a painful update on Elderberry, one of my ewes, and her confirmed case of Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL). After weighing my options, I made the difficult decision to euthanize her. It was not a choice I made lightly, but it was the right one, for her comfort and for the health of the rest of my flock.

In preparation for my new vet’s first visit to my farm, I did my best to be organized. I set up a burn barrel with help from my brother, compiled notes and medical history, and braced myself for what was to come.

The Vet Visit

When the new vet and her team arrived, I knew I was in good hands. She was not only compassionate and thorough, but deeply practical. Prior to the visit, she had asked me questions about my goals for my flock. After reviewing Elderberry’s history and her likely exposure from her previous farm, the vet suggested testing all eight of my remaining sheep, especially since four of them had shared a pasture with Elderberry before arriving at Deer Creek. We also made the decision to put Huckleberry in with the rest of the flock.

The vet prepared me for the worst, gently reminding me that CL is highly contagious and that the odds weren’t in our favor. The blood draw for all eight sheep took about 30 minutes.

Catching Elderberry, however, was another story.

She had always been my most skittish ewe, and the presence of four strangers chasing her across the pasture only heightened her anxiety. We finally cornered her, but in a burst of adrenaline, she bolted through the netting. After a chase, several bribes, and a lot of patience, she attempted to break into the group with Huckleberry, and that’s when we finally caught her.

A Humane Goodbye

The vet walked me through several humane options for euthanasia, each of which would ensure Elderberry felt no pain. In a thoughtful gesture of both education and generosity, she chose to use a method as a teaching moment for her staff and didn’t charge me for the medication.

First, Elderberry was sedated. After about five minutes, the vet performed a spinal tap and replaced her spinal fluid with lidocaine. It was over quickly and gently. The experience was surreal, clinical, and yet also emotional. I couldn’t look away. I owed her that.

What Do You Do With a 150-lb Sheep Carcass?

I’ve seen The Godfather trilogy. I’ve watched my fair share of Law & Order: SVU. But figuring out how to dispose of a sheep carcass made me feel like I was in the middle of a mob movie I never wanted to be cast in.

Both my vet and the state vet were unequivocal: do not bury the body. CL bacteria can persist in the soil for years and contaminate groundwater. That left me with three options:

1. Burn the body
2. Find a landfill or incinerator that accepts livestock
3. Try a pet crematorium

Unfortunately, none of the nearby landfills (even across the state line in South Carolina) accept livestock remains. A pet crematorium thought they might be able to accommodate her given she was under 200 pounds, but after an already expensive vet visit, I couldn’t justify the cost.

So, burning it was.

Open burning might have created a hotter fire, but with heat indices over 100°F and weeks of drought, I couldn’t risk it. I opted for the burn barrel with air holes drilled around the bottom, layered with wood and doused in accelerant. With the vet team’s help, we got Elderberry’s body in. I was grateful to have been prepared with the barrel, as I’m not sure I would have been able to lift the body in solo.

The process took 17 hours. I added wood and fuel every 30–60 minutes and stayed up all night monitoring the fire and progress. I won’t go into graphic detail, but the smells, the noises, and the sights in the first few hours in particular were traumatic. I would not recommend this route unless you’re absolutely sure it’s the best and only option.

In hindsight? I might have just paid for the cremation.

The Test Results for the Remaining Eight

Due to the holiday weekend and the samples being sent to a farther-away lab, it took ten agonizing days to get the test results. When the results did come in, the vet promptly texted me the report on her day off.

She had prepared me for all eight remaining sheep to test positive. But miraculously, they were all negative.

Because some of them were exposed to Elderberry before arriving here at Deer Creek, the vet still recommends a second round of testing to confirm. CL has a long incubation period, and while this first round was the best possible news, we’re not out of the woods yet.

What’s Next

Following the vet’s guidance, I bleached all food and water troughs and moved the sheep to fresh pasture. Huckleberry seemed a bit lost the first few days without mom, but he has adjusted and follows his sister Jelly Bean around. I’m keeping a close eye on everyone.

Peanut, one of my registered ewes, has a small lump under her ear that we’re watching closely. Some of the flock are showing respiratory symptoms, which can sometimes point to internal abscesses, but with the humidity and heat, respiratory infections are sweeping through livestock in this region, so it could just be a red herring.

During the next round of testing, the vet will also be working with me to establish detailed biosecurity protocols for my farm and a controlled burn of the field is still on the horizon. For now, my sheep flock is in limbo and will be in the status quo until they are confirmed disease free.

Sharing Elderberry’s Story

This ordeal has been stressful, costly, and emotionally exhausting. But I believe stories like this matter. I hope this experience helps highlight some of the real challenges of animal husbandry and why biosecurity, transparent sourcing, and tough decisions are so important in small-scale farming. I read many books, and watched many YouTube tutorials, about farming and livestock operations prior to getting started and yet some lessons still catch you off guard. I am hoping by sharing Elderberry’s story, I can help prevent other small-scale sheep producers from dealing with similar circumstances. I am also hoping to share data from my flock with UGA and any researchers studying CL to raise awareness.

Thank you for following along with this update, and thank you to everyone who reached out after the last post. Your support means the world.