All About Lamb Coats !

Good Shepherd Lamb & Dog Coats keep animals warm! If you’ve ever seen a dog shivering or lost a lamb to the cold you know how important it is to keep animals warm. What could be more natural than wool for warmth?

Good Shepherd Lamb coats were designed by a shepherd for shepherds and adapted for dogs after many requests. Good Shepherd Lamb & Dog Coats are natural wool coats specially designed to help maintain the core body temperature of newborn, sick or frail lambs, kids and crias and to keep cold doggies warm.

They have been sized for lambs and are especially useful for keeping lambs warm and cozy in cold weather. Premature, sick or frail lambs or those suffering from injury will appreciate the warmth and softness provided by natural wool Good Shepherd Lamb Coats. Wool stretches and conforms to the body and never chafes or binds.

Good Shepherd Lamb & Dog Coats are extremely durable and easily cleaned. They can be used year after year for lambing and they can be washed and dried in the home laundry. Good Shepherd Lamb & Dog coats are reusable and help protect the planet. 

Good Shepherd Lamb coats are invaluable at lambing time in cold climates. They are warm, soft and comfortable for the lamb(s), do not restrict movement and are fluid resistant. The chest piece covers the lamb’s chest and insulates it from the damp and coldness of the ground and prevents chilling of the lamb. 

Good Shepherd Lamb coats do not interfere with maternal bonding. In fact Good Shepherd Lamb coats can encourage bonding. If a ewe is trying to reject one of her lambs, take the coat off of the ‘favored’ lamb, turn it inside out and put it on the lamb trying to be rejected. The ewe will think that both lambs are now her favorite.

If you’ve every lost a lamb to the cold, you know how important it is to keep newborn lambs warm. What could be natural than wool for warmth? Newborn lambs, when born in a cold environment, can loose body heat (become hypothermic) fail to rise to find the teat, and perish---all in a few hours if left unattended. There are multiple reasons why hypothermia occurs; sometimes the lamb has had a long and difficult delivery with some transient brain injury, sometime, usually in multiple births or with inexperienced maiden ewes, the mother may fail to dry off the lamb before the next lamb comes, and sometimes the lamb is very small and unable to maintain body heat on its own. Nature provides newborn lambs with “brown fat” designed to provide body heat and energy in the first several hours of life. Once this period is over, the lamb is subject to various external conditions (weather, temperature, wind) and several newborn situations that may prevent it from feeding (late milk letdown in the ewe, inadequate milk, inability to stand, inability to compete with larger, stronger siblings, etc., that can result in hypothermia.

Good Shepherd Lamb Coats are designed to be used in a sheltered environment to enhance survival of hypothermic lambs. *NOTE: They are not intended for use on lambs on the open range. 

Good Shepherd Lamb Coats do not take the place of an attentive ewe and a knowledgeable Shepherd---but they sure help!

FABRIC

Good Shepherd Lamb & Dog Coats are made of 100% wool fabric recycled from vintage blankets that have been washed and preshrunk (felted).  The wool fabrics vary in thickness, nap, color, weave, texture, design and pattern. Each blanket is unique in that it is no longer being produced in the exact color or pattern. Please contact us for availability of current colors and designs.

Wool is the natural choice for warmth. Wool fibers form air pockets between the fibers that insulate and maintain body heat. Wool fibers are naturally water resistant. Wool can absorb about 30% of its own weight in moisture. What this means is that moisture is wicked away from the body keeping the skin dry.

BINDING and THREAD

The coat binding is made of a colorfast polyester cotton fabric and is double sewn (both on the inside and the outside) to form the trim of the lamb or dog coat. The thread is double core (cotton covered polyester) for strength and elasticity and in a size suitable for sports equipment (and athletic lambs and dogs! The binding and thread are made in American mills.

BUCKLES

The buckles are made of Delrin, an acetyl plastic. These are the same type of buckles used in outdoor backpacking and sports equipment. Delrin does not absorb moisture like nylon buckles and superior UV resistance. Delrin buckles can withstand temperature fluctuations expected throughout the United States ---from the low two digits to the low three digits. It does not become brittle in cold temperatures and retains its strength at higher temperatures. The buckles have a direct pull rating of 50 lbs. These features make it suitable for animal use in an outdoor or barn environment.