Gia the lamb gets back on her feet with a little help from an old Ikea bag

A lamb which suffered nerve damage to her front legs during birth is undergoing physiotherapy thanks to an old Ikea bag and a bit of carpet.

Gia, a fleecy sheep, became trapped as she tried to come into the world because her legs were too long.

Her owner, Ali Thom, of Arnbeg Farmstay, by Kippen, said: “It had been a long labour and the ewe had delivered a little ram while his sister got stuck on the way out.

“My husband Michael managed to deliver her and save both Gia and her mother Mia, but when she tried to struggle to her feet her legs bucked and she fell over.

“No amount of effort could keep her standing so it became obvious that she needed to be seen by a vet.

“Our vet fitted two stookies to support and keep Gia’s legs straight and she was also boosted with steroids and vitamin injections. Then she added that physio was vital if she was to have any hope of recovering well.

Gia was born unable to walk, so she is now wearing casts on her front legs, and Ali has made a harness for her made out of Ikea bag handles and a piece of carpet.

“It was then that Michael came up the idea of a homemade harness made from Ikea bag handles stitched to a spare bit of carpet we had in a cupboard.

“It worked a treat and Gia seemed to come to life, bouncing and swinging on her new harness. It did attract a bit of interest from the other sheep in the barn, I have to add.”

Michael said: “The Ikea handles were perfectly sized and the carpet, a lovely cushion for a newborn lamb. It’s really nice to see how keen the lambs are to adapt and learn.”

Now after a week’s physio training she is continuing to thrive.

“Fingers crossed, she will continue to do so and be able to join her family in the fields as the warmer days come in.”

The lucky lamb’s full-on care has not stopped with stookies and a harness.

Ali added that she has had to bottle feed little Gia as mum Mia, gave up on feeding her.

“It’s nature’s rule of ‘survival of the fittest’ when the ewe concentrates only on her most hardy lambs. She lets Gia nestle in but she won’t feed her.

“So I am in the barn every four hours with special formula shepherd’s milk feeding our little hardy survivor like a baby. It’s a real treat to see her thrive.”

The lambs are Valais blacknose sheep, which originate from the Swiss Alps, are hardy from their heritage of mountainside farming. They are famed for their silky Shaun the Sheep fleeces, and Ali has 12 of the breed.