# Goat Relapsing Anemia, Snowed in With No Vet! Help!



## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

Hello everyone! 

I have a tiny goat that seems to be prone to illness. She is a boer/nubian that is seven months old, but was in a set of twins and born very, very small while her sibling was born normal size. At seven months, she only weighs seventeen pounds. I was recently given a goat that was, surprise surprise, infested with parasites. While we tried to act quickly as soon as we noticed, the goat was too far gone when we got him and passed away. Because he shared the field with *our *herd before we noticed and quarentined him, the rest of our goats got infested. I dewormed with Ivomec and everyone seems to be doing good except for Bitsy. 

We took her to the vet December 27th because I noticed she was suddenly just standing off to the side, looking scruffy, and not intereacting with me at all, while she had been 100% fine and playful the day before. By the time we got her to the vet, she was nearly dead. She could barely hold up her head, was severely dehydrated, and her glucose levels were way down. The vet and all the nurses told us that survival was unlikely and to prepare for the worst. By the next morning, by some miracle, she was all better.  

I was instructed to bring her home, keep her very warm, give her a high quality pellet food with her hay, and make sure she's hydrated. Since our options for the goats are either A) In the field with a large metal structure as shelter or B) In an insulated barn with no field, I opted for the barn to keep her warmer. She has been in there since the 27th with a goat the same age as her, and she has done amazingly well! She perked up, her coat went back to normal, and she was running around and baaing. I took them off the pellet food three days ago and gave them baking soda and a small dose of corn oil, since I lost two goats to bloat (accidentally, don't feel my goats pellets any more) and really don't like giving any goats pellets. She has been supplied with clean water, fresh hay, a good warm layer of hay on the floor, and a friend, all the while being kept nice and warm. 

This morning I went out to the barn and lo and behold, she was down again. She was laying in the hay bleating at me, and when I picked her up and put her on her feet she laid right back down instantly. I brought her into the house, and as I type we are laying on the floor together in front of the heater. She is on a large blanket and has a throw blanket wrapped around her. Throughout the time I was typing this, she has eaten an entire dog-food-bowl (sorry, don't know the measurements) of the goat pellet feed, which is a good sign, right? What can I do to help her? It's been a week, can I administer more dewormer? (Ivomec, though the vet gave me a different brand I'd have to find in the medicine cabinet) Is there anything I can feed her to help her? Normally I would rush her to the vet right away, but we live on a dirt road that just got hit with seven inches of snow last night, our truck is in the shop, and I am stuck with a tiny little Nissan that can't take on the snow and ice. I am about to give her water with an eyedropper to make sure she drinks and provide her with another bowl of food. 

(Note: For whatever reason, whenever I would ask the vets or nurses what kind of worms she had, they would say "it's a parasite load" and not tell me what type, so I'm assuming that since it worked for all my other goats, Ivomec treats whatever it is?)


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## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

I just gave her a second bowl of food. She bleated and began eating happily, but now stopped and is just laying down. About to give her some water


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## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

Also I've been checking her eyelids. They're a great color, but I just checked her gums and they're pale. Thinking about braving a trip to the vet even if I end up stuck.


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## alsea1 (Jan 4, 2018)

Just keep her warm. At this point I would focus more on getting warm water into her.
An electrolyte as well would be good. 
It may be that her ruman is not working right.  The ph balance may be way off.
If you have any probiotics on hand I would give that. 
You can make up a home made electolite with stuff you have in the cub board.
I think its on this site.
It is possible that this goat has compromised intestinal tissue from scarring when she had worms. This can make it difficult for a goat to thrive afterwords.  But I am only guessing.
Keep us posted.
If it is unsafe to travel I would not do so.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 4, 2018)

With that much feed and suddenly you can throw her off metabolically. She needs good hay.
I would suspect severe mineral deficiencies. 
Do you have and B complex injectable on hand? Do you have thiamine on hand?
Do you have red cell on hand?


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## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

Hello everyone! I dug out the car and we made it to the vet, we only slid twice lol. Thank you for the advice Southern By Choice, but she, and all the goats, have access to clean, dry hay at all times.  

We're at the vet now, she's fairly out of it but still conscious. Waiting for a nurse to come in. I have no idea what hit that fast.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 4, 2018)

Sorry, I meant stop feed pellets and just let her have hay.
Hope they give some b-12. Mineral deficiencies can cause glucose issues and all sorts of metabolic issues.
Hoping for the best outcome and your lil goat gets better.


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 4, 2018)

Keep us posted! 

About the feed- how much were you feeding the goats that bloated? Feed, when given in moderation on a daily basis will not cause bloat. But, stopping feed and then giving a lot can, and as the others said can cause more issues than just bloat. 

G6S is always a concern when dealing with Nubians and Nubian crosses. 17# at 7 months is very, very bad. My dwarf goats weigh more than that (not trying to be rude- I know you are doing everything you can!)


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 4, 2018)

If they haven’t already, ask the vets what the temp of the goat is.


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## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

Thank you so much! She wasn't eating the hay when I offered it to her this morning (in the kitchen) but she did want pellets, and since it was under the advice of the vet I let her have some....though I'm still nervous about feeding them pellets! Lol


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## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

He didn't tell me, but he did check her temperature and her color and doesn't know what's wrong since her color's good, she's eaten, and apparently her temperature was fine. Yikes!! Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it


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## Gabby (Jan 4, 2018)

I....dug out my vehicle, scraped everything off, rushed here in the snow and ice....for the vet to tell me he doesn't know what's wrong with her. All her blood work came back good, her color is good, and she's not showing any signs of bloat or disease. He thinks she's "chilly" and never recovered fully from her glucose deficiency. He wants to keep her overnight and put her on an IV. I said okay because I don't want to lose my little girl! 

I talked to him about her being so small and he said sometimes it just happens with twins and it makes them more prone to disease. At least my little girl is safe and in good hands. Thank you to everyone for all your help and support!!!


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## babsbag (Jan 5, 2018)

You are a good goat mama and she is lucky to have you. Hope that she is ok. 

I had a goat choke and die on alfalfa pellets. Bloat can also be a "mechanical" bloat, if they have something stuck in the throat they can't burp and will get bloat but it isn't from the food per se, it is because they are choking.  The first one of mine that choked on pellets was very bloated, I treated her for bloat and when I drenched her I unknowingly cleared the blockage. She belched and all was good, I still didn't know that she had choked.

The second time it happened a few days later there were two that were bloated. While I was desperately trying to figure out what was happening one suddenly was fine, she cleared the choking on her own. The other was getting bigger and bigger literally before my eyes and before I could even find a tube to try and tube her she died. It was not pleasant. Now when I feed pellets I either feed them with hay so that they have to eat more slowly or I feed the pellets wet.


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## Gabby (Jan 6, 2018)

@babsbag oh my goodness I am so sorry you had to go through that  I was randomly thrown into the world of goat care when an elderly man I took care of was sent to a nursing home and left me in charge of his goats! Everything I "learned" came from elderly farmers who feed their goats ONLY pellets and corn! Yikes! I had two of my beautiful girls die from bloat in a day, I was devastated. I know better now and only feed mine hay and lots of minerals and kitchen scraps I know are healthy. Thank you for the advice, I never realized choking was such a hazard! 

And thank you for saying I'm a good goat mama, that actually means a lot to me  you sound like you are too!


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