# 9 month old wether walking around on knees



## oxdrover14 (Feb 7, 2012)

I have a 9 month old wether who has been walking around on his front knees for a few days he eats and drinks fine and is always wanting to play like usual. What do you think the problem is? If I try to lift his front up his legs just wobbles  and  collapses and continues what he was doing.


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## SmallFarmGirl (Feb 7, 2012)

:/ Don't know... weird.


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## elevan (Feb 7, 2012)

Have you gotten a fecal for him?

My Speedy (who we lost recently to barberpole worm overload) did the same thing.  I dewormed aggressively but it was just too much for him.

eta:  I would also get a shot of Bo-Se into him


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 7, 2012)

I know it is probably not the case but do his hooves need trimming or could he have an infection?  I have heard of goats walking on their knees because their hooves were too lon but that woul dbe pretty obvious I would think.  If they had some kind of inflammation or infection though, that might not be as obvious.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Feb 7, 2012)

Are you graining him?  Founder springs to mind...


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## oxdrover14 (Feb 7, 2012)

He get just hay first and 2nd cut water Nd free choice minerals. 
Haven't gotten a fecal done but he got wormed 2 weeks ago


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## elevan (Feb 7, 2012)

oxdrover14 said:
			
		

> Haven't gotten a fecal done but he got wormed 2 weeks ago


Not all dewormers are effective against all worms AND some dewormers aren't effective at all anymore in some locations.

I would get a fecal done and ask the vet what is still effective in your area and at what dosage.


Beyond that - check his front feet for injury or infection.


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## HankTheTank (Feb 7, 2012)

n.smithurmond said:
			
		

> Are you graining him?  Founder springs to mind...


I guess I should know this, but what is founder?


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 7, 2012)

My first thought would be foot rot, foot scald, or like Nsmithurmond said, founder.  Check him out ASAP, because he's probably in pain, which is why he's knee walking.


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## cmjust0 (Feb 7, 2012)

I'd lean less toward something obscure and more toward something simple and common...like foot scald.  Check between his toes.  You may see a white powder, or maybe some redness or swelling.  Something like that.  Basically, foot scald is like athlete's foot.  Sometimes it's really obvious, and sometimes it's not.  Start with a good hoof trimming and inspection, making sure there isn't anything buried up in one or both soles, and then douse the foot with Kopertox or some other copper sulfate 'hoof rot' product.  May take a few applications of kopertox..

As for it being 'wobbly,' usually any kind of *serious* limb weakness works its way from the back to the front..  Meningeal worms, spinal injuries, things like that..  I've never seen a parapalegic who could walk, but not use their arms...know what I'm saying?  So I wouldn't necessarily worry about it being 'wobbly' (which makes it sound like ataxia, which is usually nervous-system related) and think of it more like...he's just unable to bear weight on it.  Which could absolutely be from something like foot scald, if it hurts bad enough.  And, yes, I've had them walk on their knees with hoof scald before.  Usually if it's a sticker or something in a hoof, they'll _limp_ on one front leg -- but again, check to be sure.  

And don't let anyone tell you it's CAE, which someone invariably will.  CAE makes them not WANT to bend their knees.. Totally opposite of what's going on here.  Would be like suspecting knee arthritis in a person because they're crawling on all fours -- not gonna happen!


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## cmjust0 (Feb 7, 2012)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> My first thought would be foot rot, foot scald, or like Nsmithurmond said, founder.  Check him out ASAP, because he's probably in pain, which is why he's knee walking.


I had my edit window open too long..  Had I seen this, I wouldn't have even posted..  

x2


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## Queen Mum (Feb 7, 2012)

This is the advice my vet gave me  about foot injury and pain.   Before you treat, soak his hooves,  all four, in hot salt water with betadine for a good 20 minutes.  (As hot as you can stand to put your elbow in without pain.)  That will clean and disinfect the hoof and ankle and reduce any swelling.  Then dry thoroughly and put any treatment on the hoof.  Regardless of the cause of his pain, clean disinfected feet will always be worth the effort.


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## SheepGirl (Feb 7, 2012)

Didn't read the rest of the posts, but the first thing I thought of when I read the title is his hooves must hurt if he's trying to get the weight off of them. See if they need to be trimmed. See if he has a rock, thorn, nail, or something in his hoof wall, pad, or inbetween his toes.

That's my only guess.


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## oxdrover14 (Feb 8, 2012)

I trimmed them (they didn't reall need it) and everything Between them looks fine I put some hoof rot stuff on and in between. We will see


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 8, 2012)

Has his diet changed recently?  Getting more grain than normal?


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 8, 2012)

aggieterpkatie said:
			
		

> Has his diet changed recently?  Getting more grain than normal?


She said, in a previous post, he only gets hay and minerals.  I find this very interesting. and have been reading along, Seems like if his feet hurt or felt hot, it would be obvious from just a cleaning and inspection. 

I had talked to a women a few years ago, that said she had a doe that would do this, She said it was really annoying, and she couldn't figure out why.  I didn't know the women, but I just remember the story. 

What about UC or the start of it?

His way of dealing with the discomfort of it.  Just a guess. They can get UC, even if they aren't on grain. 


Normally, with UC, you would see some build up and irritation at the end of the boy parts, and on the hair, from the slow leaking of urine, like a faucet dripping and building up minerals. 



Personally, If he was mine, I would run a round of antibiotics through him, make sure your worming is working by doing a fecal.  Just do all the basics. and see what happens, since you feel his hooves are in good shape.


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## elevan (Feb 8, 2012)

I still recommend a fecal.  Worm load anemia can cause severe weakness and the knee walking could be the presentation of that.  I know that it's unusual but it's what presented with my Speedy.  And he went downhill VERY fast...from no symptoms to walking on his knees.  We checked him over and ran a fecal...only positive findings were an overload of barberpole (his feet were perfectly fine).  We treated aggressively but it wasn't enough at that point.


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## aggieterpkatie (Feb 8, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> aggieterpkatie said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ack, sorry. I wasn't paying attention!


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## oxdrover14 (Feb 8, 2012)

Well tonight he seems to be doing better after some hoof ointment this am and pm I can get him to stand for a 30 second to a minuet well see what hee looks like tomorrow. Well good night


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## oxdrover14 (Feb 9, 2012)

Well tonight he got up when I walked past his pen  he's still wobbly but still improving with hoof treatment.


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## Queen Mum (Feb 9, 2012)

oxdrover14 said:
			
		

> Well tonight he got up when I walked past his pen  he's still wobbly but still improving with hoof treatment.


Good on ya.  Sounds like you are doing the right thing.  And like he is feeling better.  Keep up the good work.  And keep on cleaning those hooves.


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## cmjust0 (Feb 10, 2012)

Sounds like it was probably scald..  It gets between their claws, just like it gets between our toes..  They're hairy all over, so it can be hard to see any redness or irritation.  Scald can be a little stubborn..  The only thing I've found that works is something copper sulfate based, like Kopertox..  That zinc sulfate stuff they sell at TSC is worthless, IMHO..  Copper kills EVERYTHING. 

Glad he's doing better.


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## oxdrover14 (Feb 11, 2012)

Last night I got him to walk 15 feet and back to his pen he's still tipsy but slowly improving


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## oxdrover14 (Feb 16, 2012)

Just figured I'd update after the hoof treatments today he is almost 100%


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## elevan (Feb 16, 2012)




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## Queen Mum (Feb 17, 2012)

YAY!   I am so glad to hear he is doing better.  It is great when we can help make a goat better.  Or even when we don't do anything and you do all the work and the goat gets better anyway.  Because the goat gets better and isn't sick anymore.


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## Pearce Pastures (Feb 17, 2012)

So glad to hear good news!


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