# Help! My goat is sick



## HHFamilyFarm (Aug 25, 2018)

(Update: He passed) Hi, I recently got two bottle babies and they were drinking off the bottle fine but the past few days the male started to act weird.. he would stand in the middle of the yard while his sister would run and graze.. we got worried and took him to the vet but the vet said he was fine and gave him a b12 shot to see if that would help and we noticed last night his mouth was wet but today he was not eating and grinding his teeth A LOT so we took him back.. while we were there he was staring to foam at the mouth and the vet said he was STILL fine but he might be hungry.. just a few minutes ago he (what looked like) was seizing and laying on his side and had his head laid up on his back, we have no clue what to do but we don’t think he will make it through the night if we don’t do anything.. we have no 24/7 vet any where near us. We have no clue what could be wrong since his sister is perfectly fine


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Aug 25, 2018)

How old is he?

How much are you feeding, how often?
What did the breeder have him on?

What is his temperature?

Are there any toxic plants in his pen?

Is his left side distended or hard?

Is he pooping and peeing?

What breed of goat? How much does he weigh?


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Aug 25, 2018)

Is this happening soon after feeding or did you just find him like this?


----------



## Latestarter (Aug 25, 2018)

Bottle babies so figure less than 8 weeks... Sounds like a description of goat polio to me...   https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiXnaD604ndAhVB34MKHRTmC6wQFjAMegQICRAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aces.edu%2Fpubs%2Fdocs%2FU%2FUNP-0065%2FUNP-0065.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1Za265_63XWxVXkf6lsJM0 
I am not a vet & the vet you're using doesn't sound like a "goat knowledgeable" vet... IMHO.


----------



## Latestarter (Aug 25, 2018)

Pardon me for not welcoming you to BYH. Sorry your sick goat brought you here but I hope you'll stay and let us know the outcome. I also hope your goat recovers. Please make yourself at home and browse around when you have the time/desire. There's a lot of great info in the various threads.


----------



## HHFamilyFarm (Aug 25, 2018)

Update: he passed, his temperature was normal and he was peeing and pooped a little but wasnt eating


----------



## Goat Whisperer (Aug 25, 2018)

So sorry for your loss. 

Can you take him for a necropsy? Your state lab can do it, if it is not within driving distance your vet can send him out. 
As tragic as it is (I know how hard it is to lose a goat, a bottle baby at that  ) we never waste a death. 
It can bring some closure (sometimes nothing could be done to save the goat), but other times you can learn from it and change management etc. I have never once regretted getting a necropsy done. I always feel better knowing the cause of death rather then guessing and have it play in my head over and over.


----------



## Latestarter (Aug 26, 2018)

Awwww.... man.... So sorry! Baby goats can go down so fast and many times it's too late when it's realized that something is wrong...   I hope you'll consider getting a new baby to be a companion for the one who is still with you. Please stick around here and join us as you will.


----------



## Donna R. Raybon (Aug 26, 2018)

Did the vet take temp?  Listen to gut?  Listen to lungs?  Although the B12 was ok, a better vet would have picked up on something wrong (as you correctly!)  I would get another vet!!!!  
Goat whisperer is right, never waste a dead goat.  Necropsy can be hard to watch first time, but you learn an awful lot if vet will teach as they go along. 

By yard do you mean your yard with landscape plants???

E coli causes what you describe, so wash your hands , wear gloves, be careful if you have children.  Water belly, rattle belly, wet mouth, common name for this and seen more in lambs than calves or goat kids.

Have you treated coccidia?


----------

