# Ketosis-- NOT ketosis *UPDATE* Not a happy ending ...



## michickenwrangler (Mar 20, 2010)

Saaga-Togg isn't very active on this forum, but I was curious about it.

Her 4 yr old Togg doe Cleo was acting weird for the last few days past. More skittsh than normal, emitting a horrible cry almost like an elephant trumpeting. Last night, she called the vet out because Cleo was stiff, rigid, screeching and overly sensitive to light and sound. When I came over to milk Clover and feed my babies, I saw Cleo separated in one of the kidding stalls, laying down, rigid with eyes bugged out of her head. The vet and Saaga-Togg said it was ketosis, Cleo had kidded a month before and that since she was on the thin side, she was burning proteins and fats instead of sugar in her blood. Vet gave her penicillin, glucose and dexamethasone. When I went out in the morning to milk and feed, Saaga-Togg said Cleo was better, but still rigid, shaking and occasionally spasming and thrashing, eyes still bugging in her head.

Tonight, the vet came back, gave her more of the same, checked her urine and re-confirmed the ketosis diagnosis. He said it was unlikely that it was tetanus since she has been vaccinated, and she is eating and swallowing. She was a little dehydrated tonight and her milk production is down. He's coming out to take her blood tomorrow.

Is this consistent with ketosis? Or is it something else?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 20, 2010)

I have no idea but I hope the goat will be ok. I'm surprised that ketosis can happen so long after birthing. I would have assumed it would happen very shortly after but what do I know!


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 20, 2010)

Vet said it can happen 4-6 weeks after kidding. She kidded on Feb. 19, began acting weird on March 19


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## ksalvagno (Mar 20, 2010)

Wow that is good to know. I feed a sweet feed with molasses on it so hopefully that will be enough to keep ketosis away here. It sounds like something you can deal with but I wouldn't want to if I can help it.


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## Roll farms (Mar 20, 2010)

His diagnosis sounds accurate, especially if he's testing for ketones in her urine.

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/ketosis.htm

My only other thought would be

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/milkfever.htm

I'd hit her w/ B shots and use propylene glycol, m'self, though....


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 21, 2010)

It probably wouldn't hurt to give her some CMPK also.


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

She's not doing good. When I went out to milk this morning, Cleo was curled up in a corner of the kidding stall. In the 25 it took me to bottle feed my kids and milk, she was stretched iut, barely breathing. Her owner Saaga-Togg is with her now. She hasn't responded to any treatment, she's not eating, not drinking and can't stand.

I'll let you guys know what happens. My husband has to go over there at 11 am and DD and I will probably go to.


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## RockyToggRanch (Mar 21, 2010)

Poor thing. I hope she pulls through.


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

Saaga-Toog just called and told my husband NOT to come over, she's thrashing and bawling and the vet's on his way over. I was going to take DD over to play with Bear and Sable our kids, but I think it may be best to wait.


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 21, 2010)

Thrashing sounds very much like milk fever to me.  Did they try CMPK or even a calcium IV?  If that's what it is, she should respond to treatment very well.  Thrashing doesn't really sound like ketosis to me (though ketosis could be a secondary ailment at this point).


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

Turns out Cleo was magnesium deficient. Vet gave her a magnesium injection and she is better, still twitchy and trembling, but she's at least sleeping now.

Herd will now be getting epsom salts in their feed


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## DonnaBelle (Mar 21, 2010)

Thanks for the update.

Magnesium, hummmmm.  Wondering why she would have been magnesium deficient??

DonnaBelle


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## ohiofarmgirl (Mar 21, 2010)

i was wondering the same thing, donnabelle... is this a regional thing? or something to do with feed?


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

Vet said that the Great Lakes area is deficient in magnesium. We are also infamous for selenium deficiency as well. He said even a trace mineral block doesn't have enough proportion of Mg for this state. This particular doe has gone through a few stockyards, so who knows what kind of care and feed she received before.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Mar 21, 2010)

gotcha... i was wondering b/c we are selenium deficient here too.


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## DonnaBelle (Mar 21, 2010)

Well, come to find out we are not selenium deficient here in Oklahoma.  It's something to do with East of the Mississippi.

Finally found something we got here in Red Dirt country.  

DonnaBelle.


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## DonnaBelle (Mar 21, 2010)

Along these same lines... I wonder if there is such a thing as goat feed that is made for specific areas in the US??

DonnaBelle


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

DonnaBelle said:
			
		

> Well, come to find out we are not selenium deficient here in Oklahoma.  It's something to do with East of the Mississippi.
> 
> Finally found something we got here in Red Dirt country.
> 
> DonnaBelle.


We had glaciers scrape everything here except for limestone bedrock and iron.


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

DonnaBelle said:
			
		

> Along these same lines... I wonder if there is such a thing as goat feed that is made for specific areas in the US??
> 
> DonnaBelle


The vet said that he had this hunch based on an article he read written by a Michigan State Vet who formulated different feeds for small livestock. The magnesium level for goats was 4x that of other livestock.


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## ksalvagno (Mar 21, 2010)

I haven't seen any goat feed that is specific to a region but they do make alpaca feed specific to regions. My alpaca feed has 4.5 PPM selenium in it. My goat feed only has .6 PPM selenium. Can't find any goat feed that has higher selenium. Also can't find a mineral that would be specific to my area.


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 21, 2010)

Glad they found out what it was!


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 21, 2010)

She still isn't fully recovered yet. She's severely dehydrated and Saaga-Togg didn't milk her today simply b/c she was so dehydrated that she was afraid to pull off more fluids and nutrients from her already taxed system. Cleo did get some water from her Mg injection, although it may not be sufficient.

We'll know more tomorrow


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 22, 2010)

michickenwrangler said:
			
		

> She still isn't fully recovered yet. She's severely dehydrated and Saaga-Togg didn't milk her today simply b/c she was so dehydrated that she was afraid to pull off more fluids and nutrients from her already taxed system. Cleo did get some water from her Mg injection, although it may not be sufficient.
> 
> We'll know more tomorrow


If she's that dehydrated why don't they give her fluids?  :/


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## michickenwrangler (Mar 22, 2010)

At 5:30 am, Cleo lost her fight with whatever it was. Vet's not even 100% sure it was magnesium deficiency.

Severely dehydrated, she had 2 bags of glucose pumped into her but she didn't respond, her body had undergone so much stress she simply gave up after 3 days of battling this. 







RIP

Destiny Valley Shalala Sloan


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## lilhill (Mar 22, 2010)

So sorry she didn't make it.  How sad.  Wish they knew for sure what the problem was.


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## Roll farms (Mar 22, 2010)

That's so sad....I'm sorry.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Mar 22, 2010)

sorry for the loss.... its always hard.


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## cmjust0 (Mar 22, 2010)

So sorry.


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## aggieterpkatie (Mar 22, 2010)

Sorry to hear that.


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## ksalvagno (Mar 22, 2010)

Sorry for your loss.


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## freemotion (Mar 22, 2010)

You did everything humanly possible.  So sorry....


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