# Buckling down, no runny nose or signs of pneumonia



## bbredmom (Jan 15, 2013)

Our little buckling, who has always been the bottom of the herd, has laid out this afternoon when we got home from work. I thought he was dead, but he whimpered when I ran over. I rushed him in and am warming him up (it's been below freezing for a week at night, and sometimes during the day). Yesterday he was fine, eating. He's not a perky goat, prefers to be with just one other one. 

I've got him inside next to the fire with a heater and a heating pad. His eyes are glassy, he's not blinking (I have eye drops) and his tongue is cold. I've given him some power punch and some molasses. He is starting to breathe more normally and whimpers occasionally. No broken bones or confusions. I have peng, la2000, and probiotics. I made up some warm mash, but he can't even hold his head up. 

I'm waiting for him to warm up a but more before I take his temp. His eyelids are reddish pink, very healthy. He is our scrawny baby because our buck tries to keep him from eating, but we've been supplementing. None of the other goats are weak. 

What should be my next course of action? He will be a year in march. I has some frozen goats milk too.


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## marlowmanor (Jan 15, 2013)

Has he been able to pee or poop since you got him inside? Does he act stiff in the legs at all? Trying to think of ideas I've heard of from other posts. Trying to ask some of the questions I know the experts will want to know as well. You may want to hit the report button and have this post moved to the Emergencies section as well so it gets more exposure.


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## bbredmom (Jan 15, 2013)

He pooped, and it was very normal solid pellets. He is not stiff in the legs at all. Thanks for the suggestion, I reported it.


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## marlowmanor (Jan 15, 2013)

So he hasn't peed then? Do you have any B vitamin injectable you could give him? Though I think the molasses would cover that too. I don't think I'd be trying to give goat milk to an almost 1 year old goat. Is he wethered or intact? Does his private area look swollen or feel hot? This could be an indication of UC if it is. Definitely try to get fluids in him since it could be a result of dehydration. Another BYH member just dealt with something similar a few days ago and it turned out to be dehydration and something else too. Let me see if I can find her thread and link it here for you. It may be useful.
Good luck with your little guy. 

ETA: Here is the thread of the BYH member that had a similar issue this week. http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=23866 . Maybe you can find some useful information from it. May want to try warm water for him too.


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## bbredmom (Jan 15, 2013)

I haven't seen him pee but he has been swaddled in a warm blanket. He doesn't appear dehydrated because his skin is very loose on the pluck test. And of course my thermometer isn't working...

He is intact, no swelling or heat from the areas. I'll get some electrolyte water down him next.


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## marlowmanor (Jan 15, 2013)

I thought loose skin on the pluck test would indicate dehydration? Ideally you want the skin to snap back which would indicate that he is well hydrated. 
Hoping someone else starts giving you some advice as well.  I'm definitely no goat expert (though I grew up with them) and I have to start getting my kids in the bath and bed so I'll be off the computer for a while.


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## bbredmom (Jan 15, 2013)

Sorry, I meant that. The skin returns back fairly quickly after plucking. I've made up an electrolyte solution and set peng out to warm up. 1cc/10#? 

No you've been great thank you for your help

ETA: we've been listening to his chest, and it has a scraping noise, not a crackle. Could my buck have hit him hard enough to crack a rib?


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## bbredmom (Jan 15, 2013)

He's gone.


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## Pearce Pastures (Jan 15, 2013)

Some more questions for you:
Have you gotten a temp on him yet? 
Is he current on CD&T?
Has he had any diet changes or could he have overeaten?
Is his side swollen?
What do you feed and was he getting any medications at all prior to this?
What are you supplementing with?

So just to clarify the symptoms:
He is one year old.
He was fine yesterday.
He is peeing and pooping, no scours.
He was lying on the ground on his side and was cold.
He won't hold up his own head.
His eyes are glassy and he is not blinking.
You hear a scraping sound in his lungs.


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## Pearce Pastures (Jan 15, 2013)

I am so sorry---


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## Mamaboid (Jan 15, 2013)

So sorry for your loss.


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## Bridgemoof (Jan 15, 2013)

Oh I'm so sorry!


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## bbredmom (Jan 15, 2013)

His breaths towards the end were very gurgly, if you listened through his mouth. I think a rib pierced his ling, it filled with fluid, and he suffocated. Nothing we could have done except to make him comfortable, which we did. 

Now I have to decide what to do about our buck. I've heard of burdizzoing a fully grown buck, but I've never done it. But I can't have him killing the male babies. Not acceptable. And we also can't se him, he's the only survivor of our fire. 

Thank you for all the help. Everytime I lose one I feel like a failure.

ETA: research shows burdizzoing is the way to go. We will do that tomorrow.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 15, 2013)

so sorry...and please do not feel like a failure


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## marlowmanor (Jan 15, 2013)

So sorry he didn't make it. 

No clue about burdizzo. Other castration option for an older buck would likely be getting it done by the vet. That requires sedation, and surgery. No clue on cost of it though. We've always banded young bucks.


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## terrilhb (Jan 15, 2013)

I am so sorry for your loss.


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## lilhill (Jan 16, 2013)

So sorry for your loss.


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Jan 16, 2013)

If a rib had pierced his lung you would have seen him couching blood. My guess would be rapid onset silent pneumonia. They get sick, crash and are gone. A little lung crackle, a temp, a touch of lethargy the day or two before can be your only signs. My assumption would be that you found him on his way out. Really nothing you could have done. Also if they have a high parasite load they can get lung edema which looks the same. With the red eyelids that is more of an stretch though.


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## SheepGirl (Jan 16, 2013)

Once animals are limp, there's really nothing you could've done; they are already too far gone.

Sorry for your loss.


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## bbredmom (Jan 16, 2013)

I hate pneumonia. We do everything we can to prevent it. Clean straw, no concrete floors, heat lamps, sweaters if they are smaller. He really had no symptoms until we got home and found him. I've heard mixed reviews on the vaccine for it, but maybe its time to try it out on a limited basis. Everyone else is healthy, perky, eating and drinking, happy poop and eyelids. 

No, parasites and coccidia are not something I have problems with *knock on wood*. I am crazy paranoid about it. 

He is in the freezer right now, because the ground is simply too frozen to dig. I'm so sad.

ETA: I've brought back limp ones before, doing exactly what I did last night. I guess he was too far gone.


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