# sick goat, very old thread, finally updated with diagnosis



## babsbag (May 8, 2012)

What a night. 

First noticed that my 4 week old semi-bottle baby (Polly) was slow running to her bottle, (same in the morning in hindsight). After she drank some she seemed miserable and started making little moans. Up to the house she goes. No fever, just miserable. Dam is a new goat, not vaccinated when I bought her. Gave kid C&D antitixin at 2 days as I know no immunity from Mom. Polly was slated for cdt last night. 

treatment: 
10 cc C&D orally 
10 cc C&D sub q
5 cc Pen G orally 
5 cc Pen G sub q
repeat oral dose every 2 hours for 6 hours
6 cc pepto-mismal over 6 hours
a little baking soda, she hated it.
.5 cc banamine 
.5 cc duramycin (I gave that as just found another kid with a temp of 106.1)

Polly had been urinating, but no poop. That concerned me. So I put her to bed in our bathroom with concerns. This morning she had very dry goat pellets (yeah) and acts fine. She had about 4 oz of milk and went back to the barn. She is partially dam raised and I saw her nursing.

Next...3 week old kid with temp of 106.1. Off feed, trembling, weak. No running nose, no congestion that I can hear, no cough

treatment:
.5 cc duramycin
.5 cc banamine

This moring temp is 101...too low in my mind. She is still trembling, but also nursed a little.

gave another round of duramycin.

This little doe also got body slammed into our barn 3 or 4 times by a 6 mo old boer doe before I could stop her. She was already running a fever so not the cause of her malady, just hope she didn't really injure something internally.

Next goat.

3 year old wether, off feed, no fever. He would snack on some oak leaves. I am sadly suspecting urinary problems. He is fed a diet of grass and wheat hay 97% of the time. No grain, very little alfalfa, sometimes pellet goat feed which I sprinkle with AC.

I treated him for acidosis  (we use flat warm beer) and also drenched him with ammonium chloride. Got maybe 200 cc down him. Never saw him pee. Gave 1.5 cc banamine. This morning his temp is 97. NOT GOOD. I got him up and walked him, he ate more oak leaves. He has a vet appt. at 1:30.

This is why people get rid of their goats. they gang up on us and make us lose sleep and make us read internet sites and call friends at ridiculous hours.

I also have a sick chicken in my bathtub 

Any ideas, thoughts suggestions I am happy to hear them.


----------



## ksalvagno (May 8, 2012)

When it rains it pours. I feel for you. I have certainly had stuff like that happen in the past too. I hope everything clears up for you.


----------



## SDBoerGoats (May 8, 2012)

Well, great news on Polly anyway....sounds like you got to her in time and treated her with the right stuff. Hope things work out for the others as well. When it rains it pours, as I know only too well!


----------



## babsbag (May 8, 2012)

DH is taking the wether and the doeling that might have pnuemonia to the vet today. Of course it was on a day when I absolutely could not take a day off. There are 4 weeks of the school year that I can't miss, this in one of them. Figures.

Fortunately I have the most awesome vet, she has her own herd of goats, and that makes it easy to trust her. I told DH to just let her make the decisions. Hoping for good news, but not too hopeful on my wether.


----------



## poorboys (May 8, 2012)

where have I been? never heard of pen g and cd given orally?? Is that right?


----------



## babsbag (May 8, 2012)

I read about the CD antitoxin being given orally on another thread here on BYH. They were treating for suspected entero, same as I was. The pen G dose was from a friend who has been raising goats for about 15 years. She is my go to person when my goats are sick and I can't find my vet. (It is great to have a good vet that is also a friend). 

I am not sure Polly (her name is Polly Pocket...gives you some idea of how big she is) has/had entero, I just wanted to head it off if that is what it is. I don't like to give antibiotics without a reason, but I know entero can kill small kids quickly; and it isn't a pleasant death either. She didn't mind the CD by mouth, she hated the Pen. It must taste nasty.


----------



## elevan (May 8, 2012)

Make sure you give plenty of probiotics especially since you gave the antibiotic orally.


----------



## babsbag (May 9, 2012)

Thanks elevan, that is a good idea, never would have thought about it.

The doeling that I treated so aggressivly is back in the herd and appears fine. I am not sure it was entero, it could have been just a tummy ache from something else, but either way she is alive and well. 

The 2nd doeling is still on Duramycin and Banamine. She went to the vet and her lungs are fine, her temp is fine, actually a little low this morning. The vet says she has two kids in her herd that are acting the same way right now. Not eating, not active, just exisiting. She is giving them fluids by IV. She can't find anything specifically wrong, they are just off. Mine was nursing this morning, and up and walking around. Not playing like the other kids, and her hind legs are trembling. She is feeling bettter, but not well, and with a goat kid I won't even say she is out of the woods yet.

My wether had a complete urinary tract blockage and rather than make him go through a lot of misery to treat something that will probably come back we had him put down. My vet has treated many of these, sometimes very aggressivley with drugs and surgery, usually with poor results. Especially when the blockage is total.  He is buried in our yard next to two other does I have lost. 

I feel responsible for his misery, I know about UC and the vet was impressed that I caught it before the bladder had ruptured. Little good that did me. I feed 97% grass or wheat hay,the other 3% is alfalfa. No grain, sometimes Noble goat feed with AC sprinkled on it. I really thought I was doing it right. I now need to go back and rethink this as I have 2 bucks that I need to take care of. I have no idea what the phosphous makeup is of wheat hay, perhaps it is too high and with little alfalfa the raito is off.  I have to get this right. Someone else has suggested that our hard water (well) could be to blame as well.


----------



## babsbag (May 13, 2012)

I am looking for any ideas or input.

Four week old doe.  I took her to the vet last week and she is still off. She is very quiet, doesn't run and play with the other kids. No fever. She does nurse a little and eats oak leaves if I hand them to her. She walks differently, I just can't put my finger on it, a little stiff and just not sure of herself.

The vet had me treat her with Duramycin and Banamine for 4 days. She only ran a temp one night, but I few times her temp was actually low, maybe because she wasn't eating, I don't know at what age they start ruminating. The vet said her lungs were clear. 

I have also done .5 cc of BoSe. Her dam was vaccinated with CDT and BoSe 4 weeks prior to kidding. My first thought was pnuemonia, but the vet ruled that out. My next thought was white muscle disease. 

Ideas??


----------



## elevan (May 13, 2012)

babsbag said:
			
		

> I am looking for any ideas or input.
> 
> Four week old doe.  I took her to the vet last week and she is still off. She is very quiet, doesn't run and play with the other kids. No fever. She does nurse a little and eats oak leaves if I hand them to her. She walks differently, I just can't put my finger on it, a little stiff and just not sure of herself.
> 
> ...


What I would probably try:
Vitamin B shot.
Another dose of Bo-Se (maybe)
Massive amounts of probiotics
Treatment / Prevention for coccidia


----------



## babsbag (May 13, 2012)

How much vitamin B would you give her, and is this the B-complex or the straight thiamine? She weighs about 25 lbs. I had started her on cocci prevention when she got sick, I had done 3 days and then quit when she got sick. I think I will do another BoSe shot too.

I was out with her tonight, and she just moves very slow, and stiff. Sometimes she stumbles a little. She ate a little grain, some more leaves, and I saw her nurse, put usually she just stands alone and looks sad. 

Thanks


----------



## ksalvagno (May 14, 2012)

I'd give her 3cc of B Complex. What they don't need, they just pee out.


----------



## elevan (May 14, 2012)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> I'd give her 3cc of B Complex. What they don't need, they just pee out.


x2




			
				babsbag said:
			
		

> I had started her on cocci prevention when she got sick, I had done 3 days and then quit when she got sick.


You should never start and stop a anti parasitic treatment as it can lead to drug resistant parasites.  Start over with it right away and finish the whole course.


----------



## babsbag (May 7, 2014)

I posted this 2 years ago and see that I never said what happened to the doeling. She had mycoplasma.


----------

