# My Nigerian Dwarf is on his side.... help please



## BoJo (Dec 15, 2010)

I have a Nigerian Dwarf goat that belonged to my 11 year old son before he died last year.  Orbit was walking around the pen and eating fine yesterday....This evening when we went down there he was laying on his side.  

I have brought him in the house forced some fluids and loved on him.  As he is getting warm...he has a very hoarse sounding naaaaigh and doesn't even try to move.

Please can all you wonderful people who know more than I do help me.  

Thank you very much,

BoJo


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## cmjust0 (Dec 15, 2010)

Get him warm as quickly as you can.  If he sounds raspy, it could be pneumonia, so start him on antibiotics ASAP.  Penicillin, oxytetracycline -- something injectable.  If you have access to a vet, see if you can get a few doses of Naxcel or Excenel, something like that.  My dosage for Naxel/Excenel, if I recall, is 1ml/50lbs SQ, 2x/day.  Someone double check that for me.

Dosage on PenG is 1ml/15lbs under the skin with an 18 or 20ga needle, twice a day for about a week.  Oxytetracycline is 3-4ml/100lbs of bodyweight 1x/day for about 5 days.  

Keep fluids to him.  You can check to see if he's badly dehydrated by pinching his upper eyelid between your fingers...if it stays tented when you let go, he's dehydrated.  

I'm so, so sorry you're going through all this.


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## tiffanyh (Dec 15, 2010)

Anything else that you can tell us maybe that might help us help you?? Could he have gotten into anything? How old is he? What does he eat.


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## Ariel301 (Dec 15, 2010)

Can you take his temperature? Can you check his heart rate? Is he stiff and unable to move, or just doesn't want to? (Try bending his legs, turning his neck from side to side, opening his mouth) If you stand him up on his feet will he stay, or is he unable to support his weight on his legs? 
Is he current on vaccinations? When was he last dewormed? Check the inside of his lower eyelid--is it a deep pink or is it pale? Does his belly seem bloated? 

A lot of things can put a goat down like that, it's going to take more information to come up with an idea of what is going on. I hope he gets better fast!


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## Roll farms (Dec 15, 2010)

On his side sounds like it *could* be tetanus, goat polio, or listeriosis, in order of likelihood....or it could be something entirely different...but on their side is not 'normal' behavior.

Is he UTD on vaccinations?

Temp?

You need to try and get him on his sternum (upright, on his chest) to prevent / not make pnuemonia worse and help prevent bloat.

If he can't stay that way, you'll need to turn him from side to side and do it often.  
You might even give him some baking soda in water to help prevent bloat, the last thing he needs now is to bloat and make things worse.

If he can't eat, you'll need to drench him w/ something.  When I had a doe down w/ tetanus we mixed alfalfa (chopped tiny), oatmeal, mollasses, and pelleted feed in warm water and made a slurry and fed that SLOWLY through a big syringe w/ the tip cut off.

I would start Pen G NOW, I'd go 1cc per 10# the first dose, then got to 1 cc per 15-20# after that.  If it's tetanus or listeriosis either one, it'll take massive amounts of Pen to do any good.

I would also give a massive shot (10 cc) of fortfied b vitamin, in case it's goat polio (thiamine deficiency).

Good luck!


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## BoJo (Dec 15, 2010)

He seems dyhadrated.....a great friend suggested warm molasses water and I have gotten 2 coffee cups full into him.  His belly is balloon like and semi hard like full of air.  

He is a little over 2 years old.

He just lays there on his side moving his leg back and forth a little bit.  He doesn't stand on his own....all joints move when I move him.

I dewormed in November, and the only thing I haven't given lately like I should is the copper bolus.  The other buck and 2 does are fine, fat, and sassy.

When I pick his head up to drip more fluids in he turns his neck and it takes him awhile to drink.

His eyelids are pink... and I can't find my thermometer.  The inside of his ears are alot warmer than the were an hour ago.

I hope that is helpful.... I have a text into another friend, I am waiting on her reply.

Thanks ya'll, 
BoJo


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 15, 2010)




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## Ariel301 (Dec 15, 2010)

It sounds like he is bloated from your description of his stomach. You need to get him up so that he is not on his side and his front end is higher than his rear, otherwise he cannot burp the gas out of his rumen. Being bloated can cause them to go into respiratory distress from the pressure of a rumen full of gas, and it can cause death. The bloat could be secondary, caused by laying on his side too long and not moving. Try getting some baking soda into him.


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## BoJo (Dec 16, 2010)

Orbit didnt make it through the night. 

I guess if the stories of heaven are correct, John Wayne has both of his goats with him this morning. 

Thank you all for the help and remeber to always love the life you have.

BoJo


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## Roll farms (Dec 16, 2010)

I'm sorry.


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## helmstead (Dec 16, 2010)

Sorry BoJo...my cell service was out the window last night.  I didn't ever hear about his neck craning around...sounds like you lost him to entero...

At least he has one super wonderful angel greeting him!


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## lilhill (Dec 16, 2010)

So sorry you lost him.


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## SDGsoap&dairy (Dec 16, 2010)

Sorry Bojo.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 16, 2010)

I'm so sorry.


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## warthog (Dec 16, 2010)

So sorry for your loss


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## phoenixmama (Dec 16, 2010)

BoJo said:
			
		

> Orbit didnt make it through the night.
> 
> I guess if the stories of heaven are correct, John Wayne has both of his goats with him this morning.
> 
> ...


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## elevan (Dec 16, 2010)




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## Our7Wonders (Dec 16, 2010)

I'm so sorry.


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