Another doe with scours...already lost one.

[freemotion]

You can make your own electrolyte solution in a pinch. There are many recipes out there, here is one: http://www.pamf.org/patients/ors.html

"Salt substitute" usually is sold as "Lite salt" here in the USA.

 

[Roll farms]

Shhhh...don't tell my vet that I did this....
If you've ever been given Bactrim for a URI / sinus infection, it's the same thing as SMZ-TMP. F'reals.
I discovered this accidently while crushing SMZ-TMP tabs up for some kids w/ coccidia a few years ago, which reminded me that *I* needed to take MY antibiotic, and looked at the pills and realized WE WERE ON THE SAME MEDS.
Only....the vet sells them to me, 50 for 10$. The pharmacy was a lot more expensive.
(In case you're wondering why I crushed them up, she told me to crush them up, put them in applesauce and drench them that way....t'was a MESS.)
Anyhow, last time my daughter got sick w/a sinus infection, I gave her the SMZ TMP and she was fine as a fiddle in a few days.

This isn't really germaine to your situation, but I found it to be quite useful info...

Glad she seems better and I hope she continues to improve...I'd offer input if I had anything of value to contribute, but I've never seen scours like you've described.

 

[trestlecreek]

(snicker), Roll, ya know they now sell SMZ-TMP and penicillin for fish? You can guess what is happening there...
Anyways, you're vet is some-what right about not using the SMZ with the naxcel. Definitely do not use the di-meth with the naxcel, because the di-meth WILL negate the naxcel. SMZ-TMP is different than OTC sulfas, meaning it is -cidal and not -static.
However, because SMZ it is "sort-of" in the same family, many believe it will inhibit penicillins. I actually do not find that to be true(SMZ with pen), but we're talking about my layman experience here, not a scientific clinical study.
Just as a note of interest, sulfas block prostglandins that cause gut inflammation,..
The scour-halt actually should be fine with pen or the naxel, but this drug is tricky and actually can cause you a host of other problems. This drug works best by being used just infrequently. Once every day works better than "keeping a theraputic range". It's in a drug family that can become nephrotoxic,...so just be careful with it. Most drugs in this family do not completely leave the body for around 72 hours! Half-life is short, but elimination is long. That is what is somewhat interesting about this drug family,..it does not work like most others.


Anyways, eating and DRINKING are both very good signs, I would keep up with what you are doing on the naxcel unless something changes...

 

[lilhill]

How is she this morning?

 

[cmjust0]

Grabbed the SMZ-TMP from the vet last night (they left it out back with an invoice on it...pay whenever...they make mistakes sometimes, sure, but leaving meds for me to pick up after hours is just awesome), picked up some human food, more electrolyte, nutri-drench, a few cheapo $4 throw blankets at Wal-Mart for more clean bedding, and headed home..

The doe met me with a "MAAAAA!" when I walked in the door..

She was up and about and sniffing and investigating.. She had a few more small watery poos, but then it turned to sort of a 'jelly' poop.. Definitely more solid, which is good.

I saw her drink..and drink..and drink..and drink..would barely let us eat our dinner for wanting to sniff around and see if we had anything she'd be interested in.

Goats don't eat chicken fingers, though. I tried to tell her, but she insisted on sniffing anyway..

She ate a little here and there, stopping once to really chow down pretty vigorously for a good couple of minutes. Didn't consume a great volume of hay, but had a prolonged interest in it.

She burped up big ol' cheek-filling cuds for quite a while after that, then she and my wife laid down in the kitchen and fell asleep cuddled up with each other.



She got her 3rd of 6 Naxcel's this morning, and another shot of b-complex. Her rumen was pretty empty this morning, and her ears were chilly from inactivity.. She ground her teeth a bit, but that could be from one of many things bugging her right now...residual pain from the infection, an empty tummy, the shots, fatigue, who knows.. She did make more jelly poo this morning, though, and pee'd what seemed to be a gallon when she got up. What she needs right now is to EAT, which I suspect she'll do today.

I hope, anyway.

All in all, she seems MUCH better.. Given that her poo was starting to solidify and that she hadn't had a dose of scour halt in quite some time, I held off on the SMZ-TMP.. I think the Scour-Halt served to slow it down enough to allow hydration and nursing to keep her alive until the Naxcel could begin working..

I don't like that solution, though, because stopping her from pooping when there's a pathogen that's causing her damage is not exactly ideal.. Keeps her from dehydrating and going into shock, which helps her stay alive...but it's not something I'd imagine is very pleasant.

All I know is...her sister was 14hrs dead by this point in her disease progression, and this gal seems to be -- SEEMS TO BE (knocking furiously on wood!) -- going the other way so far. She's alive, alert, upright, bright, thirsty but hydrated, ploppy-poopied, and mildly interested in food. That's pretty good, considering what all she's been through.



What sucks is that it's raining cats and dogs here...damp, and chilly. If it were warmer, she'd probably go out to graze and maybe get to spend the night in the barn with the rest of the goats.. I sorta think watching them eat hay might encourage her to eat hay, but I dunno. That's just speculation. As it is, though, looks like she'll probably be in the house a third night.

That's OK, though...she's above ground, and I'm pretty sure she'll eat when she gets hungry enough.

Oh...all the other goats attacked their hay this morning, so we're good there SO FAR.

I'm sure my wife will call with periodic updates today, so I'll keep y'all posted.

Thanks for everything, btw..

 

[cmjust0]

One of our boerxnubi does is in a strong heat right now, so she was standing in the door of the barn screaming... The doe we have inside heard her and started watching her out the window.. When the doe in heat would scream, the doe in the kitchen would go 'maaaaa' really softly like she knew she couldn't be heard, but felt compelled to answer anyway..

That said, we're pretty sure she's kinda itching to get back outside and visit with the herd again..

It stopped raining, too, at least for a while.. It's bright but overcast now, temps are up in the mid 60s..peeks of sun every now and again.. It's my belief that if a sickly goat decides it wants to go out and poke around, you should let it.. We can always bring her back in if need be, so the wife's gonna let her out pretty soon..

We'll see what happens..

 

[cmjust0]

Doe went outside and followed my wife down the the barn and started raring up to butt heads with another of the does.. Not in a mean way, but more like "Hey, where have you been?!?!"

Wife fluffed up the hay in the rack and everybody piled in to eat, and the former house-doe ate for a good long while. Pooped a little as she ate, too, and it's apparently getting more solid all the time.

Wife left the barn and one of the older does followed...then out came everyone else. Wife walked back over toward the house and into the backyard, and the goats continued on past that gate and out to pasture. Wife said it was a little sad to see the doe go off with the herd, but really good at the same time.

She said the overall feeling she got was a good one...like she'd done the right thing by letting the goat out.

I'm sure she's right.

She'll be checking in on everyone periodically, but there's a lot of cleanup to do and she's like...."I just need to lay down, like, in an actual bed for a while."

Understandable..

 

[ksalvagno]

Glad to hear she is doing better and out with the herd. Hopefully recovery will continue and no further problems.

 

[lilhill]

Woohoo!

 

[cmjust0]

...I have a wether whom just had a Urethrostomy and is not doing so well, so I have to run back out to help him.

Anything we can do to help???

I'll keep my for him, and do keep us posted..