Doe not doing well!!!

[HartRice]

Well today not doing so good. She is up and down and she is still not able to use her jaw. She can't drink so we are giving her fluids. which she takes readily. Shouldn't the antibiotic and vitamin
B be working by now? It has been 3 days. I don't know what more to do. I dont' think that this is milk fever. Should I put her down? She is losing weight drastically.

 

[ksalvagno]

Yes, the antibiotics and B Vitamin should be showing some improvement, even if it isn't much. Unfortunately this is probably a bad weekend to hope that the right people get on here and see the posts. You almost wonder if she had a stroke or something. Is is just her jaw that doesn't work or is she having problems on a particular side in general?

I don't have any advice for you since I haven't had this problem yet. You may have to make some tough decisions if she is getting worse. No matter what, you did a good thing in taking in an auction animal and getting it back to health. Sounds like you have done all you can for her for the 2 years that you have had her.

 

[HartRice]

Well I guess she is not drooling as much as she was and it is just her jaw. She is still trying to eat and is not able to. we have been giving her electrolytes and still the antibiotic and vitamin b. Gave her some bo se and some redcell. Hoping it helps. I dont know what more to do. Thanks for all the help on here.

 

[Roll farms]

When our doe got it and couldn't eat, we crushed up alfalfa cubes into dust, then added a bit of Karo and oats, then added water and electrolytes and made a 'slurry' and cut a large syringe so that it would go through it and drenched her w/ that, to keep some fiber going into her rumen so it wouldn't shut down.

Listeriosis is a nasty bug, it causes a fever that swells the brain, causing paralysis on one side, similar to a stroke...hence the drooling.
Can she blink the eye on the side she is drooling on?
(Our doe couldn't, I thought she was 'blind' but she just couldn't blink)

It took several days before my doe got better, and the buck who got it later took a while to get better as well....it's not an 'instant improvement'-type problem.

Did you ever take her temp?

GOOD LUCK!! It sounds like, w/out a definitive diagnosis, you're doing all the right things.

 

[HartRice]

Called the vet again and finally got a call back. Crying teenage daughter seems to be the trick. He said our diagnosis sounds spot on but that tetracycline would be the best route so gave some of that. yes paralysis on the right side. trying to drench but I am so scared it is going to go into her lungs. No temp. Able to finally get it without much help. We will keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. She is a wonderful goat and I don't want her to suffer. Again thanks for all the help on here. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[Roll farms]

I hate to contradict your vet, but....f it is Listeriosis, everything I've ever read says HIGH doses of Pen G. Never has Oxytet come up as a suggested treatment.

Oxytetracycline and Pen G counteract, so switching drugs mid-treatment is sort of like not giving anything at all...

From Fiasco Farms:
Do not give Oxytetracycline and Penicillin at the same time. When given together, the tetracycline causes a chemical reaction that stops the effectiveness of Penicillin.

Some info I used to treat our goats:
http://www.goatworld.com/articles/listeriosis_gwmf.shtml

Another:

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/listeriosis.html

Direct quote (And I don't often agree w/ S.G., but this article helped me save my doe...)

Immediate treatment is critical. There is no time to waste with Listeriosis. Recovery is more difficult and time-consuming than Goat Polio. A goat can go blind and completely recover its eyesight and overall health if proper treatment is provided; such treatment can take days or even weeks, depending upon the severity of the illness and how quickly treatment was begun.

Treatment involves administration of high doses of procaine penicillin (300,000 International Unit strength) every six hours on a 24-hour cycle up to and through 24 hours after the last symptom has disappeared to avoid relapse. Higher-than-normal dosage of procaine penicillin is needed to cross the blood brain barrier to put sufficient amounts of the antibiotic into the tissue of the goat's central nervous system. A chart of dosage by bodyweight accompanies this article. Very Important: Continue all treatment until 24 hours *after* the last symptom has disappeared to avoid a relapse. Give the procaine pencillin SQ over the ribs with an 18 gauge needle so the goat doesn't become a pin cushion of holes from repeated injections during this intensive treatment. This author also uses Vitamin B 1 (Thiamine) along with the penicillin treatment. Thiamine is an appropriate addition to treatment of any sick goat.

 

[HartRice]

Yep read that same article and that is what we were doing but no improvement and as I have said before vets around here are pretty worthless when it comes to goats. She passed away this morning and now baby won't eat a bottle she is eating and drinking water but she is only 3 weeks old and still needs milk. Thanks again for all the help. It was appreciated and I feel terrible. Going to bury her by the apple tree in the yard. Live and learn I guess. I really feel like a failed her though.

 

[Henrietta23]

I'm so sorry!

 

[ksalvagno]

I'm so sorry.

It sounds like you did all you could. Just remember that you did her a great thing in taking care of her when she needed someone most. She had a great life with you and was obviously very loved.

 

[HartRice]

Yes she was and now we just need to make sure the rest of the goats dont' get this and that her baby makes it. She is doing ok for now. again thanks to all who posted. It really meant a lot. No more auction goats for me though. Can't take the heartbreak anymore.