EMERGENCY PLEASE HELP

[nuts4goats]

I'm really thinking now it is most definitely tetanus. It is so heartwrenching watching her. She is so stiff and rigid and her whole body goes into contracture. There is nothing else I can do until morning because everything else is at the farm supply that I need I am about to give her another dose of pen g and I am able to get syringes of water carefully down without her aspirating thus far. In the morning, I will try to contact my neighbor and make sure it is ok that I am intervening. If she is still alive, and he allows me to proceed I will again try to get a vet out here also. I plan on staying up with her through the night.

Also- I have some poultry drench. Do you think it would be worth a shot trying to give her some of that so she gets some sort of nutrition until tomorrow?

Also- how much milk should the baby get? He sucked down 5 oz and then quit on me. He seemed lime a hungry little guy and then just quit. Don't know if he's just not used to the bottle or if his tank got full?

I don't know what I'd do without everyones advice! Thanks again!

 

[autumnprairie]

If it helps I couldn't walk away either. praying for them

 

[Roll farms]

FWIW, the doe I nursed through Tetanus survived, but my vet said it's almost always fatal.

The poultry electrolytes would be better than nothing, add it to the water you're giving her. Is she able to swallow? That's a good sign if she is, but again, I don't want you to get your hopes up. I would also put a TBS of baking soda in the water, she's at risk of bloat. Switch her from side to side tonight if you can to help prevent bloat, also. Goats who lie on their sides tend to bloat so be on the look out for it. (Our goat w/ tetanus bloated, too....)

If she's still alive tomorrow, after the vet visit / she's been given the antitoxin, you will need to do the fiberous slurry feeding.

Make sure you're giving her BIG doses of the Pen G, at this point you will do more harm underdosing than overdosing.

I would think 5oz 3-4 x a day would be fine. Here's some bottle baby info for you.
http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=586

I spent the entire night up w/ my Tetanus doe. Flipped her from side to side, rubbed her bloated belly to help her pass gas, trickled vit/ elec. and gatoraide down her throat every 2 hrs, and gave the Pen G every 6 hrs.
The vet was amazed when she saw it really was tetanus and she was still alive the next morning when I met her at the office.

A lot depends on how far the bacteria / disease progresses before you start treatment.

Whatever happens, don't feel bad if you lose the battle, you already won by caring.

 

[nuts4goats]

Thanks for helping me along! If she makes it, it will be an absolute miracle at this point.
This is what I have done so far, tell me if I can tweak at all until morning:

3cc Pen G 1st dose. (She is a very little goat, probably 30 pounds TOPS)
2cc Pen G 2nd dose
Oral liquid calcium
2 parts Molasses/1 part corn syrup via syringe this morning and afternoon
Oral poultry drench (contains molasses, thiamine, Vit A,B,D,E. Glycol)
6 oz Fluids with baking soda, and ProBios every 2 hours (Ive managed 12 oz so far)
Tetanus antitoxin for her and baby FIRST thing tomorrow as soon as farm supply doors open!

I made her a thicker padded pallet, and repositioned her and flipped her to her other side
Im warming her with a heating blanket set on low.

Im going to do fluids via syringe every two hours also. She is swallowing. But she is completely rigid with all 4 legs stiffened out like a sawhorse, and spasms horribly. She bellows in pain. It is most definetly tetanus from everything Ive read tonight. I cant stand it. I try to be very quiet and keep the lights to a minimum because she spasms with any sort of stimulation. When we first got to her this morning, she was comatose, frothing at the mouth, and seizing. Now she does open her eyes, and is vocal...but I dont know if thats because she is improving and trying to fight more, or the condition is worsening, and she is in more pain. She sure is fighting very hard. Also, her gums were white this morning, and now they have pinked up some. But I am still very guarded, and although I hope she'll pull through, I'm thinking this will have a sad ending. She looks HORRIBLE.

As for little guy, he sure is cute, and a little pig to boot. I dont think hes been getting much milk- Momma's bag is pretty small. We're calling him Mikey, and he's taking the bottle great so far.

 

[Queen Mum]

Wow, you are doing great! You can give her some muscle relaxants if you can get them. Try to get your hands on some injectable Valium. You can go to the local ER 1/4 to 1/2 CC of injectible Valium. Take the goat with you if you have too. That will help her muscle spasms. (Yes, it is indicated for goats.) I wish I was close enough to you, because I have .25 cc's at my house. My vet gave it to me for my goats when they are totally stressed and not eating.

If you can't get injectible and you know someone who has some, you can crush a tablet and feed her a 1/4 tablet orally by drench. The other choice is to try a muscle relaxant for humans. Again, the dose would be 1/4 what you would give a human.

 

[nuts4goats]

Well, she is still hanging in there. We have 3 more hours until the farm supply opens so I can get her antitoxin. She is so uncomfortable. I hate this. I'm trying so hard. I wish there was something else I could do! I gave her some metacam for pain. It's the only thing I have on hand. I don't know if I should have done that but at this point death might be kinder than this suffering.

 

[Roll farms]

When I got mine to the vet, she gave her steroids, antitoxin, and she was able to sit up for the ride home.

She didn't feel good for days, but the improvement once given the antitoxin is amazing....

 

[nuts4goats]

About to head out the door to the farm supply. The metacam seemed to make her alot more comfortable. I gave her another dose of pen g, poultry drench, baking soda. Ive flipped her again. I'm afraid I'm going to od her on the pen g. She has firm stool and has urinated so I'm hoping that's a good sign too. Her urine has that ketosis smell. I'm gonna get a wider syringe and do the gruel as soon as I have given her the antitoxin. Hoping the molasses in the poultry drench will keep her blood sugar up enough. She is swallowing better too. But still completely down and stiff as a phone pole I have no idea what I am doing!!!!

 

[Roll farms]

If you see improvement (and it will be amazing - not cured, but surely better) after the antitoxin, you can probably safely switch to 2x a day on the Pen G, 1cc per 30#. I would go a full 10 days at minimum, probably 14. And then administer the CD/T on day 15.

Pick up probiotics of some form, too.

Really pulling for both of you.

 

[autumnprairie]

You are doing an awesome job!
Keep it up I know you are exhausted.