Help! Goat with broken leg!

[genuck]

I came home tonight to find my 3-4 month old Angora doeling laying in the yard screaming. She has an obvious break in at least one place on one back leg and the other one doesn't seem to move. I don't know if she's just limp because I'm trying to hold her or she can't move it. I don't know how it happened or what to do for her. She can't stand at all. I put her inside in a playpen and she seems content, but obviously in pain. I will try to get the vet out first thing, until then can I give her anything for pain? How likely is it that we'll be able to fix it? Of course she is my favorite and the sweetest of all my goats I hope we can help her, I feel so bad not knowing what happened.

 

[mydakota]

This sounds like one of those times where you just need to get to a vet. My clinic always has one who is "on call" for the evening/weekend. I don't think I would wait for morning on this one.

 

[LadyIsabelle2011]

You need that VET out there as soon as he/she can be out there...as far as whether or not it can be fixed I couldn't tell you. I do know a fella who's goat broke its leg falling off of a tractor(from a height you wouldn't even think a goat could get hurt from!), the goats leg was so badly broken it had to be amputated, He was a poor fellow so he never could get the vet out there to look at the goat but with blue kote and pure determination the goat pulled through, rather well apparently as the fella now has a three legged goat that gets around just like any other goat, don't even notice its a three legged goat till he tells you. The moral of this story is that goats are tough little critters and that with help she should be just fine...but she needs that vet and soon...would you wait over night to bring one of your own family members to the doctor if they had broken a bone? Just think about it, whole night spend terrified and alone in a play pen with a broken leg...I realize that things might not be so straight forward as this but still, the poor baby needs some help and the vet would at least prescribe some pain medicine for her...

 

[Roll farms]

FYI - in a pinch, and NOT long-term (kidney or liver damage if given too long, I can never remember which), children's liquid ibuprofen can be given for pain / swelling / fever @ 2x the human dose. Aspirin can be dissolved / given orally, 1 aspirin per 10#.

Best of luck w/ her.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

OUCH!! That tough...hope you were able to get him to the vets...I would give asprin or advil for sure for pain relief as Roll suggested. Very painful injury. Good luck...keep us posted...hope it goes well.

 

[20kidsonhill]

I have had good luck with one broke leg, but I have never had them not beable to walk on the other three. I have had atleast 4 or 5 here with broken legs over the years, from one thing or another. Jumping a fence and catching a leg in the wooven wire as they go over, a cattle gate fell on one and caught the back leg as it went down. One was eating in leaves in a tree and hung a leg in a crook of the tree, she was in bad shape, we found her hanging there. But they all made a full recovery.

I wish you the best of luck with her.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Oh no! Let us know how it goes. Poor thing.

 

[terrilhb]

Oh no. I hope the poor baby will be ok. Please keep us informed.

 

[genuck]

Well, she went to the vet this morning and both hind legs were shattered and her pelvis broken so we had to put her down. Someone that came on the property last night must have run her over. She was very friendly and loved to come up to everyone and say hello. I wasn't expecting anyone to come over so didn't lock her up. I'm going to miss her dearly, she was the sweetest girl.

Thanks for all the advice, glad to know they CAN come through it. We initially thought it was just the one leg and I was confident she would be fine with it amputated. The wealth of information on this forum is great

 

[helmstead]