Looking for some help...

[Sandy christen]

Well I must have bad luck or something because my baby is sick again he breathing really fast and sneezing a little. Don't know where to start... Any advise out there..... My very first time wanting goats got them when they were just weeks old and now I don't wanna loose them...

 

[alsea1]

Take his temp.' Take notes for your vet. Is it elevated or low?
Make sure the goat is not dehydrated. Pull a little skin away and note if it springs back fast or slow. Dehydrated goat would have slow spring back when you gently pinch a bit of skin.
Listen to his lungs. Do they sound wet or raspy. Note this as well.
My guess would be a possible case on pneumonia.
With these little guys you need to get him to the vet asap. They can fade fast.
You can get some meds over the counter but some you can't. You really do need to know what med is needed. The wrong med can be worse than useless.

 

[Sandy christen]

Just wondering what I'm doing wrong or if it's just me over thinking it.... Sorry I'm. I haven't had a good day very upsetting.

 

[Latestarter]

You posted on Monday that he was doing much better... The first thing you should always do is check temperature... that will tell you a lot. What has changed in his day to day? Is he regressing to what he was doing before or is this something different? If this is a repeat performance there may (must) be something environmentally that is setting him off. Maybe mold in his living quarters or bad/moldy hay, or something along those lines that he keeps contracting the breathing issues.

What did you do before? Did he see a vet? What course of medication did you use on him and for how long? proper dosage? How old is he now and is he weened or still on bottle? Sorry you're having a bad day, I imagine he is too.

 

[Sandy christen]

My vet gave me enrofloxacin. And. Ban mine. We gave it to him at 600 tonight. He 2 months old and still on bottle eating hay.. And a little grain. Elevated temp at 103.8..thank you for all your advise

 

[Latestarter]

Was this the meds from before, or are these meds that you're just now starting tonight? Banamine is a pain med... If I remember you said he was a Nigerian Dwarf, right? if so, you can probably start weening him off the bottle as he's more than 8 weeks old. If a mini breed, bottle can stay till 12 weeks, if full sized, should be good at 16 weeks...(subject to individual decision)

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrofloxacin "It is a bactericidal agent. The bactericidal activity of enrofloxacin is concentration-dependent, with susceptible bacteria cell death occurring within 20–30 minutes of exposure. Enrofloxacin has demonstrated a significant post-antibiotic effect for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and is active in both stationary and growth phases of bacterial replication."

Did your vet say what he believes the issue is? This medication is most effective against gut related issues... Sneezing and rapid breathing doesn't make me think "a gut issue" right off the bat... This is going to wipe out all the good bacteria in his gut. After the course of meds (It's a 5 day course from what I've read), you'll need to give him (something) some live culture yogurt and some probiotics maybe in his water to help him re-establish a good gut flora... I wouldn't feed him any grain during the meds... just good quality hay...

@Goat Whisperer @Southern by choice @babsbag @frustratedearthmother @ragdollcatlady @OneFineAcre Anyone else?

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I am by no means a vet, but I'm not sure why that antibiotic was prescribed. Is your vet knowledgeable on Caprines?

Is the kid aspirating on the milk? That can be an issue with some bottle babies.

I would leave him on the feed. Go to your feed store and look for goat probiotics and give that to him- if you are still going to use those antibiotics.

ETA taking away the grain would just be another added stress. If you rip away the bottle, grain, and with whatever issue he has now, that is a lot of stress. As long as the goat isn't bloating, scouring, etc. I don't see the need to take away the feed.

 

[Southern by choice]

Do you know if he ever got colostrum from his dam?
If at one week he had scours and now respiratory and breathing rapid.

What is the vet saying?
Whenever they give you any medication you need to ask what it is for , why it is being given, what is the diagnosis.

Did the vet listen to his heart? Any detectable heart defects?

What is your weather and what environment do you have him in.

Was he ever checked for coccidia?

 

[babsbag]

Banamine will be a fever reducer and is also given for pnuemonia to help with the airway remodeling. The antibiotic is commonly known as Baytril and is used for many infections, but not pneumonia. I used it for an abscess caused by Proteus, and also for what we thought was Navel ill . Also used for e-coli and Salmonella. I wonder what the vet is suspecting this little guy has?

 

[Sandy christen]

Well thank you for all your input it helps bust confusing at the same time. Well I never said what kind of goat he was and he is a Lamancha and the vet did not listen to him but is treating him for pneumonia.. The wheat her here is up and down and raining a lot we've had him outside during the day but try to put him in at night. So many are saying to treat him with probious after he gets better or put it in his bottle on his meds. And youget too?????