Pregnant doe - cut leg....I need some advice!

[chubbydog811]

I have a pregnant Lamancha doe, due the end of March....About a month ago, she tore her leg open - ligaments, artery, ect. It was a big mess. She went her 2 weeks, healed, and the vet took the stitches out. They told me I only needed to wrap it if it were swolen.
And of course, since she is a goat, as soon as she got home, she RE OPENED her cut!! I have no idea how though I am assuming she was itching like crazy (the wound wasnt a clean cut). She was in a horse stall, with only a plastic water/feed bucket! Now seeing how much the vet bill was the first time, I really dont want to bring her in a second time for the same thing.

What I have been doing: I cleaned it out pretty well with soap/water, then squirted betadine in there. I have been keeping it clean and as dry as it can be. Wrapping every other day, ect. 3 days ago, I started her on Pen. like the vet had us doing - every other day for 4 doses at a time.

It isnt stinky or looking infected (though it doesnt look great). Is there anything else I can do to get the swelling down, or possibly put on it to help it heal faster?
This is the first goat injury I have had, and I have no clue!

Can goats get Bute like the horses?

Anyway, any advice would be great! Thanks!!

 

[ksalvagno]

If you want to give the goat a pain reliever, then you need Banamine. You can get that from the vet. The dosage is 1cc per 100 1bs. Don't go more than 3 days in a row with it.

 

[chubbydog811]

We do have banamine on hand...I'll see about giving her that.

But is there anything for the swelling? For the horses I use furazone so it doesnt get infected, but always gave bute for swelling.

 

[ksalvagno]

Banamine works for swelling too.

 

[chubbydog811]

Oh! Alright...I didnt know that!
We have only ever used it for colicy horses.
Awesome. Thanks a bunch! I'll give her some in the morning!

 

[cmjust0]

Banamine is an 'antipyretic NSAID pain reliever.' An NSAID is a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug. The 'antipyretic' part means it brings down a fever.

Pain reliever = self explanatory.

Banamine can be tough on the guts...that's why it's recommended not to use it more than 3 straight days. Can cause GI ulcers and stuff like that if you use it too much. If I'm not mistaken, it's commonly used in conjunction with some kind of prescription stomach medication.. Pepcid, maybe? Can't remember right now, but I know the risk is increased if you use an NSAID in conjunction with a corticosteroid like dexamethasone.

You wouldn't do that very often, though, especially if there's risk of infection. Dex lowers the immune system. Dex is usually accompanied by subtherapeutic doses of PenG or some other antibiotic.

I've got it in my head that banamine + dexamethasone + PenG + Pepcid (or whatever the stummy drug is) would probably be a kickbutt combo for early treatment of urinary calculi, though.

I literally have no idea why I just wrote all that.. Just throwin' it out there, I guess.

I need to sleep. That's what it is.

 

[WallTenters]

A picture would be great. If there aren't any tender healing ligaments exposed, I'd scrub it. It will encourage new growth.

For healing, Comfrey root is incredible. We usually use chemicals where needed, so don't think I'm an herbal nut, but someone recommended it for a bad infection that wouldn't heal, and it was really great, like two day's healing time after months of fighting with antibiotics. Use it as a poultice.

I would be careful with too many pain killers or anti-inflammatory drugs - if she's pregnant it could be very bad for the kids.

 

[Ariel301]

Nitrofurazone ointment for horses would be fine put on the wound and then bandaged up. That stuff works wonders in my experience.

You can also try tea tree oil if you want to go a more natural/pregnancy safe route. It's a natural antibacterial and is also soothing to wounds/burns. The best would be a therapeutic-grade essential oil, but those are pricey and hard to find, so if all you could get is the cheaper stuff from Walmart or a health-food store, that's fine too.

I've used Bute on goats before, and also baby aspirin since those are what I have...I don't typically have Banamine around, but have plenty of Bute left from a laminitic horse I used to have. I don't know how safe they are during pregnancy though, so I would be careful with something like that.

 

[currycomb]

my remedy for cuts is scarlett oil. can be sprayed on injury, contains some real smelly stuff that keeps flies away and limits proud flesh formation

 

[chubbydog811]

Thanks for the advice guys!
I asked my friend also - I was looking for a natural way so I didn't hurt the kids, and she recommended food grade charchole....So we are trying that right now..
Though when I looked yesterday, her leg looked GREAT! It was finally scabbing over, and it was closed. It isnt quite as swollen either...Hopefully this works!!

I was so excited too...I was sitting next to her petting her, and she bit my hand and put it on her stomach...I swear, she is smarter than I give her credit for! Right when she did that, the baby kicked me! I was so excited!