Rescue goat hoof issues! HELP!

[Teeah3612]

Mr. Buttons has an appointment with the vet at 3:30 today. We will see what he has to say about treating him.

Thanks everyone for all the advice!

 

[Stacykins]

I hope Mr. Buttons had a fruitful time with the vet. He is a cutie, I bet he is SO glad he is now with you and not his old home!

 

[zzGypsy]

interested to hear what the vet says...
if you need more help getting the hooves trimmed, post up... I've had to do this several times. soaking will definitly help.

on the worst of the ones we did, we needed a horse hoof nipper to cut through what were *very* hard very overgrown hooves. the goat hoof shears work well on the thin wall, but nippers can be used to take off the thicker areas, as well as trim back the overgrown pad.

 

[Beekissed]

He looks in pretty good condition for having lived on dog food~not great, but not as bad as one would expect. That cast does NOT look good....I'll not be surprised if you find some sores and tissue atrophy under that area. Poor little guy! Kinda makes you mad, doesn't it?

 

[Teeah3612]

Update: The vet doesn't think we can remove the cast. He doesn't think there is anything but bone under there. If we removed it he would be crippled, since that is all that is supporting his leg. Mr. Buttons has been chewing it away slowly. The vet's advice was to watch it for oozing and infection. If that starts then he will have to be put down most likely. The vet said we will also have to watch the leg without the cast, because it is a solid mass. He is worried that it might get infection also.

As for the hooves, I am going to try softening the one this weekend and then trimming it. Both of his hooves are very deformed. The vet suggested making leather booties for his hooves because he has worn the pad down on the side. He has busted it open twice since we got him. So, looks like I will be making goat booties this week. Am I insane or what?

I think the vet was of the same opinion that we are, make him comfortable and give him a good home for however long he survives. As long as infection doesn't set it, that could be some time. He actually gets around pretty good considering the condition of his legs. The only time he has problems is early in the morning when it is cold. Once he gets up and moving he is okay and they don't seem to be sore to the touch.

I'll let you know how the softening and trimming goes.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

That sounds awful odd that they can't remove the cast. Even if you had to remove the cast and wrap it until his leg healed, I would think it's at least a better option to *try* rather than just say he has no chance. I think I would find a different vet and get a second opinion. Unless you're on a budget, in which case I completely understand.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm with Aggie on this one....if you're going to keep the poor little bugger, I'd remove the cast, treat the open areas, wrap well with soft bandages and make sure he can't get them off. What's the worst that can happen? He sure isn't going to get better with a too small cast cutting the circulation from his leg.

That leg will have to heal from the inside out, as the wounds will be so deep that you don't want to keep anything pocketted into them. They may even need debrided of dead tissue before they can ever heal....can't believe the vet didn't at least remove the cast to see what is underlying it.

 

[zzGypsy]

we had a horse that skinned the hide off his lower leg - about half the length of it between knee and ankle. he had a strip of hide about 1/2" wide on the front and back of the shin that was intact, but the rest of it was gone down to the bone and tendons. we treated it by keeping it wrapped as follows: non-stick gauze dosed with antibiotc ointment big enough to cover the entire open wound on each side. two thin sheets of cotton padding (surgical type) over the gauze pads. wrap the whole thing with vetwrap (the self sticking stuff), then tape with duct tape to keep it secure and dry (top and bottom only if the weather is dry). we'd change the dressing every 3 or 4 days, or if it got soaked or started to unravel, or had any odor to it. took about 3 months for the hide to grow back in but it did without any scaring, couldn't tell it was ever wounded.

I've had sheep regrow a missing section of hide that was 6x6" so I'm guessing a goat can too. in the case of the sheep, the injury was not fresh, so the vet trimmed back the dried edge of the wound to freshen it, and we kept it dosed with a non-drying antibiotic spray to keep the edge clean and moist, and with SWAT to keep the flies away. it was left open to the air. the hole closed in less than a month.

with a lower leg, it'll be in the dirt so it needs to be covered. if you're interested in trying this, removing the cast is needed, and if there's no connecting skin between the upper and lower areas, it may not close... but I've seen some things you can't imagine healing that heal anyway.

where is the hoof breaking open? at the hairline? on the walking surface?

goats in boots... interesting.

and good for you for doing right by this little guy. that makes you my hero

 

[Teeah3612]

I am not so sure about the new vet either. I may have to take a trip back to the old vet and get a second opinion. We just moved and tried to find a vet nearby. I have no problem with doctoring the leg after the cast is off. It just seems to so connected to the leg bone. I don't know that there is any connective tissue under it.

The hoof is breaking open on the padded area. He is not walking on the hooves, but back on the pad and has worn it down. It is raw looking. That is the reason for the goat booties, so the pad can heal while I work to get the hooves trimmed into a better shape. They will never be perfect, but hopefully he can put weight on them. Of course, the deformity may keep him from putting weight on them like he should.

 

[Beekissed]

I am not so sure about the new vet either. I may have to take a trip back to the old vet and get a second opinion. We just moved and tried to find a vet nearby. I have no problem with doctoring the leg after the cast is off. It just seems to so connected to the leg bone. I don't know that there is any connective tissue under it.

The hoof is breaking open on the padded area. He is not walking on the hooves, but back on the pad and has worn it down. It is raw looking. That is the reason for the goat booties, so the pad can heal while I work to get the hooves trimmed into a better shape. They will never be perfect, but hopefully he can put weight on them. Of course, the deformity may keep him from putting weight on them like he should.

I think that will be your problem. Chances are this isn't just a skin flap missing or a mere flesh wound but a bone deep loss of all tissues in some areas. In a case such as this, we treat human wounds~not with antibiotic ointments~but with normal saline wet to dry dressings that are changed daily. Since I know you don't want to do something like that daily, if he were mine I'd find some raw honey and saturate your gauze with it, apply directly to the wound bed after cleansing and secure it with a wrap. I'd check that and apply fresh every 3-4 days.

You can probably purchase booties wherever they sell such things for dogs~working dog suppliers should have them.