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wont get up/stay up whats wrong?

2K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  ksalvagno 
#1 ·
my male boer won't get up. He CAN, but he's just laying there today. Not grinding his teeth or making any noise. Doesn't look like bloat, although we did the vegi oil and baking soda - but no air came out of him. I don't hear him ruminating. He ate last night, but I haven't seen him poo or pee today. He was stretching (long wayz like when a dog wakes up) and then laid down and won't get up. Any ideas? He doesn't eat grain, just grazes in the yard and we give them alfalfa at night. I don't think he ate anything poisonous. He just seems really lethargic.
 
#3 ·
I would start treatment for Polio as It can't hurt anything and this may well be the beginning signs. treatment would be high doses of Thiamin. Fortified B complex can work in a pinch. It's large amounts. 4cc per 100lbs of the 200mg Thiamin or 8ccs per 100lbs of the 100mg vitamin B complex. Regular B complex has almost no Thiamin and takes massive doses.
Take his temperature. If it starts rising at all use Pen G (1cc per 20lbs) and watch for symptoms of pneumonia or brain swelling.
Brain swelling symptoms are dancing eyes, star gazing, tilting head, curling neck toward one side, laying with head curled back, etc.
 
#7 ·
With stones they are usually standing hunched and grinding their teeth in pain. Not to say it couldn't be part of the issue. BUT this guys rumen is shutting down and it must get going again or his body will get too cold to live.
 
#8 ·
I use a heating pad and hot water bottles and wrap him and all that in a blanket. A heat lamp is good too.....I agree with goat hiker and also if you think stones if you sit him down and pull the skin back on his penis till you can see it. If the tip is black stones. I don't know this to be 100% true just read it when I was helping a friend with her goat.
 
#9 ·
I would check for stones or water belly just to be sure but it sounds like his rumen is shutting down...He needs C D Antitoxin NOW....if you dont have any Milk of magnesia will help 15 cc per 60# 2 times a day until he is eating....I agree with the thiamine or Fortified B complex..Off him green leaves and hay only..no feed..he cant digest it right now...get him up, message him left side...Probios wont hurt either..
 
#11 ·
any news??
 
#12 ·
The low temp could be caused by UC, especially if he is in shock. Once the bladder bursts, they have no pain until the infection gets bad.

I would treat him for Polio and watch very closely for UC. Make him get up and watch for him to pee. Most goats poop and pee when they get up.

Is he dehydrated?

BTW...alfalfa will NOT cause UC. That is an old wives tale. UC is caused by an imbalance in the calcium/phosphorus ratio. If the phos is too high, you can get stones.
 
#14 ·
just to update, we notice that our goats tongue was black. a week later he was lame and yelling. he was very squirmy while on the ground, but never grinding teeth so i can't say he was in pain. our other goat started showing the same symptoms. black tongue, swollen face, lame (due to sores/bloody lines above hoves). turns out they had blue tongue disease. it comes from a biting nat -- after heavy rains in late summer. we had record rainfall this year. mortality rate is high since there is no treatment. they say it is "self limiting", but we had to put our boys down because it took soooo long to figure it out, and if self limiting means lame, foaming at the mouth, hard breathing, not eating, and excessive hair loss - than i'm not ok seeing them like that. i think this is super rare - but none the less. here's to all our goats in the sky. :(
 
#15 ·
Yiks..Im so sorry..how scary!!
 
#16 ·
That is crazy. You are right, blue tongue is very rare. SO sorry about all your goats :( :hug:
 
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