When we went to open the barn this morning Cole didn't come out of the kid stall. I went and got him to match him up with his mom and he was just standing there seeming really lethargic. He sort of pawed at the ground with his front leg. He did nurse when I put him next to his mom. I gave him all the same round of stuff I gave him at birth (a little nutridrench, selenium and vit. e gel, and vitamin b complex gel). Temp is 104.6. Called the vet and she can't make it out until later but said to give 1/2 cc Thiamine injection and if it wasn't needed he would pee it out. He screamed when I gave it to him and it was good to see that much energy. We have him in a stall with his mom and a heat lamp because we had a cold front come through yesterday (it still 60 degrees, so not really "cold"). He is standing now but keeps sort of pawing at the air with his right front leg and I have no clue what that means. And advice is appreciated!
We'd have to have the vet come out. I'm starting to think I might need to learn how to do that on my own. The billing with the vet has become pretty daunting and the return on the results is not quick.
Dimethox is. Good prevention treatment for coccidia. Its injectable given orally. Alo under the name of Sulfa drug. Jeffers usually carries it if your local shop doesn't.
Talked to my friend that also has goats and she suggested white muscle disease.
Cole is not getting any better. He was laying completely flat this morning and we had to hold both him and his mom so he could nurse. I gave him another dose of Selenium and Vitamin E gel. But nothing seems to be helping so I'm starting to lose hope. My husband is going to see if the vet can come out again today.
I’m sorry Cole isn’t picking back up. Do you have injectable vitamin b complex instead of the gel? Gel isn’t effective really for goats.
I can recommend a good vet if you’re near me, I see you’re in Texas too.
I just read the thread and it does sound like WMD if you look at the rear end weakness and wobbly but little Cole was also fighting being a bit early and a host of other things too.
Maybe your vet can give a little BoSe to get his selenium back on track.
Best of luck with him, I hope he hets better soon.
Be sure temp is good before helping him feed.
How long was he in antibiotics? And how long off when he started getting weak again? It seems to have progressed from weak back legs to being flat out.
Re reading post. I see its been about 2 weeks since antibiotics were done?
When the vet saw him....did he listen to his heart? Possible heart murmur or other defects maybe an issue. Not enough oxygen can make baby weak. I would have the vet check for that. Rule it out any way. With him being a preemie he may have internal issues unseen.
When the vet was here last she basically said because he's a premie he's going to be weaker and more sickly than a regular goat. She said his lungs and heart are likely not 100%. I wasn't out there when she visited, but that's what my husband communicated to me. To me it sounded like a write-off, like he's gonna be a sickly one so "best of luck".
I noticed him staying in the barn three days ago while the rest of the herd was out on the pasture. I took him out to them and watched him for a minute and noticed he was slower and moving slightly odd. Not really a limp, but kind of like he might have injured something. Since then it just keeps getting progressively worse. He's still alert and screams for mom, nurses well when we hold him up, but just won't stand and walk. Earlier today we did get him to stand but then he tried to move and fell to his side.
We are waiting on a call back from the vet, even though I am not thrilled with their treatment. I'm also working on seeing if a friend has some BoSe I can use. His temp is still good. Last checked was 102.4.
Yes it is possible. The other two babies have been very lively and headbutting/jumping around. Cole has been in a safe pen since he's been acting off, but it could have happened prior to that. I'm sure there is also a chance it was one of the older goats, but they have been peacefully together for a couple of weeks now with no incidents.
I had 2 premies last year. They were behind the other kidds till about 2 weeks old. Then I couldnt tell any difference. But the first 3 days of life they basically slept most of the time. They looked to me, like it was harder for them to coordinate their movements. They were slower. I gave them nutridrench. I kept them with their moms for about 5 days. In a pen...only those 2. After 5 days they could stay awake and keep up with mom. So then I put them with moms & newborns. They blended well with that group.
Unfortunately Cole declined rapidly yesterday evening. He could no longer even hold his head up, was unable to nurse even when we held him. The vet suspected heart defect. We said goodbye to him and gave him lots of cuddles. This is our first loss and it while it stings a whole lot I'm also grateful he is not suffering anymore. Thank you all for your advice, support and help.
So sorry you lost little Cole. Every loss really hurts. Especially when you both fought so hard. But yes, he is in a better place now. And he has been a teacher to you as well. Patience, perseverance and stamina.
Thank you all. We are very sad and missing him already. I didn't think about it until just now, but do I need to milk out Cole's mama or just keep an eye on her udder? We haven't milked her, she was only feeding Cole, so I don't even know how much milk she has. Her udder does look full, but not really tight or anything.
I am not sure but she could get ill if the milk goes no where. Some one can correct me but maybe you should milk her out.
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