bottlebaby with weak front legs

Selenium deficiency can show up anytime. I'd get a shot of bo-se from a local vet. They only charge maybe $10 for a shot. The shot is much more affective than the gel.

 

weak as in cant stand back up onhis own weak or legs bent and hard for him to work them??? any swelling on the joints...heat or pain? how does his belly button look?

 

it wont hurt to give his brother some...2 ml sounds right

hows his temp? hows his poop? Im asking lots of questions because A few things are coming to mind...and to know whats going on...we need a bit more info : )

Joint ill
FKS
and selenium Def.

you will see swollen joints with joint ill...sometimes,but not always, the naval will be infected,

FKS will start with weak legs, belley will become sloshy as the milk is not digested and baby gets weaker as time goes on

Selenium def. usually shows up at birth with weak bent legs..not that is cant show up later, just less likely...and its more of a stiff dragging with the legs then weakness...

 

Good news!! Did you notice any swelling on joints? any heat??

Yellow poop is not uncommon even at two weeks old but usualy start seeing it change to brown..was it berries? singles or stuck together? or mooshy?

a sick tummy will be poochy and feel like a water balloon...

Ugh..hate when that happens...but a toasty mouth is a good sign...try to get his temp when you can replace the battery, just to be sure

how much is he being fed and what are you feeding him? about how much does he weigh...

I would make him a brace for his front legs so he can use them...pad his leg well to prevent sores... pipe insulation wraps that are like a pool noodle might work, cut length wise and sandwhich his legs..then wrap with vet wrap to hold on..Remove the brace a few times a day and massage his leg and excersise it..

I just put a pea size ( about the 2 ml mark) on my finger and dose it that way..it should be well mixed in the tube...

 

Ok..whole cows milk is fine....But Im not understanding how much milk he is getting lol...20 Ml daily? or per bottle? andis that ML or Oz?? just to be clear :greengrin:

How much does he weigh? did you check his joints for swelling?

at two weeks he will nibble and taste hay but not eat much..but its good to offer it : )

 

Wow..thats quite a bit of milk...how.much does he weigh?...if this is selenium deficiency you should begin to see improvment pretty soon..dose him monthly....

 

I have had that happen when they were low on BoSe prenatally. The naturalist told me to give them 4ccs of Cod Liver Oil 2 times a day. It took about 3 days but it has always worked. I have had to do it 2 or 3 times now. We also did massage and stretching to stimulate the muscles.
One little girl was born from way back in mom's uterus and her two brothers were wedged in between her legs. The vet had to come and help with two of them. She could not walk at all when she was born. It took five days for her but she was a spitfire when she got going.

 

you can give cod liver oil..you can also gie an extra Vit e gel cap..just poke a whole on th end and squeeze into his mouth.I know waiting is hard...Im not convinced its Selenium...IT MAY BE lol..Im just not seeing it..????..

Hes drinking enough milk for a 20-25# goat...I would try to cut his bottles down to size and see if that does not make a difference..

Weigh him and multiply that by 16 to get his weight in oz..then multiply that by 12% to see how much per day he needs...divide that into 3 bottles a day....THEN after each bottle..feel his tummy...you want a flat firm tummy...not too poochy and not sunken in.....adjust by 1/4 oz a day at a time until you have that nice healthy tummy..

 

A good estimate on his weight will help at least...

My gut is saying yes, it can be causeing the weakness..but its odd because too much milk will sit and become toxic in the tummy causing other issues usually, like refusing to eat, runny poo..lethargic..and weakness..I maybe off ..way off here lol...but at any rate..its worth a try...I'm going to do some reading and see what I can find out...

 

I might have missed this somewhere but are his knees swollen? Boer babies that grow really fast can get swollen knees so he may just not want to stand on them.
The milk doesn't sound too high to me though.

 

And was his mom tested for CAE?

 

She said no swelling...all looks and feel normal...Cae is a possibilty...

I have found nothing to suggest too much milk can cause this kind of weakness with out other symptoms... I dont know why my gut is screaming about it lol... But like I said, sure wouldnt hurt to try decreasing milk and see..