Kid with weird legs??

1772 Views 21 Replies 6 Participants Last post by goathiker, Jul 15, 2021

McGoat

Discussion Starter · Jun 14, 2021

2

Hi everyone,

My six week old doeling Crickets Front legs are becoming increasingly less straight. A few weeks ago we noticed that her legs looked a little funny but it was very slight but now it is getting worse and more noticeable, especially when she runs. Her front legs seem almost wider set than her body & crooked. Her brother is a good amount bigger than her and his legs seem perfectly fine. What am I looking at here? Is this something genetic or something I can treat? Should I get a vet involved? It doesn’t seem to slow her down much but I am hopeful that if it is something treatable I can get ahead of it early. Thank you all so much! (I can get better pictures/video if needed)

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goathiker

· #2 · Jun 14, 2021

Early stages of bent leg. I would immediately give a vitamin A,D, and E shot. Use the lamb dosage on the bottle.
You'd think that being out in the sun is enough vit D but, in truth it isn't anymore. Our sky is much more hazy than it was even 30 years ago. Almost every mammal in Nothing America is deficient.

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McGoat

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 14, 2021

goathiker said:
Early stages of bent leg. I would immediately give a vitamin A,D, and E shot. Use the lamb dosage on the bottle.
You'd think that being out in the sun is enough vit D but, in truth it isn't anymore. Our sky is much more hazy than it was even 30 years ago. Almost every mammal in Nothing America is deficient.

okay! When I do a quick google search I’m only seeing a cattle version? Is that okay? I’ll head to the feed store this afternoon.

Damfino

· #4 · Jun 15, 2021

I don't know if this is related, but just yesterday I noticed my 8-week-old buckling's legs bowing inward rather dramatically. I looked closer and saw that it was primarily the left leg, which looked like the knee was off-kilter to the inside. He wasn't lame or acting "off" and there have been no injuries so I did not suspect joint ill. I know the leg wasn't like that a week ago. Today it looked even worse and by this evening he is actually lame on it. I did some research and came up with this:

www.merckvetmanual.com

Epiphysitis in Goats - Musculoskeletal System - Merck Veterinary Manual

Learn about the veterinary topic of Epiphysitis in Goats. Find specific details on this topic and related topics from the Merck Vet Manual.

www.merckvetmanual.com

In my goat's case I'm going to suspect too much calcium. The kid is a HOG and his mother is a tremendous producer. The problem is seen most commonly in fast-growing buck kids, which mine definitely is! I've been commenting on what a little piggy he is. He not only drinks a ton of milk, but he's always at the hay feeder with the girls who are getting an alfalfa mix. I think he picks out the alfalfa leaves from the bottom because he's always rooting around at the bottom of the trough. Between those two sources I can see this being a calcium overload problem.

So tonight I separated little piggy from his mom. It's early to wean, but I'm going to put him with her during the day after I milk her out, so he won't be able to gorge but he'll still get whatever she produces for the eight hours or so they're together. He'll also be away from the girls' alfalfa. Hopefully this is the real problem and I've caught it early enough that it will correct itself as he grows. I'd hate for this to be a permanent deformity because he was a beautiful, correct kid right up until now.

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McGoat

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 15, 2021

Damfino said:
I don't know if this is related, but just yesterday I noticed my 8-week-old buckling's legs bowing inward rather dramatically. I looked closer and saw that it was primarily the left leg, which looked like the knee was off-kilter to the inside. He wasn't lame or acting "off" and there have been no injuries so I did not suspect joint ill. I know the leg wasn't like that a week ago. Today it looked even worse and by this evening he is actually lame on it. I did some research and came up with this:

Epiphysitis in Goats - Musculoskeletal System - Merck Veterinary Manual

Learn about the veterinary topic of Epiphysitis in Goats. Find specific details on this topic and related topics from the Merck Vet Manual.

www.merckvetmanual.com

In my goat's case I'm going to suspect too much calcium. The kid is a HOG and his mother is a tremendous producer. The problem is seen most commonly in fast-growing buck kids, which mine definitely is! I've been commenting on what a little piggy he is. He not only drinks a ton of milk, but he's always at the hay feeder with the girls who are getting an alfalfa mix. I think he picks out the alfalfa leaves from the bottom because he's always rooting around at the bottom of the trough. Between those two sources I can see this being a calcium overload problem.

So tonight I separated little piggy from his mom. It's early to wean, but I'm going to put him with her during the day after I milk her out, so he won't be able to gorge but he'll still get whatever she produces for the eight hours or so they're together. He'll also be away from the girls' alfalfa. Hopefully this is the real problem and I've caught it early enough that it will correct itself as he grows. I'd hate for this to be a permanent deformity because he was a beautiful, correct kid right up until now.

After reading this article this sounds like what I'm dealing with, thanks for sharing! I'm not sure where to go from here though considering her diet mostly consists of milk and the forage she gets when out with mom, so I don't know what I can adjust feed wise.

goathiker

· #6 · Jun 15, 2021

They must have enough vitamin D to digest the calcium they are getting. I had already looked at your previous posts and didn't see alfalfa supplements.

This is basically attacking the same problem from 2 different starting points. I usually find that it's the vit D and you literally live right up I-5 from me.

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happybleats

· #7 · Jun 15, 2021

Giving cod liver oil or the A&D certainly won't hurt. When we get too much or not enough of nutrient, it can sure throw things off.

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Damfino

· #8 · Jun 15, 2021

In my particular case I don't think it's vitamin D deficiency. I'm in Colorado and we practically have no clouds and I'm in an area with no haze at all (at least not this year--we don't have a wildfire burning near us yet!). I have no barn so my goats are outside from sunrise to sunset. I'll be keeping an eye on my little guy. He was separated into the wether pen last night and there was great weeping and gnashing of teeth, but he survived and I could swear that knee looks less swollen this morning than it did last night. I'm hoping this diet change will allow his joints to correct as quickly as they went askew. It's scary how fast it happened! Two years ago I had a little buckling whose front legs both deflected at about this age and I didn't know what to think of it at the time. Looking back, he was also from a heavy producing dam and was a very good eater with just one sister to compete with. From conversations I had with the guy who bought him, I believe his legs corrected after he was weaned.

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McGoat

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jun 15, 2021

goathiker said:
They must have enough vitamin D to digest the calcium they are getting. I had already looked at your previous posts and didn't see alfalfa supplements.

This is basically attacking the same problem from 2 different starting points. I usually find that it's the vit D and you literally live right up I-5 from me.

okay! I’ll pick up some alfalfa pellets today! Any idea why I’m only noticing it in one kid & not her brother or any of the other kids we’ve had?

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goatblessings

· #10 · Jun 15, 2021

I've had kids from the same dam - and only one - show signs of vitamin D deficiency. A squirt of cod liver oil ( get caps from Walmart etc.) three days in a row have shown signs of dramatic change for mine.... just a thought.

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goathiker

· #11 · Jun 15, 2021

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McGoat

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jul 10, 2021

Hi everyone, back again. We ended up taking her to the vet who gave her a shot of Bo.Se. We gave her .5 cod liver oil for three days and introduced alfalfa into her feed. The week following we noticed her legs seeming to straighten but now they seem to be becoming more splayed & bent again

how much/often can I give cod liver oil? I’m also debating on giving a vitamin AD&E dose, though the vet didn’t recommend.any idea if the paste will work as well as the Liquid injectable version?

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ksalvagno

· #13 · Jul 11, 2021

Injectable is always better than oral.

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happybleats

· #14 · Jul 11, 2021

Injectable is stronger but you can give cod liver oil longer if you want to try..
Do 0.1 cc per 2.2 pounds 2 times a day for 3 days then 2 times weekly for 2 weeks. See how she does

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goathiker

· #15 · Jul 11, 2021

Your other goat has pretty bad structural problems as well.
Maybe you should put them both on a course of replamin long term.

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goathiker

· #16 · Jul 11, 2021

Don't give the alfalfa pellets until we can help you with a nutrient profile on your feed and brush. Also, keep them out of any BlackBerry.

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McGoat

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 13, 2021

goathiker said:
Your other goat has pretty bad structural problems as well.
Maybe you should put them both on a course of replamin long term.

which other goat are you referring to??

McGoat

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jul 13, 2021

happybleats said:
Injectable is stronger but you can give cod liver oil longer if you want to try..
Do 0.1 cc per 2.2 pounds 2 times a day for 3 days then 2 times weekly for 2 weeks. See how she does

Thank you!

McGoat

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jul 13, 2021

goathiker said:
Don't give the alfalfa pellets until we can help you with a nutrient profile on your feed and brush. Also, keep them out of any BlackBerry.

sorry I must have misunderstood your earlier comment, I thought you were suggesting I needed to add alfalfa into their diet?

goatblessings

· #20 · Jul 13, 2021

I think she was referring to above post where you said you were picking up alfalfa pellets to add to their diet....and goat in the pic behind him, severely camped under and weak in the back end.

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