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Sick Goat!!!

2K views 46 replies 9 participants last post by  happybleats 
#1 ·
Hi Guys,
I’m not sure if you can even help me but I’m seeking advice for my sick new Mumma Anglo-Nubian goat. It’s a bit of a long story so stick with me.

Saturday the 13th November we found her out in the paddock lying on her side unable to move we picked her up and moved her to our deck, what I noticed was one side of her face seemed paralysed, she had a droopy eye and was floppy on one side, her neck was extremely rigid and bent right back to her flank. I originally thought maybe goat polio we also thought maybe Listeriosis as symptoms are similar. We fed her and gave water all through the night and she was happy to take food and water but by Sunday she had gotten much worse and I really thought she wasn’t going to make it.

We called our livestock vet and he told us to bring her over in the afternoon. When we arrived he examined her and said it looked like a bad case of worms and she was very anemic. He gave her a blood transfusion, electrolytes, treated the worms and evacuated her bowels. We told him about her neck but he said it was probably a coincidence. When we got her home she was still extremely weak and unable to move. Her whole body to me seemed rigid and we were unable to prop her up at this stage. This went on for a few days without any signs of improvement. I went to the chemist and started giving her vitamin B1 and she seemed to improve slightly after taking it. I called the vet back and asked if he could give us some B1 injections and penicillin. I started treating her about 3 days after the blood transfusion. So fast forward to today and while improvement has been slow she is now able to be sat up and her neck is back to normal. She is still unable to stand and seems to drag herself along but from being almost dead to how she is now is a massive achievement for her.

Has anyone got any advice on what they think might have been happening and experience with a very sick goat taking their time to recover. I am concerned that there may be some type of brain damage from the delay in treating her correctly. Her milk is gone so we have taken over feeding the babies for her. I am still giving her a shot of penicillin per day, today was the last dose the vet recommended (5 days)

Thoughts??
 

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#2 ·
you must continue with the treatment. Yes, you are most likely dealing with a goat recovering from Listerioses / Polio and all others. Physio therapy also. The Vit B injections you are giving now will help. She must also get her rumen going. So slushy being given with a turkey baster will help you get some stuff into her.

I am hoping a more experienced goatherder can add in...
 
#3 ·
Hi Tanya
The vet only gave us 2 injections but I have been giving Thiamine crushed and orally. Thinking after reading posts on here I need to call him again for more B1 injections. Penicillin I have been giving twice a day which I will continue. She has no issues eating and drinking, now that she is sitting up we no longer have to hand feed her which we had been doing frequently throughout the day/night. I’m so annoyed at the vet, I knew in my gut it was polio or listeriosis so she was delayed in receiving proper treatment so now I am worried long term damage has been caused 😭
 
#4 ·
Welcome to TGS. It sounds like your doe is a real fighter.
For polio/listeriosis you need to be giving 500mg of Thiamine every 6 hours and the same for penicillan this needs to continue for 24-48 hours after the last symptom disappears. Also you need to use dex once A day or banamine for the brain swelling. Crushed B-1 tablets aren’t going to be enough, she really needs the injectable.
Heres an article you can show your vet if need be to help you get the meds she needs.

I hope she responds well.
 
#26 ·
Welcome to TGS. It sounds like your doe is a real fighter.
For polio/listeriosis you need to be giving 500mg of Thiamine every 6 hours and the same for penicillan this needs to continue for 24-48 hours after the last symptom disappears. Also you need to use dex once A day or banamine for the brain swelling. Crushed B-1 tablets aren’t going to be enough, she really needs the injectable.
Heres an article you can show your vet if need be to help you get the meds she needs.

I hope she responds well.
Hey GoofyGoat just an update and wondering if you have any knowledge on the matter. So she is finally able to get to standing on her own, very wobbly. Her right hoof is curled and rigid so she is unable to use that leg making it very difficult fir her to try and move around. Do you think this may be a result of an injury or more a neurological issue?

Turns out my vet wasn’t as supportive as I would have hoped and has ignored our calls and messages, maybe just busy, sick of dealing with us, who knows. I have been continuing with antibiotic but had to resort to B complex as that was what was readily available, no luck on dex 😕😔
 
#19 ·
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! I hope you're able to get her what she needs.
Are those her kids with her in the picture? Are you bottle feeding them while she's down?
Yep they are 3 weeks old fully bottle fed now every 3-4 hours luckily I’m up every 2 with my own baby so it’s been a long week and a half 😂
 
#21 ·
Glad to hear it takes a long time for recovery as I must say at about a week in my hope started to wain with the progress we were seeing. She didn’t seem in pain and was calling to us, bright eyed and chatting away as we fed her so putting her down wasn’t even an option. Seeing her now from what she was is a massive achievement for her in itself. Hopefully with the right medication she progresses further and we can get her back to her sister ❤
 
#8 ·
You have good instincts! Sometimes we have to demand what we want from vets even if they disagree. Definitely need dexamethsone 1 cc per 20 pounds IM once daily until symtoms are gone then ween her off over a weeks time. If your vet refuses to give enough Dex to treat her ask for Banamine then. 1 cc per 100 pounds sub q for 3-5 days. She needs this to help reduce brain swelling. If your vet won't give you thiamine, grab b complex and give a dose to equal 500 mg thiamine. So if the b complex has 100 mg thiamine...she needs 5 cc every 6 hours. Keep her fed and hydrated while she recovers.
Shes a beautiful girl. You're doing a great job with her.

Best wishes
 
#12 ·
All very good advice, keep up the good work.
If you can get her up, even if it is a sling will help her so her legs won’t go to sleep. At least a couple of hours or so on and off throughout the day.

Keep her warm, when they have this illness they cannot regulate their temp well.

Always keep her upright, never allow her to lay on her side like the first photo.

Make sure she gets calcium. Are you feeding her alfalfa?
 
#14 ·
Thanks so much for your advice, I will text my vet first thing in the morning GoofyGoat hopefully he obliges. He is pretty invested and said he honestly doesn’t deal with treating goats often as most of the farmers around here in Australia will just let the goats die or put them down so fingers crossed. I’ll update on her progress.
 
#16 ·
Great, thanks toth boer goats my partner mentioned making a sling as he has been picking her up and helping her stand and says his back is killing him 😂😂 She has good function in 3 legs but her front right leg is floppy.

We have been picking her a buffet of food from the yard, lots of sweet potato leaves and she loves the wandering jew from around the dam. I will pick up some alfalfa tomorrow. So glad I found this forum 😂👌
 
#22 ·
Bringing her sister in for a visit might lift her spirits as long as sister is not a bully.
Definitely get her up in her feet with support. I have a large towel as a sling. Just spread under her from back legs to front legs and use all four corners to left her. If shes too wobbly for that right now..do floor PT. Use your palm of your hand to apply pressure to hoof pad while you do range of motion exercises. Do all four legs to help keep muscle built. Do both or either as many times a day as you can.

Best wishes
 
#24 ·
Bringing her sister in for a visit might lift her spirits as long as sister is not a bully.
Definitely get her up in her feet with support. I have a large towel as a sling. Just spread under her from back legs to front legs and use all four corners to left her. If shes too wobbly for that right now..do floor PT. Use your palm of your hand to apply pressure to hoof pad while you do range of motion exercises. Do all four legs to help keep muscle built. Do both or either as many times a day as you can.

Best wishes
Thank you ❤🙏
 
#27 ·
I would do very warm compresses on the ankle and do gentle stretches. Not to point of pain. Then wrap with vet wrap for support for the day. Checking often making sure the vet wrap is on correctly and leg above it is not cold and hoof below not cold. Remove at night. If you have not done selenium I would do that. BoSe is injectable selenium or you can get OTC paste. Add an extra capsule if vit e. Just poke the gel cap and squeeze in her mouth.
I'm sorry your vet didn't get back with you
 
#30 ·
I would do very warm compresses on the ankle and do gentle stretches. Not to point of pain. Then wrap with vet wrap for support for the day. Checking often making sure the vet wrap is on correctly and leg above it is not cold and hoof below not cold. Remove at night. If you have not done selenium I would do that. BoSe is injectable selenium or you can get OTC paste. Add an extra capsule if vit e. Just poke the gel cap and squeeze in her mouth.
I'm sorry your vet didn't get back with you
Great advice, thanks. I will grab some more supplies tomorrow. She has come a long way today, she is now up and about getting herself around the yard. No improvement in the hoof so will pay extra attention to that to try and get it straightened out for her 💕
 
#33 ·
aw, it’s great your girls better, sorry about her sister!
I would start checking for mold or anything off in their feed. I don’t believe it’s communicable to others. it could be their diets have antagonistic qualities too.
Could you tell us what their diet is please. Do you feed a good loose mineral? I’ll flag some folks to jump in and they might think of something too
@happybleats @Jessica84 @ksalvagno @toth boer goats
 
#34 ·
Listeriosis can be contagious and zoonotic, please take precautions when dealing with this. Polio is not. Polio is thiamine deficiency.
Check for mold in amd under feeders, water dishes, hay feeder, check your feed, minerals and hay source as well. Also plants like braken fern can cause thiamine deficiency.
Be sure to give 500 mg thiamine every 4 to 6 hours along with penicillin (2 cc per 10 pounds sub q, every 4 to 6 hours) and either banamine (1 cc per 100 pounds sub q for 3 days then assess day by day) or Dexamethsone ( 1 cc per 20 pounds IM) once a day. Until 100% better then ween off meds.
 
#35 ·
Do you think sister might also have a heavy parasite load?
Parasites can be a common cause of polio, it was the issue with my doe and she actually ended up getting it twice both times a high parasite load.
I did a fast google search and if polio and not listeriosis it could be quite a few things: copied-

Diseases. Polioencephalomalacia (polio) in ruminants is caused by a thiamine deficiency and/or sulfur toxicity. Other causes include improper feeding, feeding too much grain, or anything that disrupts the health and well being of rumen microbes, such as chronic or acute acidosis or indigestion.Aug 14, 2019
Just a few things to check for.
 
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