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Sick(ish?) goat

810 Views 16 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  goatblessings
Last night i found my 5 year old doe with a swollen jaw. I first noticed something was wrong with her when i was sitting by the shed and saw her squat as if to pee, and then get up, walk a bit and do the same thing. She squatted 3 or 4 times without anything coming out and went into their barn. I went to check on her and found her jaw very swollen. I separated her from the others and offered her water and hay, and later some grain. I didnt see her drink water, but i ran up to the shed to grab something and when i came back her chin was wet so i think she drank. She ate a little hay but was chewing really wierdly and loudly. I offered her grain and she sniffed it and turned away. This girl does NOT refuse grain. She is actually the reason i have to tie up all my goats to feed them grain, so obv something was wrong. Now this was like 9 o'clock, when i fed her at 6 she ate normal, i didnt notice if her jaw was swollen then or not but i was rushing and not really looking at her.

Well after a little while i noticed she was shaking slightly, and she was standing in a hunched position. WHen she chewed hay it was a really loud sound, and every now and then she would make a grinding sound, and idk if she was grinding her teeth, or just chewing her cud, cuz it kinda sounded the same as when she ate hay. I did see her pee twice, but it wasnt a lot either time. Then she was standing against the wall with her head in the corner and rocking back and forth. She was also breathing heavy. The vet came out, but couldnt figure out what was wrong so just gave her some pain killers.

She was wormed a week ago last Friday.
Her gums were a little paler than normal but not super pale.
The lump under her chin wasn't hard and she doesnt care if i touch it.
Her temp was normal, (103)
I didnt check her eyelids, (cuz i didnt know how) but her eyes def looked like she was sick.
Yesterday morning around 11 o'clock i sold her last kid. Her udder never filled up again after she left, my other doe, who i also sold her last kid had her udder fill up like normal last night, but Myrtles is still empty this morning. Its not hot to the touch, but actually maybe even a little cold.

This morning the swelling in her chin has gone down some. Her eyes dont look quite as droopy, but she is still standing in the hunched position and shaking. It looks like she drank a little water and she was eating some hay when i checked on her but she still didnt want grain.

Now.. the vet didnt know what was wrong. They said that she kinda looked depressed and they could tell she didnt feel good. Is it cuz her kid is gone? She didnt care at all when i sold her buckling 2 months ago, but maybe now that they're both gone? and that doesnt really explain her swollen chin. If anyone has any suggestions on what it might be or anything i can do for her plz lmk. :)

Tysm!
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Sounds like bottle jaw to me.

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Sounds like bottle jaw to me.

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thats what my dad thought after looking it up, but the vet didnt seem to think so. what causes bottle jaw?
Can you post a picture of it? Definitely sounds like bottle jaw. It’s caused by severe anemia due to worms. Hold her head and pull down her bottom eyelid. See what color it is on the inside. That is called a FAMACHA score. It should be healthy medium pink. If it’s pale or white she is anemic. All the things she’s doing definitely sounds like she doesn’t have enough blood.
I made a thread called “Liquid sack under jaw” awhile back you can check that out. Has a lot of good info on it.
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Can you post a picture of it? Definitely sounds like bottle jaw. It’s caused by severe anemia due to worms. Hold her head and pull down her bottom eyelid. See what color it is on the inside. That is called a FAMACHA score. It should be healthy medium pink. If it’s pale or white she is anemic. All the things she’s doing definitely sounds like she doesn’t have enough blood.
I made a thread called “Liquid sack under jaw” awhile back you can check that out. Has a lot of good info on it.
211163

This is from last night, but the swelling has gone down a lot this morning, i just forgot to take a pic.
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That looks like something someone else on the forum once had with a doeling.... I will try to find it for you....
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I would think bottle jaw as well. Have your "vet" run a fecal... in the meantime make sure she is getting enough nutrition through alfalfa hay, pellets slurry or some other means. Give b-complex and garlic if she will eat it. This is not just depression.
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Is it on one side?
Is it soft or firm?
Hows her famacha? Bottle jaw is a reaction to anemia.
Is it on one side?
Is it soft or firm?
it mostly went away now, but it was the whole way across her jaw and soft.
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Hows her famacha? Bottle jaw is a reaction to anemia.
does bottle jaw go away over night tho? like she still has a little swelling under her chin but it went down a loot that one night.
So, my vets just said they think it was probably depression that was her problem. I sold her kid that morning and Myrtle is kinda a loner in my herd, she just prefers to stay by herself instead of with the other does, and her doeling was her lil buddy that stayed with her. I do think that was part of the problem, but what they never really said, and i couldnt figure out what the swollen jaw/face, rocking back and forth, and shaking... like is that just another effect of depression?

Another thing is that her udder still has not filled up at all. My other doe is still filling up like normal and i milk her morning and night. I suppose its my fault for not milking her before her kids left? So then she just like dried up automatically when they were gone?? It stinks cuz she was the only one of my goats that my little siblings liked her milk, the others it was too strong flavored or something for them, and she was easy to milk, easy to get onto the stand, and a nice goat. The others i literally have to pick up to get them on the stand🤣
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does bottle jaw go away over night tho? like she still has a little swelling under her chin but it went down a loot that one night.
Bottle jaw can come and go as fluids moves back and forth. If she is anemic..addressing that will also deal with the bottle jaw. Check her famacha..if she is a 4 or 5 she needs anemia support and deworming.

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Bottle jaw can come and go as fluids moves back and forth. If she is anemic..addressing that will also deal with the bottle jaw. Check her famacha..if she is a 4 or 5 she needs anemia support and deworming.
idk how to check her famacha. I dewormed her a little less than 2 weeks ago.
I agree it looks like bottle jaw. Unfortunately I’ve dealt with it a few times this year and it will come and go. You must act fast if this is the problem. Check FAMACHA ASAP
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To check famancha
In good sunlite, place your thumb on her upper eye lid bone and with gentle pressure push the upper lid down over the eye ball as you roll the bottom lid down and out. You are wanting to expose the lower inner lid membrane. Make a quick decision as to her score as the longer it's exposed the deeper the color becomes and give a false score..so be fast.
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Depression causes behavioral issues, but very rarely physical issue, and not swelling of the jaw. Do get a fecal run and treat with wormer that hits bottle jaw as appropriate.,
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