Strange kid, not thriving

1196 Views 30 Replies 10 Participants Last post by toth boer goats, 12 mo ago

Calistar

Discussion Starter · May 7, 2022

I have a Nigerian dwarf kid who has always been a little off. He's quiet and mild and has never been as bouncy as his cousins. He was one of twins, normal birth, stayed on his dam for 2 weeks and then he's been on a bottle since then. He is almost 9 weeks old now. He doesn't handle mornings well. When he was 4 weeks old, I was actually afraid he was getting pneumonia because he was hunched, droopy ears and slightly below temp when I checked on him one morning. We had been having temperature swings, so to be safe I treated him with BioMycin for 5 days. (I know it's not the best for young kids but I am in California and it was the only antibiotic I had left.) However, he still looks cold most mornings and often refuses his morning bottle. In the afternoon he's usually back to normal and does well on his evening bottle. He is also eating hay well. Again, I am in California on the central coast. Our lows are in the 40's and 50's, so we're not talking COLD cold mornings. I was hoping he'd outgrow whatever he has going on, but this morning he was especially bad. The inside of his mouth was cold so I brought him inside on a heating pad to warm up, and it was a few hours before he snapped out of it.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? In 7 years of breeding I've never had a kid quite like this. My mom suggested maybe a heart murmur, and I do wonder if that might be it. I hold my kids when I bottle feed him, and when I'm feeding him I do feel a rattle/vibration in his chest that I don't notice with the other kids. Once we find our stethoscope we will try listening to see if that tells us anything.

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ksalvagno

· #2 · May 7, 2022

Sounds like something internal going on. Definitely have his heart checked. Why not put a coat on him or bring him inside overnight?

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happybleats

· #3 · May 7, 2022

Heart murmur comes to mind . There is a vibration that you can feel with a murmur.

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Lil Boogie

· #4 · May 7, 2022

ksalvagno said:
Sounds like something internal going on. Definitely have his heart checked. Why not put a coat on him or bring him inside overnight?

That's what I was just thinking. Either put a coat on him or bring him in. Or at least Into a garage in a big kennel with a LOT of hay and a thick blanket wrapped around it.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 7, 2022

He and his sister are inside tonight. No coat because I'm afraid he'd just get tangled in it (especially with the other 18 kids trying to mess with it when he's back in the main pen) but they are sharing an enormous dog crate with lots of fluffy shavings and hay. We will see how he handles tomorrow morning. Tonight's low temp is only supposed to be 51, so there's no reason he shouldn't be fine outside if he was a normal kid. He didn't do great on tonight's bottle (he took it enthusiastically at first, but after an ounce or so seemed to get tired and gave up. This is not uncommon for him, although sometimes he chugs his whole bottle with no problem) but he's been happily munching the hay in the crate.

That said, we did find the stethoscope and there is definitely something wrong with this guy. His heartbeat is steady but there was another whooshing sound. I thought I was hearing his breathing, but his sister didn't have that. I'm not sure if this is indicative of a heart murmur, or if maybe I'm hearing something like fluid in the lungs. Any thoughts?

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Lil Boogie

· #6 · May 7, 2022

Definitely might wanna get a vet to check him over and listen to his lungs and heart.

Lil Boogie

· #7 · May 7, 2022

Calistar said:
He and his sister are inside tonight. No coat because I'm afraid he'd just get tangled in it (especially with the other 18 kids trying to mess with it when he's back in the main pen) but they are sharing an enormous dog crate with lots of fluffy shavings and hay. We will see how he handles tomorrow morning. Tonight's low temp is only supposed to be 51, so there's no reason he shouldn't be fine outside if he was a normal kid. He didn't do great on tonight's bottle (he took it enthusiastically at first, but after an ounce or so seemed to get tired and gave up. This is not uncommon for him, although sometimes he chugs his whole bottle with no problem) but he's been happily munching the hay in the crate.

That said, we did find the stethoscope and there is definitely something wrong with this guy. His heartbeat is steady but there was another whooshing sound. I thought I was hearing his breathing, but his sister didn't have that. I'm not sure if this is indicative of a heart murmur, or if maybe I'm hearing something like fluid in the lungs. Any thoughts?

If you wake up tomorrow and that dogie is missing you'll know who to ask lol.. so cute!

Calistar

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 7, 2022

Haha the dog was not supposed to be in there, my fat fingers on this stupid phone screen LOL! She would totally go home with a stranger willingly though 😆

As for the goat, I'm hoping to diagnose as much as I can without vet intervention. I will of course involve him if need be (like I said, I expected the kid to outgrow the issue by now) but I do not look forward to accruing a huge vet bill for an unsaleable wether to confirm something like a heart murmur that can't be treated anyway.

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Lil Boogie

· #9 · May 7, 2022

Calistar said:
Haha the dog was not supposed to be in there, my fat fingers on this stupid phone screen LOL! She would totally go home with a stranger willingly though 😆

As for the goat, I'm hoping to diagnose as much as I can without vet intervention. I will of course involve him if need be (like I said, I expected the kid to outgrow the issue by now) but I do not look forward to accruing a huge vet bill for an unsaleable wether to confirm something like a heart murmur that can't be treated anyway.

Well then, I'll be taking her with me now lol. What's her name?

100% understandable. Maybe you could get some experienced goat people out to listen to his heart for you? To confirm without a vet?

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happybleats

· #10 · May 7, 2022

With the vibration and whooshing sound..there is a good chance he has a heart murmur. Depending on how bad will determine if this will worsen or improve.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #11 · May 7, 2022

He definitely did much better last night. He wasn't hunched and lethargic this morning. He did start breathing heavily for no reason (he does this sometimes) and after I left for work I was told that he was even doing some open-mouthed breathing.

I'm planning on vaccinating all my kids for pneumonia this weekend. I'm torn between using the intranasal on him and having quicker coverage but stressing him by shooting 2 ccs of liquid up his nose when breathing is not his strong suit as it is, or using the injectable version and having incomplete coverage until he's boostered in a few more weeks.

@Lil Boogie It doesn't matter, she'll respond to anything! Officially it is Thistle but I only ever call her Conchito, Chito, Pupperito Conchito, or Conchitorito 😂 She loves everyone and everything and was SO excited to have a sleepover party with the baby goats in the house. She was pretty bummed to learn that she didn't get to stay downstairs with them.

Pet supply Carnivore Grille Gas Lamp

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happybleats

· #12 · May 7, 2022

I think I would do IN for the little one. Will be easier on him inbthe long run. Do 1 cc up each nostril maybe easier then 2 up one side.

Best wishes

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #13 · May 8, 2022

happybleats said:
I think I would do IN for the little one. Will be easier on him inbthe long run. Do 1 cc up each nostril maybe easier then 2 up one side.

Best wishes

Thank you. He has big nostrils and a large frame (he's actually a very handsome goat) so hopefully that will make the IN administration easier.

Today when I got home from work he was bouncing across the pen jumping in the air just like a regular goat. It was nice to see. But immediately afterwards he laid down and was breathing heavily with his mouth open. Poor guy. He and his sister are inside for another slumber party tonight. This time they are joined by the cat. They're actually really great little house guests and are perfectly happy to hang out in their crate and munch hay all evening.

Carnivore Wood Felidae Fawn Small to medium-sized cats

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toth boer goats

· #14 · May 8, 2022

Cute.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #15 · May 11, 2022

Well I had the vet out to see my boy. He is slowly going downhill. I listened to him with the stethoscope on a couple more occasions and decided that it wasn't his heart I was hearing, but his lungs. I was at work when the vet was here so someone else had to meet him, so I'm waiting for the full report, but the short story is, the vet doesn't know what's wrong. He said it doesn't sound like a typical heart problem and that it is likely in the lungs. He said the lungs sounded "tubular" almost like a collapsed lung. And his heart rate is very high. I've been keeping him in a large dog crate in the house. I had been taking him outside a couple times a day to stretch his legs, but he can only walk a few yards before he starts panting heavily. I just got home from work and he's been in his crate resting for hours, but his breathing is quick and labored. Unfortunately I think euthanasia is the only humane option for him unless the steroid shots the vet gave him spur a miraculous recovery.

Vertebrate Goat Cat Mammal Fawn

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ksalvagno

· #16 · May 11, 2022

I wonder if he has an enlarged heart. I had an alpaca cria that had a huge heart and small lungs. I found that out after she had been put down and the vet did a necropsy.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 12, 2022

ksalvagno said:
I wonder if he has an enlarged heart. I had an alpaca cria that had a huge heart and small lungs. I found that out after she had been put down and the vet did a necropsy.

Interesting thought. What were the symptoms for your cria?

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ksalvagno

· #18 · May 12, 2022

Tired. Didn't play much. If she ran, she mouth breathed.

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Calistar

Discussion Starter · #19 · May 12, 2022

ksalvagno said:
Tired. Didn't play much. If she ran, she mouth breathed.

That's pretty much the case with this guy. Sometimes he pants and breathes heavily even if he's been resting- did yours do that too?

ksalvagno

· #20 · May 12, 2022

It has been over 10 years since that happened so I don't remember everything.

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