accident with goat update: I think she is going into labor

[animalgirl2010]

Yesterday was a terrible day our very first goat we ever owned was standing on the stairs to the top of the barn (while we were trying to put railings up) she was probably 8 foot up in the air when a cat running by scared her and down she jumped unfortunately there was a t post there we hadnt taken down yet and thats where she landed right on her left side. It was so terrifying I can still envision it right now we got her off of it and layed her on the ground while her stomach (rumen?) was litterally coming out about the size of a baseball. Imediately go and call all the vets in our town... no answer. It took almost 15 minutes before we got a vet on the phone about 45 minutes from here so off we go not really knowing what to expect. She stood up in the backseat the whole way over there didnt act like she was in too much pain and almost no blood. By the time we got there it have popped out even more(think size of a cantaloup) and I honestly didnt think she would even live. The vet was very great he said he used to raise sheep and goats and had a lot of experience, he explained the risk with anesthesia and goats and how that could go badly. Luckily he said that she had alot of fat and it looked as if the post had went straight along the skin and not torn any organs inside. She got a tetnas (sp) shot, orders to give antibiotics for 7 days, and to clean the wound with warm water daily. I know that we are not done with this yet and it could still turn out badly but I am just so happy that she is alive and UP even today. I dont have any pictures of the before I was way to panicked to do anything other than rushing to the vets. But here is her after picture from last night she was still feeling a little sleepy from the medicine.

I would like to ask the goat people on here.. I dont have any probios on hand but I do have a multi enzyme probiotics pill which is labeled for humans do you think I could give her that or would that not work or should i not even be giving anything like that right now?

 

[ksalvagno]

So sorry to hear about your goat. I sure hope she pulls through ok. If you don't have Probios, I would probably just do yogurt. I really don't know if those pills would be ok or not. Good luck with your goat.

 

[cmjust0]

If you've just started the round of antibiotics, you've got time to get real probios.. Even if it were going to take me a day or two to get real probios, I'd definitely wait and do that versus giving her a human-labeled probiotic formulation. Depending on the antibiotic being administered, it may not have that much of an effect on her GI anyway.

Out of curiosity, what antibiotic is she getting?

Sorry, btw, that this happened...but these things do happen, so don't feel too bad.

 

[herefordlovinglady]

sorry about your goat, hope she is feeling better soon.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

So sorry. One of my horses was feeling rambunctious one day, slipped in the mud & rolled onto a t-post. It tore all kinds of muscle, & took alot of T.L.C. He got O.K., but bore a "manly" scar. Plus a $500 vet bill!

 

[animalgirl2010]

He told us to give penicillin injection 5 cc's once a day I will check today and see if our farm store has probios but I doubt they do they mostly just carry feed and wormer not really much else. I do feel really bad about all of this I would feel much worse if she werent alive, the fence post is now gone and doing more work on getting all the railings up so this doesnt happen again. If they dont have probios would activia yogurt work then?

and yes the vet bill I expect will be alot the vet last night was so great though in my hurry to get there didnt get any cash. He wrote down name and billing address and a cc number and said he would have his receptionist take care of it later. He did give a estimate of a couple hundred dollars.

 

[cmjust0]

Hmm..

With Pen-G, a regimen 5ml 1x/day isn't much, and a 7 day duration seems a tiny bit short... The dosage we use (the one I've heard of most commonly, and the one my vet orders) is 1ml/15lbs, 2x/day for at least 10 days.

Yours looks like a full grown doe....although, with no point of reference in the photo, goats look full-grown in pictures to me from about 2 weeks on.

Anyway, if she weighs 135lbs or so, you'd be looking at closer to 9ml, 2x/day for 10 days...18ml/day. And what *really* sucks is that Pen-G has to be given with an 18ga needle, or you get too much carrier and not enough of the med that's suspended in the carrier..

Could be the difference is that it's just a preventative in this case, which might account for a lighter dosage/duration.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I had a goat that my donkey cornered in the barn. When we found him, he was a mess! He had a horn broke off, ribs broken, & a broken leg, with internal bleeding. A few months later, same honery goat that he was before. They are tough little buggars!

 

[animalgirl2010]

Yes she is a full grown goat she is around 4- 5 years old now I would guess dont know exactly. And I dont know what she weighs the anestesia he gave last night he gave for 100 lbs but that was just a guess she could weigh more than that. He gave us syringes and needles I believe the ones he gave were 20ga. She is still standing up doesnt act like she wants to lay down maybe to much pressure/pain. Another thing we discussed last night was if she is pregnant I am not totally sure but I do suspect that she is he said he didnt think that the babies would be lost because of the post not tearing anything inside of her. Does that sound right? I really have never had too many emergencies so I really dont know what to expect. Just hoping she is gonna be ok.

 

[cmjust0]

Quote:
Yeah, 5ml seems light to me even @ 100lbs..

Bear in mind that I'm not saying "OMG, your goat's in grave danger!" or anything like that... Some's better than none and, like I said, he may use a much higher dosage to combat an ongoing infection than he does when it's used in preventative therapy.

How about this.....pick up a bottle of Pen G along with syringes and needles when you buy your Probios.. That way, if it starts looking a little oozy or she starts acting a bit off, runs a temp, etc., you've got more Pen G handy to extend the duration and/or bump up the dosage.

Couldn't hurt to have it on hand, right? And Pen-G is pretty inexpensive and common.. The feed store you mentioned should carry Pen G, if all they carry otherwise is feed and dewormers.

He gave us syringes and needles I believe the ones he gave were 20ga.

A 20ga needle is better than 22ga, but I like 18ga..

Wait...scratch that...I actually hate 18ga needles. They give me the heebs, frankly, but they've always worked better for me with thick suspensions like Pen G..

She is still standing up doesnt act like she wants to lay down maybe to much pressure/pain.

I'm sure she's quite sore.. Did he give you any pain meds, by chance?? A little 1ml syringe of banamine might not be a bad idea right about now..

Another thing we discussed last night was if she is pregnant I am not totally sure but I do suspect that she is he said he didnt think that the babies would be lost because of the post not tearing anything inside of her. Does that sound right?

Goats thwack around on each other pretty severely during pregnancy, usually without consequence. Sure, it sometimes ends in abortion, but typically...no biggie. Given that she didn't physically rupture anything, I'm with the vet on this one....if she was bred, she probably still is.

I really have never had too many emergencies so I really dont know what to expect. Just hoping she is gonna be ok.

She's stitched up, still breathing... If her appetite stays up and she doesn't get an infection, I don't see why she wouldn't make a complete recovery. If she acts like she's in too much pain to concern herself with eating, though....I'd really consider a shot of banamine to take the edge off.

You might also pick up some B-Complex. It's good as a general pick-me-up, and also stimulates the rumen to get them hungry and eating again.. Not a miracle drug, by any means, but something else that's really really good to have in your medicine cabinet.

BTW...what's the route of administration on the Pen-G? You going SQ, or IM? Some vets recommend IM for almost everything because, for them, IM is just as easy as SQ.. For most people, that's not the case..

With Pen, I always SQ... In my opinion, it's much easier, way safer, and ultimately just as effective as IM.

BTW (again)...I almost forgot to say that I really applaud you for seeking veterinary help right away. So many people refuse to seek a pro when it's "just a goat," because...well, goats are pretty cheap and vets usually aren't. As a result, those of us who do seek out a vet's guidance are usually met with a total lack of experience from the professionals. Good on ya!

How long have you owned goats?​