Constipated baby goat

[NatJ]

How's he doing now?

 

[thinkyesi]

He got pretty bad, but I gave him the antitoxin and vitamin B and he looks like he may be slowly recovering.

 

[SharonLeeNW]

Unless the vet has clostridium perfingens antitoxin on hand, there is no point taking him to the vet. The only treatment for entero is antitoxin. You can give the penicillin at home. Actually you can probably find a bottle clostridium perfingens antitoxin at the feed store. It is a little pricey but it is cheaper than a call to the vet. If entero is the problem you will get a very prompt response. If nothing happens, then entero is not the problem. If it is, you will have saved his life. By the way, if you do try the antitoxin, follow the directions on the label, but in addition to the injection, squirt a dose down his mouth. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to do the same with one dose of penicillin. Just do that once though. Penicillin injections should be given for five days. Give all shots for goats under the skin. Not in the muscle.

Hi Cassie, I'm a new goatkeeper. My doe gave birth on Saturday a week ago, and then my babies (two males) came down with pneumonia. The first kid died within 36 hours of birth Sunday evening, when no vets are available in my area. On Day 4 of his young life, the second kid also came down with pneumonia. I was frantic and got him some Penacillin G from Wilco, but all the directions I read said the shot had to be delivered using an 18 gauge needle intramuscularly. I tried this in the back of his leg and he passed out from pain, so I gave up on the penacillin injection. I finally found a vet the next day who told me to do it intramuscularly in the back of his neck. This was still painful for him, but he didn't pass out this time! I only gave him one shot and then the vet had me switch him over to oral amoxicillin. He is doing just terrific now.

My vet agreed the penicillin shot needed to be intramuscular. I hated doing it though, it was so painful for him, poor little boy.

I'm wondering why you say all shots should be subcutaneous, when I have read in several sources the penecillin needs to be intramuscular?

Thanks for your advice!

-- Sharon in Oregon

 

[SharonLeeNW]

Is this it?View attachment 2538397

Is this tetanus antitoxin the same thing as clostridium perfingens antitoxin?

 

[NatJ]

Is this tetanus antitoxin the same thing as clostridium perfingens antitoxin?

The answer is two posts later:

NO!! That is for tetanus. You want clostridium perfingens antitoxin.

 

[SharonLeeNW]

The answer is two posts later:

Thanks NatJ, my browser skipped a page so I didn't see Cassie's original answer. That's very helpful!

 

[cassie]

Hi Cassie, I'm a new goatkeeper. My doe gave birth on Saturday a week ago, and then my babies (two males) came down with pneumonia. The first kid died within 36 hours of birth Sunday evening, when no vets are available in my area. On Day 4 of his young life, the second kid also came down with pneumonia. I was frantic and got him some Penacillin G from Wilco, but all the directions I read said the shot had to be delivered using an 18 gauge needle intramuscularly. I tried this in the back of his leg and he passed out from pain, so I gave up on the penacillin injection. I finally found a vet the next day who told me to do it intramuscularly in the back of his neck. This was still painful for him, but he didn't pass out this time! I only gave him one shot and then the vet had me switch him over to oral amoxicillin. He is doing just terrific now.

My vet agreed the penicillin shot needed to be intramuscular. I hated doing it though, it was so painful for him, poor little boy.

I'm wondering why you say all shots should be subcutaneous, when I have read in several sources the penecillin needs to be intramuscular?

Thanks for your advice!

-- Sharon in Oregon

I said that shots for goats should be given subcutaneously because that is what the goat vets at the University of California at Davis Veterinary School told me. I attended a seminar by the Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners one year and those vets said the same thing. This is because subq injections are less painful than intramuscular, and you are far less likely to puncture a nerve, or worse, accidently inject the medicine into a vein. This last can be lethal. I usually give shots in the loose skin in front of the shoulder simply because that is easiest for me.

 

[cassie]

Hi Cassie, I'm a new goatkeeper. My doe gave birth on Saturday a week ago, and then my babies (two males) came down with pneumonia. The first kid died within 36 hours of birth Sunday evening, when no vets are available in my area. On Day 4 of his young life, the second kid also came down with pneumonia. I was frantic and got him some Penacillin G from Wilco, but all the directions I read said the shot had to be delivered using an 18 gauge needle intramuscularly. I tried this in the back of his leg and he passed out from pain, so I gave up on the penacillin injection. I finally found a vet the next day who told me to do it intramuscularly in the back of his neck. This was still painful for him, but he didn't pass out this time! I only gave him one shot and then the vet had me switch him over to oral amoxicillin. He is doing just terrific now.

My vet agreed the penicillin shot needed to be intramuscular. I hated doing it though, it was so painful for him, poor little boy.

I'm wondering why you say all shots should be subcutaneous, when I have read in several sources the penecillin needs to be intramuscular?

Thanks for your advice!

-- Sharon in Oregon

Just a comment. It is not likely that the kid passed out from the pain. It is far more likely that you got a little of the penicillin in a vein by accident. I have seen that before.