EMERGENCY- GOAT SICK - NEED ADVICE

[G1NA]

Hi everyone. My goat Missy is not well. She’s a little over 5 months old. She’s very weak and crying in pain. She hasn’t moved out of the same position for more then 3 hours. She also hasn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon and only drank a little water. What can I do right now that’ll help? I don’t have the means to get her to a vet right now. Could this be worms? Could it be an upset stomach? She hasn’t vomited and no diarrhea as I could see and no blood in the stool. Is there any home remedy that’ll help or something I could give her right away to ease the pain?

 

[SpotTheCat]

@cassie @21hens-incharge @TheDawg @Gizabelle @Texasclucker
I have tagged some people who will hopefully know what to do, I don’t have goats and I barely know anything about them, but it sounds to me like your goat really needs to see a vet

 

[21hens-incharge]

I really do not know much about goats.

My advice is to try and get a farm vet to come see her ASAP.

Being off feed, not moving around, crying out are all signs she is in distress. A vet is your best bet at helping her.

 

[Gizabelle]

So sorry that you're going through this.
How is she doing this morning?
If you suspect worms, you can check her lower eye lid. Just gently pull down and take a peek at color.

I use safeguard (fenbendazole) for deworming as its quite effective and difficult to overdose.
Internal parasites may not the issue though, and the best option is always a vet, but maybe we can help. Can you provide an update as of this morning?
Is she up and moving around? Eating? Still crying? Does her breathing seem normal? Does her stomach appear distended?

 

[Gizabelle]

I'm not very experienced though, head over to Backyardherds.com
They should have far more insight to offer.

 

[cassie]

Hi everyone. My goat Missy is not well. She’s a little over 5 months old. She’s very weak and crying in pain. She hasn’t moved out of the same position for more then 3 hours. She also hasn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon and only drank a little water. What can I do right now that’ll help? I don’t have the means to get her to a vet right now. Could this be worms? Could it be an upset stomach? She hasn’t vomited and no diarrhea as I could see and no blood in the stool. Is there any home remedy that’ll help or something I could give her right away to ease the pain?

What is the cry like? Is it a loud piercing cry of distress? Crying in pain is often a sign of enterotoxemia. The ONLY treatment/cure is a dose of clostridium perfingens antitoxin. You ought to be able to find it at the feed store or livestock supply. You need antitoxin. Not toxoid. If she does have entero she needs IMMEDIATE treatment if there is any hope of recovery. In addition to the antitoxin, penicillin is helpful because it is effective against the bacteria that cause entero. To treat entero you put a dose of antitoxin under the skin and squirt another dose down her throat. The same with the penicillin. It is worth noting that a lot of vets do not recognize entero and even fewer know how to treat it. My vets did because where I used to live entero was very common and if not treated promptly, deadly. I do hope this is not what is wrong with your goat but if it is, with prompt treatment the prognosis is pretty good.

Is she hot? Is her breathing labored? Does she have a snotty nose? These are symptoms of pneumonia and sometimes goats with pneumonia cry out in pain.

 

[G1NA]

So sorry that you're going through this.
How is she doing this morning?
If you suspect worms, you can check her lower eye lid. Just gently pull down and take a peek at color.View attachment 2763200
I use safeguard (fenbendazole) for deworming as its quite effective and difficult to overdose.
Internal parasites may not the issue though, and the best option is always a vet, but maybe we can help. Can you provide an update as of this morning?
Is she up and moving around? Eating? Still crying? Does her breathing seem normal? Does her stomach appear distended?

Thank you for your response. I appreciate it. Sorry for getting back to you so late, it’s been a hectic morning.
This morning, she’s a little more active, but unsteady on her legs and can’t stand that long. She did eat some grain tho so I’m guessing that’s a good sign.
She doesn’t appear to be in pain like she was last night. Her eyelids are a dark pink. Her breathing seems normal and her stomach does not appear distended.
A few weeks ago, we had given her and Joe, our other goat Manna Pro Positive Pellet Dewormer and he ate it but Missy didn’t so that’s why I thought it could possibly be worms.
I will try what you suggested, the safe guard. Do you have any other ideas as to what could have affected her and why she’s unsteady. I know you are not a vet and can’t give a diagnosis but any info you have is appreciated as this is all new to me.

 

[G1NA]

What is the cry like? Is it a loud piercing cry of distress? Crying in pain is often a sign of enterotoxemia. The ONLY treatment/cure is a dose of clostridium perfingens antitoxin. You ought to be able to find it at the feed store or livestock supply. You need antitoxin. Not toxoid. If she does have entero she needs IMMEDIATE treatment if there is any hope of recovery. In addition to the antitoxin, penicillin is helpful because it is effective against the bacteria that cause entero. To treat entero you put a dose of antitoxin under the skin and squirt another dose down her throat. The same with the penicillin. It is worth noting that a lot of vets do not recognize entero and even fewer know how to treat it. My vets did because where I used to live entero was very common and if not treated promptly, deadly. I do hope this is not what is wrong with your goat but if it is, with prompt treatment the prognosis is pretty good.

Is she hot? Is her breathing labored? Does she have a snotty nose? These are symptoms of pneumonia and sometimes goats with pneumonia cry out in pain.

Thank you for this.
This morning, she’s a little more active, but unsteady on her legs and can’t stand that long. She did get up and eat some grain tho so I’m guessing that’s a good sign. She doesn’t appear to be in pain like she was last night as she’s not crying. She’s not hot and her breathing isn’t labored. She does not have a snotty nose either.

 

[cassie]

Thank you for this.
This morning, she’s a little more active, but unsteady on her legs and can’t stand that long. She did get up and eat some grain tho so I’m guessing that’s a good sign. She doesn’t appear to be in pain like she was last night as she’s not crying. She’s not hot and her breathing isn’t labored. She does not have a snotty nose either.

Have you considered white muscle, which is caused by a selenium deficiency? It can cause some rather bizarre symptoms like muscle pain and weakness. It can also cause cardiac problems. If it is white muscle a shot of BoSe will fix it but not overnight. You have to get BoSe from the vet but it is not expensive.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm a new goat nama, too, so I cant offer much in the way of advice. But I was thinking selenium deficiency based off what I've read in books. If it were my girl, I'd get a vet out asap. If the vet can tell you what it is and how to treat it, then you can treat it yourself later and forego the vet bill.

But I'm here to suggest The Goat Spot forum. BackYard Herds is great, but you will wait for a response. The Goat Spot is more active. It's like the BYC of goats.

https://www.thegoatspot.net/