Goat hurt his leg 3 or 4 months ago.. still not better

[Iamaqte]

I have a large mix breed goat and he hurt his foot a few months ago.. He is able to walk on it.. but he is still favoring it. Does anyone have any suggestions how i can get it back to normal?

I thought about locking him in a small area so he can't use it.. but he will have a fit... so that is not an option.

I tied him up... so he couldnt move too much.. he had a fit and hurt himself more...

Darn goat! LOL

 

[helmstead]

Can you define the injury more? Was there an open wound? Did he always bear weight on it or was there a period he was three-legged? If he bore weight, how badly did he favor it at first (from 1-10 with 10 being it hurt badly) and how does he favor it now on the same chart? Does any part of the leg appear swollen or deformed?

Thanks...

 

[Iamaqte]

Sorry for the non descriptive information on that...

Nikki - my goat kept escaping so we chained him up. We believe he got it caught and just twisted his ankle (3 /4 months ago). It was very swallon, but he very lightly used it.... I just assumed it would get better, it didnt appear to be a serious injury.
leg.

Any ideas?
Now the swelling is gone, but he is still very much favoring that leg... He almost is hopping so he doesnt have to apply all his weight on it.

 

[helmstead]

I would bet two things, both of which are no longer treatable because of the age of the injury.

1. Soft tissue injury, likely torn ligaments below the pastern. You may be able to appreciate a lump the size of a small grape - it would be hard and cold by now. This causes disfunction of the pedal bones and a permanent limp.

2. Broken bones caused by twisting and crushing by the chain. Left to themselves without setting and/or casting, they heal unevenly. Shards from the crush impact will invade joints and cause constant irritation. Also affects soft tissues.

Really - the goat likely had both of the above.

Also, if the chain was constrictive, blood flow would have been interupted which can cause nerve and soft tissue damage.

At this point, the humane thing to do is euth the goat or amputate the leg.

 

[bestponymilo]

What about getting a vet out? Hope it's nothing serious, poor goatie.

 

[chickbea]

I'm afraid I agree with helmstead; very little can be done with an injury that old, and anything you try will involve costly veterinary treatments, physical therapy, and quite an investment of time.

 

[Iamaqte]

Update - My goat is doing so much better.. it is the weirdest thing.. we had him next to our other goats.. cause he was kind of mean to them.. Well he got in there.. and is not best buds with the sheep and is like a totally new goat. I dont understand how it is possible, but he is doing great!

Thanks all for the information. It will be a nice reference if i have any problems in the future.