Help!!! Goat Emergency!!!!!!!Off Hours Advice Sought

ThornyRidge

Songster
11 Years
Oct 28, 2008
255
3
131
I posted this same message in my goat message board but am looking for advice quick.. I won't be able to get to my vet until tomorrow afternoon/evening...Here is the scoop:
Because my life could not be any more stressful, today I go down to feed in the morning and my 3.5 year old nigerian doe that has been picked on relentlessly over the past couple weeks and was pulled to a separate pen was off. She was grinding teeth and shivering horribly. Last night this goat was fine. Ate well, chewing cud, active and alert. Today the total opposite. She has only nibbled a couple strands of hay and shows no interest in grain and/or animal crackers which has always peaked her interest so that is number one reason I know she is not doing well plus the tooth grinding. I have spent alot of time today observing her and have come to find very little to no gut movement. She has noticeably belched only a couple times I have seen and she has had a small gurgle in rumen area one time that I noticed/felt. Throughout the day I have given her now 3 doses at 15-20 cc each of milk of magnesia, a dose of probios max gel, a dose of a,de b12 gel, and a 15cc dose of c/d antitoxin orally. I am going back down in about 3 hours to do another round of milk of magnesia and c/d antitoxin. The other interesting thing is she has not laid down at all today despite not feeling well.. She remains standing. I can get her to move around and usually chase her around a couple times in stall to give her the oral stuff listed above. I also saw her lick the free choice baking soda earlier today.. not much consumed just a couple small licks. She has hay out but is not interested/eating it.. I see her sniff it occasionally but that is all. She mainly stands with eyes half closed and somewhat hunched up in her dog coat I put o nher this morning. Obviously something is going on gastrointestinally I presume.. It is verrrrrry frigid her ein NE Ohio, wind chills in minuses.. I have kept barn locked up and it is cold in barn but nothing like outside. I have put a fleece dog coat on this goat earlier today and she does not seem to be shivering as much. but still some chills. I gave her HOT water to drink but she showed no interest in that either. I plan on calling my vet but will not get anything until tomorrow afternoon.. I am going to continue with the c/d antitoxin and milk magnesia and probios/gels unless someone has something else.. oh and she has peed and pooped normally.. no coughing, discharge, breathing sounds ok, good color.. just tooth grinding, not eating, no to very little gut sounds/movement and shivering. Help!!!!!!!
 
Pepto and a good rumen massage might help. Probios gel is always my go to in instances of tummy upset. Best wishes, let us know what the vet says.
 
Since she has been seperated from the other goats she is probably stressed and has indigestion. The tooth grinding usually is an indication of pain or stress. I would run to the drug store and get Tagamet suspension. Give her 1ml orally. It should settle her stomach and increase the ph. Do not give her grain just leave her with a grass hay.
Good luck with her.

Donna
 
Drug stores are all closed here.. I have and keep on hand, milk of magnesia.. just gave her the fourth dose of the day.. giving her orally around 20 ccs.. planning on giving another round at 3 in the morning and again before I leave for work.. have also given her 2 doses of c/d antitoxin orally at 15 cc each.. plan on keeping up with that too.. Still no feed, still no rumen movement, noise, she is still shivering.. I still have the fleece dog coat on her.. and she was laying on a bed of hay/woodshavings.. however it is darn cold here.. 20 in my barn and outside with windchill it is aroudn 10-15 below.. yuck.. anyway I do plan on calling vet first thing in a.m. however I don't get home till late afternoon and he wont usually see livestock until later in the evening.. so I will keep this routine up and set up a batch for my father to come down and carefully dose here while I am at work. She only has access to hay and minerals and baking soda at the time.. and water (warm while it lasts)

I have never heard of giving the Tagamet suspension.. only 1 ml.. doesnt seem like that much..
 
The website listed above is a good one. I think you are on the right track with the tummy stuff. I also use milk of mag. We have had problems like this, but they were usually in younger animals with bloat. My older girls, 15 and 13, stay up rubbing the tummy and giving lots of love. Since, they were small- we brought them inside for the night. Do you have a heat lamp or anything for added warmth? Without the tummy burning food and giving calories for warmth, she may have trouble staying warm. Good luck, I know how upsetting this is:(
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom