kid goat troubles!!!

[nannysrus]

We are new to goats and just recently traded some chickens and a coop for 4 boer nannies, 2 have kids. One of the kids is a little Billy and something is not right with this little guy. He is very wobbly and walks around like a drunk. He is constantly tripping and falling down. Stumbling all over the place. None of these goats are in great condition. They all need a lot of weight and tlc. This little Billy (little Ricky is his name) is probably about 3 months old. He is still in with his nanny. Does anybody have any ideas? I read about something called floppy kid syndrome. He isn't runny a fever and doesn't have diarreah. He eats like a champ. Tonight when I went out to feed he was laying flat on his side. Scared me so I went and made him get up and he started nibbling on some grass. Any ideas?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hi and welcome -- there are a lot of things it *could* be - I would suggest having him fully vetted to determine which of those things it is.

 

[nannysrus]

I thought at first that he was just weak and needed to get some water and food into his system so I didn't think much of it but he has been here for 4 days and he has all the pasture he could dream of and he has been drinking and eating great. So now I'm thinking something else is wrong.

 

[cassie]

Could be white muscle or a thiamine deficiency or even both. White muscle is a selenium deficiency and he needs a shot of Bo-Se. For thimine deficiency he needs some thiamine. Both of these items must be procured from a vet. Thiamine deficiency (polio) causes some really bizarre symptoms in ruminents.

 

[H Diamond]

Take his temp ASAP and let us know what it is. Other than that, any other symptoms? How is his stool? His coat?

 

[jlynnp]

You need a vet familiar with goats. I think the Bo-Se would help and definitely would not hurt. Last fall we bought an Alpine/Nubian mix doe who was skin and bones, we were shocked a week later when she gave birth to twins. One was born dead but the other was alive. However the poor doe went down fast, no milk, unable to stand and bleeding like crazy. Our vet said she only lived due to my nursing care which for 48 hours was round the clock. The little buckling who we named JR spent his first 6 weeks in my bedroom being bottle fed. Now both he and his Mom are fat and healthy. Good luck with your goats, you should probably have a vet out to check them out, worm them all and make sure their feet are in good shape.

 

[nannysrus]

His temp is 102.1. There are no other symptoms. No nasal or ocular discharge. Poop looks great. Feet look good. Coat is a little rough and shaggy but none of the goats are in good shape. Only one has meat on her bones and she is the dominate one. They are all very skinny. They have definitely livened up sense being here. They have have access to a huge pasture with everything a goat loves. Fresh water twice a day. Loose salt and minerals. Good hay always available. This little Billy is just stumbling and falling down. Not all the time. Mostly if he gets to running. His nanny is in the worst shape and is low on the totem pole. Sense I spread all my feed and hay out they are all able to eat. Where they came from there was one small hay feeder and the Billy they were in with hogged it. They were never offered any supplemental feed or salt/mineral. And we are a very selenium deficient area. I have injectable vitamin E and selenium because I have a horse that requires it but I don't know if it would the same used on a goat and I would have to call and find out the dosage.

 

[cassie]

Sounds like they all need some Be-Se or equivalent. Don't delay. White muscle can cause cardiac arrest.

 

[H Diamond]

Do you have mu- Se, bo-se or something else? If you let us know what med and what strength we can probably get you the dosage.