# Buck with weak back legs - stifle



## Daniel Babcock (May 28, 2008)

I posted in June about a one year old buck that was down. I think what happened is that he was in a pen with 3 other bucks and did not compete well for food he went down as we were clipping for Linear Appraisal and I did not notice until a couple of days later. He was with out food and water for a while. 

We nursed him back to health, giving him nutri-drench orally, lactated ringers sub Q, and electrolyte drenches. We also gave him bose and Vit B Complex, copper bolused him and he received grass and alfalfa hay and meat goat pellets. We worked for such a long time with this buck and finally got him back on his feet.

Even after he was back on his feet and eating better, he was always very weak in the back legs, particularly it appears in the stifle area, he limps around and is very uncomfortable looking both standing and walking. When standing he often crosses his back feet. He has never really come back into good flesh and looks like he is regressing.

Now that the does are starting to cycle, he is distracted, seems unwilling to eat and I am afraid If I cant get him better I will lose him during the rut.

I searched the forum posts and think it may be one of two things:

Goat Polio

or

Hypocalcemia 

I gave him 6cc of fortified B Complex (if polio how soon will he look better) and am looking for the Cal Dex to give him.


What other recommendations do you have?

Thanks so much!


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Daniel I am wondering if there wasn't some damage to one of the stifle joints. If there was the answer would be simple but you won't like it. Stifle joint injuries rarely heal and the animals will be in pain and walk uncomfortably for the rest of his life. The only way to be sure is to have a vet look at him. You could try Glucosamine, comfrey, arnica cream/Gel for topical and a host of many other arthritic alternatives but the prognosis for your buck should be made by a vet.
Tam


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Do you own or have access to a semen tank? If you are able to, maybe get him collected right away. Greta Meyers (Meyers Lamanchas) is hosting a buck collection at her place at the end of this month, which is about 3 hours from where you live. I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions to make him better, but at least if you can't, you can preserve his genetics.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Pi came back to me in horrible condition, now we know that it was starvation which has caused severe liver problems. Caused also by me not severely limiting his diet when he got here, I actually caused more problems for him by only worrying about bloat and founder and getting him back on grain and hay so quickly.

His blood tests came back, he is 5, with a note that he is in liver failure and it is suprising he is alive. Langston had never seen such high numbers. Alive he is and breeding, but skeleton thin, but at least he is mounting and breeding this year. I have tried every tonic, every anything anyone could tell me to use to help him, right now it is just making sure he gets through this heat, and breeds, I will put him down after having him collected this late fall. 

I know allowing animals to get fat, puts fat in the liver they never come back from, it lessens their lives...but I didn't know about starvation doing this also.

I would think you are looking at time. Once grown the calcium needs of bucks is pretty low, other than to counteract the phosphorus of most bucks diets so they do not get stones, they are not a doe who can get hypocalcemia. If it was polio you would see dramatic results with B1/Thiamin, sure you have to keep it up every 6 hours or so until he is 100%, but one shot would have him walking at least normally.

Other than if he wants to drink electrolytes don't tube them, you are tubing into the rumen and you want him to have flora in the rumen, not water, they do not drink much fluid at all into the rumen, your flooding it.

He could be coming back from an injury, not just to the stifle area, but a blow to the head would do the same thing.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

And it sounds like he is in a pen by himself now? Maybe he doesn't want to eat partly because he is lonely. Perhaps a gentle doe who you had planned to breed him to, or old doe that doesn't breed (unless she is a crabby old lady), would be good company for him. It seems like bucks eat better during breeding season when they are housed with does.


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## Daniel Babcock (May 28, 2008)

Thanks everyone.

I am pulling him off of my farm and taking him to a neighbor away from all of my does. I will put him in with a single, gentle doe there where he has access to lots of feed and clean water. 

I will contact Greta and find out about the collection clinic. What condition do the bucks need to be in to collect? 

This buck does not have the strength in his back legs to mount a doe . . . that is what is so odd. His front legs seem very strong and very stable . . . the back legs he has difficulty getting under himself to stand up, if he has fallen to his side.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I've never had one collected, so not sure what condition they need to be for collection. Also, I think they usually have to mount something, but maybe there are more ways to have them collected. Perhaps Greta will know, or you can contact Biogenics directly, which is who is doing the collection.


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

@ Vicki, Sure do hate to hear that about Pi.....


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Could he have had issues with meningeal worm in the past? Just a thought, poor guy.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Sully that was my original thought when this all started with Daniel's buck, but he had zero symptoms but this weakness in the rear leg and that doesn't go with menengial worm. Vicki


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Ok, just a thought. I've never had any experience with the M worm, but I've heard stuff about them.


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## Daniel Babcock (May 28, 2008)

Sully we only have Mule Deer in Utah. . . I wish it was that easily remedied we are really perplexed.

Thanks everyone for your help with this.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Can it be copper deficiency? Seems like I've read something about week legs and copper deficiency, but I honestly can't recall.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Copper would be a herd wide problem, does with retained placentas, poor feet that isn't hereditary, weird coats. Vicki


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Ok, M wormed ruled out, maybe when the other bucks were pushing him around they caused damaged to his backbone which is, in turn, putting pressure on his spine? If you follow his backbone from the withers back while applying pressure, do you feel anything abnormal? Does he flinch or get weaker when you hit a certain spot?

I know it's not a goat, but one of my dogs (the greyhound/Siberian Husky cross) got into a fight with one of the Mals. The Mal pounced on his back and caused a small dent in his backbone. He acted similar to your buck. Once it healed, he was ok but it still bothers him from time to time, especially when he gets to playing hard.


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