# baby goat emergency - legs ?



## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

male goat just over 2 weeks old 

has been perfectly healthy

Was running & playing at noon still... 

Was just found with completely STIFF STRAIGHT legs unable to get up or bend them!

Does not seem to be in pain... alert eyes head bumping at daughter's chin ready for his bottle... 

This is my daughter's goat.... his sister was the one with the bad facial deformity I had to put down. 

His dam is up to date on cd/t

He is due to have his first this next week.

He is on pasteurized goats milk and was in my baby goat area in the house. 

We are seperating him now. 

Weight gain has been ok... 9lbs at birth... 15lbs at 2 wks


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

definitely NOT lethargic... they put him in a laundry basket and he did not care for that and got it tipped over....


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

OK in spite of acting hungry he only took 2" of his bottle... I am getting minutely reports here it seems.

They also think he is breathing funny and they DO think he is in pain.

OK obviously first I want to know what this could be... 

but... this fellow is destined to be a wether sold for $40... so I need to take that into consideration and if the answer is put him down.... ok... I'll do that and trade my dd another wether to be... this is her only income really for the yr... so... 

but obviously having had 11 other goats in with him.. I want to know what & why & if I need to do anything for the others...


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

OK whatever this is is fast...

front legs are stiffening... 

told dd to take his temp... thermometer rose to 108, then flashed H, then turned off...


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

If he's still alive when my dh gets home he'll put him down....

starting to have facial grimace and breathing is worse.

This kid showed 0 signs of problems about noonish....


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

wow what a fever, floppy kid maybe but do they have fever with that? I hope it's not contagious


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Looking at his stats... though his weight gain is second slowest.... at .4lb/day.... interestingly the other twin to the other facially deformed goat has the lowest weight gain at .36lb/day

I am just looking at everything... 

I told my dd she could have her pick of another wether to sell... she chose Poco...


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

foaming at the mouth


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

Do you have Vickies Number?
She might be able to help...sounds bad. So Sorry honey


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

I have Vickie's number... I just hesitate to call her on what appears to be a *lost cause* for a wether... if this was a doeling I'd be on the phone 2hrs ago...


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

How is he now?


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

blood in the foam

and my dd said it was only 4hrs from when he was running around last to finding him with stiff rear legs...


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

I was prepared to put him down an hour ago... but I have had a rough day physically and my dh asked me to wait and let him care for it... 

he'll be home about 9....


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

I keep wondering tetanus... but first paralysis was rear legs.... neck & face were last...

dam was vaccinated pre breeding & pre kidding with bar vac cd/t... he was disbudded 10?11? days ago... he has NOT been outside and the shavings are kiln dried....


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

when you tap on his jaw does his eyes roll back?


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

I'll check....


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Since his twin was deformed, I'm wondering if he has some kind of internal deformity that is causing his whole body to go haywire. You might want to necropsy him after your hubby puts him down.


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

nod


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

yup, find out what caused it. I sure would like to know if you find out.


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## Chaty (Oct 25, 2007)

:sniffle So sorry to hear this Lynnin that is terrible and it came on so sudden...I have no input at all as never heard of this but it sure sounds neurological to me with such a high fever...again So sorry..


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

Bummer Lynn! I am so sorry. I wish I had info for you but I have no idea really. I am guessing it could be related to the other trouble though.

Christy


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

He is to young for tetanus, it takes 21 days to even incubate and kill, no way would you see this already.

Now did he get disbudded? This could be menengitis, in which the disbudding iron was left on too long and fried his brains but that is usually...disbud, notice some barking from pain, progresses to not eating, head tilt, fever....then all the rigor you are seeing from the brain swelling, death...

Sounds like a major blunt force trauma to the head, certainly isn't a disease process....unless it's from being disbudded. Perhaps ask the kids if he fell on his head or? Vicki


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Thank you for the info on tetanus!

I will ask again.. but no report of injury... but the babies can be wild when running around... so maybe... 

dh just put him down...

He was disbudded 11 days ago...


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2008)

Yes thank you Vicki, sometimes I swear your a walking encyclopedia! Now i'll just copy and paste that nice tidbit of info...
Lynn I sure hope things get better for you soon. Take it easy dear.


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## wheytogosaanens (Oct 26, 2007)

Lynn,

So sorry this is happening. I am going to guess either tetanus (its' onset can be very rapid) or 
something genetic. My instinct is tetanus....CDT doesn't always work. If he is immune compromised due to 
birth defects that would explain it. I hope he has been put down. Hugs.

Camille


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## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

We lost a baby calf to tetanus when he was about 2 weeks old - never did know how he got it. Vet thought it could have been picked up at the naval. That was the youngest animal we've ever seen with tetanus.


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Could have been tetanus if he didn't get a tetanus antitoxin shot when he was disbudded, but bloody foam at the mouth almost sounds like a poison. Any poisonous plants in the house that a child could have given to him to munch on? OR he could have done something as simple as bite his tongue, thus the blood. :??? Poor thing. Sorry about him.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

I just dont see how an animal less than 3 weeks old can die of a disease with an incubation period of 21 days.


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

He was put down last night... 

Becca was milking and I have not gotten to ask yet about injury... 

Thanks again Vickie... that makes lots of sense..


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

OH Lynn am sorry
Tetnus is very slow acting and getting to the stage he went too way to fast I think. Have to believe this is or was some other deformity or injury and not tetnus.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

Huh.

from another website (tennesseemeatgoats) I found this...

"The incubation period for tetanus can be from a few days to several months,but is usually ten (10) to twenty (20) days. Early symptoms include a rigid gait, mild bloat, and anxiety. Tetanus quickly progresses to the animal's being unable to open its mouth (hence the term "lockjaw"), a rigid extension of the legs (front legs extended forward and together, with back legs extended backwards and together in a rocking horse- like stance),excessive salivation, constipation, inability to stand, neck stiffness with the head pulled hard to one side and accompanying tail and ear rigidity, and seizures. It is not a pretty sight. Once the goat is down and can't get up, death occurs quickly (usually within 36 hours or less).

Diagnosing tetanus can be complicated by the fact that some symptoms resemble those of other diseases. Polioencephalomalacia (goat polio),strychnine poisoning, nutritional muscular dystrophy (white muscle disease), and even laminitis have similar symptoms are certain stages of these diseases."

So this says that incubation period for tetanus is NOT always 21 days and that white muscle disease can also mimic it (but the fever?!)


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Well absolutely NO report of injury... but my dd noted they run the loop so she does not always see them... also quite a few goats in their baby area... hope to move them out or at least some... next Sunday... 

everyone else is doing fine... they were just out romping while their area was cleaned...

thanks LA... you posted as I typed....

oh and NO house plants... the only thing they have had to eat besides milk is a charging cord for a drill ..... {{shake}} don't ask!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

:crazy I will have to scream if someone posts that website or fiasco farms drug info, as fact one more time! :crazy


:rofl Vicki :rofl


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

:lol Vickie!!!


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

OK when my little one got tetnus he was down and crying appeared bloated I treated for entro this was on Sun morning by Mon morning his back legs were getting stiff but he was walking and eating went to the vet started treating for tentnus he got progressively worse to by Wed. lock jaw and Thru calle the vet again for lactated ringers which were started and was told it would take at the very least 7 days most likely 10 to see any sign of improvement if he lived at all. By the following Monday was getting movement back into his front legs , Tues could suck a little bit then over the next two weeks he got full movement and eating abilities. This is why I don't believe your little one had tetnus. We never had a fever and he was not up and running and then down and over a days time so much worse. I guess maybe there are all types of symptoms for tentus but this was the only case I have seen or heard abt. 1st hand


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

sorry, just did a search for tetanus incubation and this was a website that popped up.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

Alrighty from Goat Medicine...

"The incubation period varies in tetanus. Clinical disease has been observed in a 1-week-old kid within four days of disbudding, and in an adult doe several months after dystocia. In most cases however, the incubation period is 10 to 20 days."

I am still not convinced that this is what this buck was dealing with, don't think all the pieces fit, but just thought I'd share from "the text".


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

interesting... thank you..


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## wheytogosaanens (Oct 26, 2007)

Have to agree with Goat Medicine....we lost a likely Boer X doeling this Fall to tetanus. She was 1 week old and had been disbudded at 5 days of age. She was disbudded correctly....nothing dramatic there.
She was fine the evening before, and in the morning looked miserable. By the time my DD got her up to the house she was stiffening. Gave her Tetanus antitoxin and she did improve. My first time (and hopefully last!) of dealing with this, so did not give her another shot soon enough. She relapsed and died (I wish I had put her down, but she was my DS only kid from his doe and I really wanted to try.) Discussed with my vet and he stated tetanus. We do have horses so he suggested not to have kids in the pen next to the horse pen, or at least until they are receiving their first CDT shot.


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## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

The Merck Veterinary Manual states that the incubation period varies from one to several weeks but usually averages 10-14 days. It also states that the temperature remains slightly above normal, but it may rise to 108-110 degrees toward the end of a fatal attack.


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Well if the jaw thing is accurate... then it was not tetanus... but... no clue


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