# Nigerian Dwarf goat mystery illness



## 19susan69 (Dec 30, 2009)

:help I have a 7 month old Nigerian Dwarf doe who weighs 25 pounds. Her horn was knocked off by her 45 pound brother and was treated with a spray on antiseptic and 1 cc La 200 and 1/4 cc pain med. 2 days later her left leg was weak ( same side as the horn that was knocked off). She continued to get weaker and acted dizzy as if her world was spinning and she would fall down and cry. She was unable to get back to her feet. I took her temperature and it was 102.7. Normal. I took her to our vet who kept her overnight . She was off her feed and water and was given 1cc of Thiamine and 1 cc of Naxcel for 5 days. They took off the other horn and cauterized her head. They said she had a sinus infection I brought her home and she improved, still wobbly but could stand on her own. After being off her meds for 2 days she started to show signs of being weak in her front legs again. Yesterday, I started her on a probiotic and she is still eating and drinking. However now she falls down on her side and all 4 legs go straight out and she can't get up. I called my vet again and he started her on the Thiamine injections again for 5 days. This evening she is back to acting dizzy and doesn't stand well. She still is not running a fever. All this time my Nigerian whether is healthy with no symptoms. I feel she is going down hill again and I don't know how to help her. I have also asked my vet if the Iron in my water would have any effect on her? He told me that there hasn't been any research to say if it does or not. Please help. Thanks


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I would ask the vet about going after this a little more agressively, I wouldn't think Naxcel would necessarily be my antibiotic of choice for an infection like this, nasal infections in the goats go to the ears and brain when not treated and can cause all this type of behavior. Using dexamethazone, a steroid with perhaps banamine to get the swelling down...also you could be looking at two things, either an infection in the sinus or even one to the brain, made worse if he wasn't adept at horn removal and kept the iron on too long, making thermal menengitis a real problem, and also going along with her symptoms. If this was polio of any kind you see real improvement after one shot of thiamin, let alone 5 days of it...although the thiamin needs to be continued as long as she is not eating well.

Keep her warm and someplace safe from her falling. Sorry this is happening to you. 

Also please go back to your profile and put your area of the country and breeds of goats (Nigerian Dwarf) into your signature. Thanks, Vicki


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

From what I read in this post, it sounds like the goat was only getting the Thiamin 1x/day. Isn't the treatment for polio more doses/day than that?

But I was also thinking neuro infection subsequent to the sinus infection...meningitis or encephalitis would definitely be a possibility and would reconcile with the neurological symptoms she is having...if it's not polio causing them.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes Stacy I give Thiamin every 6 hours, but she would have seen a huge improvement then a decline with the first shot. Vicki


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## kattmc3 (Mar 8, 2009)

Couldn't we be talking about brain injury due to the horn being broke off. That is if it was broke far enough down close to the head. So maybe a possibility of seizures. The legs going straight out makes me think of seizures.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Seizures can be caused by meningitis or encephalitis as well. (Meningitis=inflamation of the special tissues surrounding the brain and/or spinal cord...caused either by disease, or in the case of a bad disbudding, heat. Encephalitis=inflamation of the brain itself, generally caused by disease.) If it was a brain injury from the horn being knocked off, I think that more than likely symptoms would have been pretty quick after the injury...probably not 2 days later. Strange to not have a fever, though. 

Any updates?


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## 19susan69 (Dec 30, 2009)

She is lethargic, but is still eating and drinking. Very weak in the legs, but mainly the front legs. Still acts dizzy and cries when I pick her up. I am still giving the thiamine once a day and a probiotic, but it isn't helping either. Can you cure the meningitis or encephalitis?


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

as Vicki said talk to the vet and get the dex and banamine


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Vicki, if you come back and check this, would it hurt to treat the goat _properly_ for polio, just in case? Because if it was me, I would want to do that, too, in addition to asking the vet about meningitis and encephalitis.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Of course it can't hurt, thiamin isn't going to hurt anything, and in a goat down it should be the first and last things you do, they aren't ruminating alot so b1 is low in the blood stream anyway. Vicki


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## 19susan69 (Dec 30, 2009)

Update. I took Lilly to the vet again yesterday. They did X-Rays of her neck and head and found a vertebrae a little out of alignment. They are sending it to a Radiologist to read. Vet wonders if it is Wobbler's or from an injury from my other goat. They also drew blood to test for CAE. Til tests are back, she is on a 7 day course of DEX for inflammation. He said since she is eating and drinking to stop the Thiamin. What do you think? If she does have Wobbler's or CAE, will the steroids improve her condition? I am just wondering if she starts walking better if I am being given false hope.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

I had not heard of Wobbler's before. I googled it, and apparently it is a neurological disorder (a syndrome, actually) of certain large breeds of dog (dobies and great danes) and horses. I didn't find any mention of it in goats, but that doesn't mean that it can't affect them, I suppose. From what I can see, treatment is highly intensive and therefore expensive, and not necessarily successful. The words in the Merck Vet manual were, "prognosis is guarded." 

As far as CAE goes, well, steroids are not going to cure it, nothing is. If it is CAE, it sounds like you're getting the "E" which is encephalitis. Dex might alleviate some symptoms for a while, but it's not like she can be on it forever. If it's CAE, I don't know how likely it is if she is manifesting symptoms of encephalitis now that it would go away and then she'd just be one of those asymptomatic CAE+ goats. I suppose it's possible, but I don't know how likely. 

I think that you should hope it's an injury, but even then, what are they proposing to do to fix the problem?


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## 19susan69 (Dec 30, 2009)

Well, the vet thinks that it is one of these 3 things. The Wobbler's which as you said is more prominent in horse and large dogs or an injury to her neck or head or the Encephalitis. The Wobbler's gets progressively worse as well as the CAE. As for the injury, well the vet thinks that she should be doing much better than she is just because of the time since her horn was knocked off. Which was the 19th of Dec. I never thought having goats would be this hard.


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## 19susan69 (Dec 30, 2009)

Sad update. I got back the xray results and there was nothing to give us an idea of any damage or Wobbler's so that was good. The CAE test came back negative which is good new also. However while waiting for the test results, Lilly was on Dex for the 7 days, but within 24 hours of being off the Dex treatment, she went down hill very rapidly. She was back to being in pain and not being able to stand on her front legs. I made a hard decision and had her put to sleep.
Hard lesson to learn for a first time goat owner, but my advice to anyone out there is be careful when you put your goats together that are not the same general size.
Thanks for all of your help and support.
Susan


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

oh Susan, that is such a hard decision to have to make.

its lame and little consolation to say at least she's at peace and not suffering anymore... but its also true.

goats do seem pretty hard on each other sometimes, even with plenty of free choice food, etc.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Oh, I'm so sorry that you lost her, Susan. Hang in there. It is not always this painful.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

So sorry this happened! Vicki


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## mamatomany (Aug 7, 2008)

Aww what a bummer...so very sorry you lost her


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