# very gravid doe with stiff front legs



## jcran (Feb 17, 2009)

I've got a Saanen due to kid on May 11th. Last night I noticed she seemed sore on her front legs but wasn't sure. This morning she was definitely VERY stiff on them. She ate her grain fine and is getting free choice alfalfa. I gave her 60cc of MFO...worried about hypocalcemia. Of course I'm supposed to be out of town Fri,Sat, Sun but the girl taking care of them is really dairy goat savvy so as long as the calcium does the trick I should be ok. Anything else I should be doing for her?


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

Have you given her BoSe lately?

Do you have injectable Vit. A&D?

Why 60 cc's MFO? Shot or oral?

How old is the doe? 

If the MFO was a shot site(s), this can cause sore stiff muscles. 
Tam


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Is she actually stiff, or are you seeing edema in her joints so they don't bend well? Did you up her grain to quickly? Is she walking like a gaited horse, picking up her feet quickly and when standing picking up her feet and moving from foot to foot? How much fat is over her ribs? What is her temp? Do her hooves feel warm? What is her breath like, compare her to a goat who is not pregnant.

I would lute her to kid before I left for the weekend. Vicki


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## jcran (Feb 17, 2009)

I haven't taken her temp because I had to leave for work and of course everything was running late today. Symptoms were just VERY short shuffling steps with the front legs...like it hurt to walk. She's been getting about 1 lb of grain am and 1 lb pm. I didn't feel her feet. NO edema noticed. She's a Saanen and I WANT a little extra on the ribs because she's going to milk so much BUT she's not excessively fat AT ALL. She looks to have big twins or triplets in her. I gave MFO which is an oral calcium drench so that IN CASE its hypocalcemia, I won't have a dead goat when I get home tonight. She didn't seem wobbly in the rear and ate just fine...if her feet are warm could it be a founder? How does one treat laminitis in goats?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

There really isn't treatment unless you can catch it while the acute attack is going on. Founder nearly always follows the "getting weight on a doe for a show or getting weight on a doe in milk" so lets hope that isn't it this time. Banamine will help with the inflammation as will keeping her feet pared down short, and getting this pregnancy overwith. The MFO is nearly the same as CMPK and I agree and would also be giving it subq to the doe until you kid her out. If you can get 2cc IM of lute in her, kid her out before you leave in case your are looking at toxemia.....and although she had a raging fever, we had a doe with dead slurry kids in her who only showed symptoms of severe edema in the front legs, so bad she could barely bend her legs, once the pregnancy was over, and we did IV antibiotics on her, she was fine, milked well and kidded normally for several more years. So I kind of freak when I see edema like that...although nothing is worse than founder because it is wait and watch and see how bad she is going to be on those front feet, from no problems ever to walking on her knees for life. Vicki


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## jcran (Feb 17, 2009)

I made the decision late last night to induce her...she'll kid at day 144 if she goes 30 hours. She would seem better then worse, then better then worse. Gave more calcium, she ate her grain, ate grass hay, but wasn't too interested in the alfalfa. She was grinding teeth. I gave 5 cc dexamethasone subq, then 2 cc lute IM, at 9:30ish last night. Nothing yet this morning (not expecting anything yet) but was cudding at 5 a.m. By 6 a.m. she had eaten 1 lb grain (ate it eagerly) but again not interested in hay. Her feet were cool and she had no temp. Last night she eagerly took the calcium gluconate. This morning, I had to corner her and she was not thrilled with being drenched. My neighbor will check on her at lunch.


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## jcran (Feb 17, 2009)

Kidded, with help, at 44 hours after cocktail induction at 5 tonight...two bucks. She is weak and exhausted...she had a horribly long day. She has had a LOT of MFO. I'm heading back out to milk her again as the afterbirth has not passed yet.


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## Qvrfullmidwife (Oct 25, 2007)

Glad that she delivered well. How are the bucks?

What is her CAE status?


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## jcran (Feb 17, 2009)

She tested CAE free twice so far, the last time in January. She is doing well and is a dream to milk. Her milk is LESS than normal, I think, about 6 lbs a day right now. Her bucklings are doing well and are chunky monkeys. I am debating whether or not to save one to breed to a full boer doe to get a 75% "meatmaker". I HAD planned to save one if it was a doe to do just that, but am leery of having a grade buck on the place in case he decided to jump fence, etc. They will most likely just be freezer camp candidates or go to the dutch raffle at our club's ADGA show in early June for someone else's freezer camp.


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