Posted by Mary VanDuyne on January 07, 2001 at 14:11:56:
In Reply to: Re: 3 year old down posted by Vicki McGaugh on January 03, 2001 at 22:05:20:
This is my first time here, and when I saw this post with symptoms similar to what we've had, I would like to toss out our situation. (Apologize for length...but we're beside ourselves with what we're looking at).
Three years ago, the first doe born here lost the use of her rear legs. She never lost her appetite; she didn't have any other physical distress; she just couldn't stand. The vet we were using, at the time, tried several different courses of treatment over a 3 month period. We even hauled her over to his clinic for x-rays. Ron designed and built a sling-type harness that I was able to put on her each day that hoisted her up and allowed her several feet of movement. It was a time-consuming therapy since I didn't want to make her stand for too long, but felt she needed a few hours, at intervals, to move around. If we had known, then, what we know now, we might not have had to eventually put her down. (We also changed vets).
We have 3 more does who are in various stages of recovery from listeriosis. We lost one doe, who went into such severe distress on a Sunday night that we took her straight to the vet clinic. Her degree of suffering was so severe, and the prognosis so dire, that we opted to put her down.
Of the three who survived (and who, quite frankly, are thriving) only one exhibited classic "circling". One showed initial signs of weak hind legs and one (the most recent) went down, had obvious intestional distress and eye flutter.
The same broad spectrum treatment was used on each of these 3 goats:
6 cc penicillin 2x/day....methaplex 3cc (on day 1 and day 3)...dexamethasone 3cc for 2 days...60-80cc calcium SQ...
probios for 4 days...
the vet also administered thiamine IV and 1cc banamine (for pain).
Goats 1 and 3 showed signs of neurological changes (eye flutter, dulled personality). Goat 1 has been in recovery for a little over a year, has regained full use of her hind legs and has recovered from the "vacant" look in her eyes. Her personality has, however, been altered. When we re-introduced her to the herd, we put her in with kids a year younger than her. She is completely and totally non-competitive; but the younger ones respect her because of her age and do not engage her. The best way I can describe her, at this point, is that she is responsive when I call her name...she appears physically well...but she has lost the lustre of her original personality.
Goat 2 had the same symptoms as the goat we struggled with for 3 months (who happened to be her grandmother). We isolated her for several months (eventually introducing her sister into her pen at night for company), and she is now back with the larger herd. She shows no residual signs of "wobbliness", no neurological problems, and her original personality.
Goat 3 was stricken the end of Sept. (2000). She has recovered from the eye flutters, altho she appears to have trouble focusing; she has difficulty running and with balance; but she has a normal appetite and the same cantankerous personality as before. She is isolated with a yearling who, coincidentally, lost the use of her hind legs on the exact same day...but because of the difference in their symptoms, the vet believes she may have a form of polio.
But, in Dec. our (retired) buck went down and after 2 days, we had to put him down. He couldn't move, and when we tried to move him, he was in obvious pain. He wanted to drink water, eat grain, but no hay. The vet had come out the first day and the same scripts were administered (as listed above). Once the dexamethasone wore off tho, he back-slid fast and was in obvious distress. The vet took a blood sample for johnnes, but that's not it.
Could really use some advice...