| Author | Message | ||
     sandy (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 65.110.147.62 Rating: N/A |
Update on blind doe - well they thought it was goat polio or thiamin deficiency but it appears my goat has been affected by meningeal worms (deer worm) and presented in a way unknown - the blindness. So after a spinal tap they realized it was a parasite and started treatment with ivomec another dewormer and banamine. In the meantime her brother presented with classic symptoms and is now a cell mate with her at the hospital.. he only has the wobbly gate in front and back legs. CoCo the doe is slowly getting functions back - she can now swallow and is responsive to touch , i think she may still have impaired hearing and is still blind but is eating on her own (when she finds it ) and drinking. I fed her a whole bunch of grapes today which she enjoyed. Hopefully the blindness is reverable but we know there will be some neurologic damage since it went right to her brain. I am encouraged tho and glad I got her brother down there too so he didnt progress to far. He may end up with a strange gait when he walks but will be a functioning goat. Even if she stays blind she will have ahome and her brother to take care of her. I will update more as the week goes on - we may get to bring them homeon wednesday. I will also be starting a regiment of monthly SQ ivomec shots for prevention during snail season. Thanks for all your help - this was a tough one - even for the Cornell vets. | ||
| sandy (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 209.150.239.226 Rating: N/A |
Maggie - you do more then muddle through I have been lurking on this board for awhile and you do a great deal to help us with our sick goats!! And Dr. Smith is very humble I complimented her on the book and expertise on small ruminants and she gave me one of those "gee its nothing kinda smiles" She consulted with the other Dr. today and they said it is a waiting game right now - not much more they can do. She has started grinding her teeth so something is really starting to bother her but with the prominent sign being blindness they think it is the thiamin deficiency. I will keep you updated as things progress hopefully in a good way. | ||
| Maggie Leman New member Username: mleman Post Number: 6 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.205.236 Rating: N/A |
Wow you KNOW Dr. Smith, how cool is that! I love her book and use it all the time. I have read it cover to cover. I do have a good deal of medical (human) training and 6 years working in the large animal clinic at the NC State Vet School so I can muddle through most of it. Keep us informed on your doe. | ||
| sandy (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 209.150.239.226 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Maggie - I will suggest that when I call the vet today. I checked her this morning and gave her the shot she is not much better still has tremors and of course still blind. I got some water in her via bottle but she wasnt hungry. Funny you should mention Dr. Mary Smith because that is my usual vet - she works out of Cornell Univ. and I happen to live right there. Yesterday I got another Cornell vet but he said today if she was not better he would consult with Dr. Smith. She is great and I credit her with saving 2 of my bottle babies who had gotten pneumonia. | ||
| Maggie Leman New member Username: mleman Post Number: 3 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.205.236 Rating: N/A |
The vision most often comes back eventually. You are likely not giving enough thiamin. The dose is 5 mg/pound, most thiamin is 100 mg per cc. That is enough for 1 cc per 20 pounds. You WILL want to get more thiamin into her. For the first 24 hours she should have it every 6 hours round the clock. Then 2 to 3 times a day for 7 to 10 more days, to prevent a relapse (this is according to Dr. Mary Smith author of Goat Medicine a well respected veterinary textbook). With a high enough dose there is usually a dramatic improvement in just hours, but the thiamin must be continued as the body does not store it at all but either uses it or passes it in the urine. | ||
| (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 65.110.147.62 Rating: N/A |
The brother is a whether !! The vet treated him also with a super dose of thiamin, only because I thought he was acting a little off - only now I think it may be because he is worried about his sister. i have enough thiamin for 4 doses tomorrow and 2 more the following day 1/2 cc each time. I think at that point I will be checking with the vet to see how it is going. There is no fever and she is eating when she can find the feed and drinking when she finds the bowls - i am also giving her water via baby bottle to make sure she is getting enough cause she was a little dehydrated. I will clean out the entire area tomorrow to be sure there is no tainted hay or feed - I just got new stuff tonight that looks good and actually the other stuff looked OK no mildew or anything I could find but I will try anything. I certainly hope her vision comes back - it will be rather hard for her to negotiate but I suppose with time she will get better at it. I will of course keep her (the vet suggested we may want to put her down if her vision doesnt come back) but she is a pet and I just love her and couldnt do it unless it was really unsafe. Do you have any experience with this does the vision usually come back - I think we caught it in the first few hours so maybe there is hope.. thanks for your input - I will keep checking the temperature just in case it evolves to something else. sandy | ||
| Maggie Leman New member Username: mleman Post Number: 2 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.205.236 Rating: N/A |
Does sound like polio. You may think about treating the brother too. Is he walking okay? Holding his head in a funny position? Look very closely at his eyes, if they are twitching he may have the first signs of polio too. Does the doe have a fever? If so you may be treating listeria and the doe would need large doses of an antibiotic too. The thiamin should be given every 6 hours for the first day or so and then keep giving it for at least a week. It takes time for the digestive microbes that produce the thiamin to recover. Check your feed and hay, it is usually spoiled feed or hay that causes polio. And please tell me the brother is a wether...He is easily old enough to have his sister pregnant... | ||
| sandy (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 65.110.147.62 Rating: N/A |
I have a 6 month old boer doe who as the day has progressed has become blind. I am suspecting a thiamin deficiency and had the vet out - he also suspected that, she was given a mega dose of thiamin plus a steroid. I will be giving her more over the next 3 days. She also has symptoms of weakness polio maybe. Any other suggestions or ideas from anyone would be appreciated. Her brother is much distressed by the whole thing and is also crying for no apparent reason - is this normal for closely raised goats? |