Goat is acting strange....???
 

I've got a full blodd Saanen who is acting strange. She's not eating, but just walks around, and she'll turn her head back toward her back, with her head looking up. Hope I'm making sense. It's hard to explain what she is doing. I've never seen this before. What could be her problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! :help:

goat polio? Or the one that starts with an "L"

Is that deadly? Where can I read up on it? Is there anything I can do? I've not heard of that before. Is it contagious for my other goats?

"L" is for Listeriosis, a very serious illness due to eating moldy hay or grain.

I'd say the symptom indicates something serious.

There are others on this board with extensive experience, whereas I'm new at this whole thing. Just from your description, I'd say something is very wrong and if you have a goat vet get a hold of them ASAP.

I was going to go on a little more in my previous post . . . Listeriosis and goat polio, untreated, are fatal.

Treatment for goat polio is relatively simple -- injectable Thiamine (vit B1). Treatment for listeriosis is antibiotics, and needs to be started early in the course.

Do you have a vet available?

Goat polio is not contagious, as it is a severe life threatening vitamin B1 deficiency, but listeriosis is definitely contagious to kids if she has them on her and to humans (which is one reason raw milk sellers are being harassed by the FDA).

Thank you. Where can I buy Thiamine? Can I give her an injection of B1 Vitamin?

You get Thamine from your vet. YOu need to give injections of it. In a pinch B1 tablets will hold you over and may help so if you have some crush them up and give via a syringe (no needle) into the mouth.

yes you can

My guess is try the local feedstore. Or, call a local veterinarian of any sort and BEG for a vial. Don't bother with the vitamin B complex, you don't get a therapeutic amount of B1 in it, you need pure Thiamine INJECTABLE.

If she has polio, the recovery is within hours according to other posts on the subject. You're probably panicked, but try to search this forum for "goat polio" to see what the experienced folks have said.

Could this be caused from not have enough free minerals?

Doubt it . . .

I was just curious since it is caused by Thiamine deficiency.

Easy to confuse . . . thiamine is a B vitamin, and minerals are "metals". You get both in a multivitamin capsule, but they still call it multivitamin, not multivitamin/multimineral :) .

I hate to be a pest, but can I give her both anitbiotics and B1 Injections at the same time, treating both diseases? I know she needs to go to the vet, but I honestly can afford that this week and I don't want to loose her. She's young, so she's not bred.

I'd say yes, and I'd do it that way myself. Go back and do a search in this forum for doseages. I had to reformat my harddrive and used to have lots of links, but forgot to save them.

If I remember rightly, if your doe has goat polio, she'll show signs of improvement pretty quickly, like within the day. If she does not show signs of improvement in 24 hrs, well, it's the other one.

Thank you so much! I'm stopping at the Vet on the way home to purchase the B 1., and I think I can get the Pen. at the Co-op, right?

I found information on the treatment of both on the Internet, and it says that I can give both B1 and Penicillin. It gives the dosage chart for the Penicillin,but not for the B1. How much B1 should I give and how often?

Yes you can get the Pen at the feed store.

And the B1? I called the Vet and it is going to cost me $5.00 for one shot!!
If I'm not mistaken, I can get that at the Co-op also. ??

Here's a link for administering Pen.

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/ar...steriosis.html

B1 (Thiamine) you can only get from the vet here in MOMO land.

Thank you so much. Is it normal to have to just buy one syringe (shot) at a time? I thought maybe it was possible to buy a bottle of it to keep on hand.
Guess not?

That may depend on the vet. You may be able to get it from a small animal vet.

You can use B complex for thiamin. If you are using the regular B Complex this comes out to about 1 cc per 2 to 3 pounds of body weight. If you have the Fortified B Complex this works out to about 1 cc per 20 pounds. Even if she suddenly feels and looks better you still need to keep up treatment. Every 4 to 6 hours for the first 24 hours then 2 to 3 times a day for 7 to 10 more days. You can get this at most feed stores.
I copied this from another site. I hope it helps.

Thank you so much! I was just wondering why I couldn't give her the B Complex. You're a life saver! All of you are wonderful and have been a great help to me. This is the first of this I have had to experience with my goats. Thanks again! :clap:

B1 should be given as 10mg/ml per 2.2 lbs of goat. All dosages of thiamine AND complex come in different strengths (including fortified). It depends on the strength of the thiamine or complex you're given. The vet will prescribe, but if all you can get is complex, come back and state the amount of B1 is contains per mg and I'll work out the dosage for you. There is no such thing as 'regular thiamine' - every brand is packaged differently.

Thank you. I will.
I'm going to the Farmers Co-op right now and getting the B Complex, but may go ahead and stop by the vet and get one dose of B1 to get her started. What do you think?

Did you mean "mg" instead of "CC"?

If you're going to the vet anyway, just get thiamine injections for your goat. The vet will give you measured amounts (or should) based on the amount of thiamine in the solution you're given.

If you have to get b complex - get the kind with the biggest dose of thiamine you can - ideally, 100 mg/ml or more.

1 mL = 1 cubic centimeter (volume measurement)
mg refers to weight measurement, not volume

I should have separated the quote. "1 cc per 2 to 3 pounds of body weight"

Sounds like you are on your way . . . I knew the experienced folks would jump in. Doc your info on doseages is very helpful!

Via pm, we've concluded that her goat didn't have polio, but it's never a bad thing to start treatment for that and listerosis at the same time - neither "cure" will hurt a goat.

Goats do sometimes 'look weird' - I always do a double take whenever my goats do the following:

1. Won't eat
2. Won't (or can't) get up when I approach them. To the goats, my presence means food or attention, both things they crave.

I can tell when any of my girls is 'off', but if they run to me, or even saunter, and they'll take food - I don't worry too much. Illness such as worm load comes on slow, there are always signs, we just miss them. Rough coat, listless behavior. Acute illness - a goat is down, won't eat, was fine before - then ASK FOR HELP if you can't get a vet on the phone, or a "goat person" you know. Ideally personal help is best.

If you need help on this board, I implore you, please have the following info ready:

How old is your goat?
How much does your goat weigh?
What is the goat's temp? (high, low, normal)
Is the goat eating? What has it been eating?
Can it stand?
Behavior - depressed, staggering, hunched
Normal poop?

These are the things I go through with my own goats when they're down, sickly, or look "off". It's so much easier to have a starting point when the above info is available.

Now, when giving advice to novice goat owners - give them very exact dosages. Don't say "give them some wormer". Please. Tell them what to give, give alternative treatments if possible.

And this polio epidemic is frustrating me. Please, there is a specific formula for giving thiamine treatment. It's not "some thiamine". All thiamine solutions and B complex formulas are different, and the dosages are different. Thiamine on its own won't cure goat polio. Pain management is important. The shock from the pain of a swollen brain probably kills as many goats as lack of thiamine.

Anyway, off my soapbox, my own goats are screaming for dinner.

Hey Nubiannana, how's your goat today? Glad you got some help.