Update? Inquiring minds NEED to know.

Warrior is doing about the same. I am exercising the legs several times a day. I have been sort of incapacitated myself due to back and hip problems. Sitting, standing and staying in one position is very painful. But it will go away in time. I got too energetic unloading hay. I still have more coming in with at least 75 bales of straw. The hay I can let the farmer do most of the unloading but the straw I will have to do unless the people I am going with do it all. So, I have been on pain pills and muscle relaxants to get over this. Warrior probably thinks I am nuts when I go to exercise him and feed him. I have to get down on the ground and work with him. He wants to get in my lap and it is hard to manage him from that position as opposed to bending over him.

Warrior is still "trying" to walk. He can get up on his hooves and he takes 2-3 crouched steps and then he stumbles down. But he does keep trying. You can see him trying to "lurch" forward to get up on the front legs but he cannot get all of the way up that way so he will go back down and then go to the left leg, put it up on the hoof and push himself up and get the right leg under him and take a few steps that way but in a crouched position. I use the feed pan to encourage him to get up and "walk" to me. We play that game until he just stays down and says "enough is enough". Then I lay the feed pan out in front of him far enough away that he has to come for it. Which he usually will but on his knees. He is getting too good getting around on those knees. I am going to try and find some more banamine from a vet. I am very low. I know that when I stretch the legs out in front of him he is in discomfort. Maybe some banamine in him will make it less painful?

I haven't cut the barrel sling down yet and I am attempting that today and am going to put him back in it and I think it will fit better. I have to do so much bending over to do it and I have put that off. I noticed that the tendons in the arm pit area are tight when we exercise so I think I need to up the number of sessions to keep that area limber. I think the barrel sling restricts that area when he is in it so I do not think it is getting the best possible use when he is laying down and we flex the leg straight out in front of him, his toes will separate. But as I observe the other goats, they rarely will lay with their legs straight out in front of them. So maybe the toes(hoof) separating is normal in that position I do not know.

I got a gallon of Red Cell, a 2.5 gallon container of molasses, and my feed mill was going to get me 2-50# bags of sodium bicarbonate from their other mill in another town and send over for me. So-got that taken care of.

What does everyone use to feed it in the rainy weather? I have just put it and the minerals out in a pan. I am trying to come up with something that is covered and protected from the weather but still allows them the free access. That is until I can find someone to cut and make me a door of some kind in to the barn so I do not have to keep going out and moving them in and out of the barn. I had changed the pens and areas around this summer in anticipating that I would need to have a better arrangement for the winter months so now am faced with other arrangements being made.

Pictures will be posted today. Finally got the cord I needed to download the pics and will get that done after the attorney appointment this A.M.. :) And before the washing machine repair guy and before who knows what to happen next.

Thanks for th update & looking forward to pictures! Please take care of yourself too!

This mineral feeder, in the goat shed where they have access.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/livesto...-black-2221351

Sounds to me like you and Warrior are a great team. I'de say that the one who is losing out on a VERY good thing is your ex-DH!!!! I'm pretty sure that I speak for all of us when I say that we are very proud of both you and Warrior.

You guys are doing great. Take care of yourself and I hope your back heals quickly.

We use the same one. I love it and must be popular because everytime we go back to get some they are gone. I am so glad Warrior is hanging in there I can't wait to see photos.

Thanks so much Alice. I appreciate all of your help and resources as well as everyone else who posts a response.

A lady emailed me and offered to post the pics for me so I sent them to her to do so. I also sent some pics of the sling I had made just in case anyone was interested in them. I seem to have difficulties posting pics here myself. Probably the meds.

Well-Warrior and I worked quite a bit in this afternoon exercising program. He will try to get those feet under him but just cannot do it. I put him over the half barrel this A.M. and he was putting a lot of weight on the front hooves which was encouraging. Bad thing was is that the back end is so much stronger that he was pretty much just stepping up on the half barrel and going forward then in a nose dive. He just laid there like that and then I had to re-position him and start over. I tried pushing down on the back end but he is so strong in the hind quarters that I just could not get him down. Every time I re-positioned him-his hind legs came up on the half barrel trying to get across it. I gave up. We then just did the regular exercises. This afternoons work included raising the front legs out and a little up in the air. When I lift him up at the front end under the arm pit area and try and get both legs positioned to hold the body weight, he will put weight for just a little bit on hooves but cannot maintain it for more than a few seconds. Then he usually tries and draws a leg back under him and gets all crossed up with legs and goes down. It is like he tries but the legs are just not following his brain right or the brain is not following the legs right. I think he is getting to comfortable on his knees. He will put his body weight on his knees and then the back end will side step or "hop" over for him to change his direction. He will stand in a crouch when I present him with the feed pan but gives up after several tries to get up and get it. I know he must be very uncomfortable when I exercise his legs. He will try and draw them back up under him and he will just lay his head into my leg and keep it there until I am done exercising them. He laid his head on my leg also when I sat on the ground in front of him. He is not gritting his teeth though but today he started a small low snort and he kept belching. Sometimes right in my face! But he got kisses anyway.

I included a pic of one of his eyelids for everyone to hopefully comment on. I know his body condition is less than I would like to see but is improved allot. And I really think the molasses has helped tremendously. I feed a grass/alfalfa mix hay and am thinking I should get a bale of straight alfalfa hay for him. Would that be too much with the wet alfalfa cubes or not needed?

I think at this point that he maybe just needs more exercise. I have tried the straight leg splints but he was in more distress with them and gritted his teeth over them and got agitated. I have a guy that offered to cut me some 45 degree angle PVC pieces and then I can put him in them for a bit. At least I was thinking it would still stretch the tendons as they seem really tight and I can feel them pulling and popping out than to go the straight leg splints. Then hopefully graduate to the straight leg splint later. I sure hope he gets the use of his front legs back. And his tail just keeps wagging away.

Mine wag too when they are happy.
Im so glad your little guy is hanging in there.:buds:

I do think some kind of leg brace is needed at some point to get him walking. The massage therapy will probably just go so far. Just like with people who've been in accidents or have had strokes, etc, it seems Warrior's brain has forgotten the right signals to make his forelegs work and needs to be "taught" all over again. Just how far he may recover is unknown, but boy, you have made such an effort. I would definitely keep it up, as this could take a long time. I wish you had someone to help you hold his weight up while trying to walk him.

I wonder...can you make a sling contraption to go under his belly that you could walk him with? Supporting his front end and walking, you know?

I've meant to post to this thread for a while. Toward the end of winter DH found one of my little nigie bucks down one morning and I was sure he wouldn't make it. I came in and did a few searches and found this thread. I must have read it four or five times over the next few days and to make a long story short, it save my little boy's life!

It was uncanny how similar their conditions were and how they responded. My buck was down almost two weeks and it was a slow recovery after that but he's as good as new now...DH and I look at him with his huge hay belly and his herd king attitude and can't believe how sick he was and for so long. You would never know it now. I'll never be sure what got him down but in his weakened state, I feel sure he got a worm overload that almost killed him.

I just wanted to thank everyone who offered advice and farmerjohn for doing such a good job documenting the whole thing! I learned a lot and the knowledge has come in handy since.

So glad this thread helped you Wildwood & your little guy is doing great now! Goats are wonderful little creatures but they sure keep us on our toes!

Thanks Backfourty. Mine do keep me on my toes...never a dull moment!