Dairy goat limping, very swollen leg
 

My dairy goat is limping and her leg is quite swollen. I have trimmed her feet and have also found a very tender spot where her hoof meets her leg. I have been soaking her foot in my bleach udder wash and coating it with Kopertox twice a day at milking time. Her milk production is down a lot and she is now hardly eating. It has been very wet and rainy here in central Missouri, so I am now keeping her in my dry barn. Am I wrong to be trying to avoid putting her on antibiotics? I am currently bottle feeding her milk to my week old Shetland lamb that was rejected by her mama. Should I soak her foot in Epsom salt instead of the bleach solution? Use iodine instead of the Kopertox?

Is it just one leg? Do you have a picture?

What's her diet like?

Is she grinding her teeth?

Can you check her temp, then take the temp of a healthy herd mate for comparison then come back and let us know the temp?

Is there a visible wound or just swelling?

Any animal here looking "off" in any way gets a big shot of fortified B complex, baking soda, then their temp checked.... After that we progress into specific diagnosis/treatment :)

Do you have any Banamine on hand?

Also, is she current on CDT & do you have tetanus anti-toxin on hand if she isn't?

It is just her front left leg. I feed her Show Goat feed, grass hay, and black oil sunflower seeds.
I don't believe she is grinding her teeth.
I can take her temp. And I will report back.
I'm about to check on her again and will check to see if there are any changes to her foot.
I don't have Banamine.
She is up to date on her shots.

I can't get her temperature alone. She just won't l let me. My husband will be home in a couple hours and will help me. In the meantime, here is a picture of the problem. I put some Nolvasan on it while I was down there.

Wow..that looks sore. Is there any chance that something like a thorn or nail has punctured her? It's so hard to find when there's hair. Or could she have caught her hoof/foot and sprained it or fractured something?

I'd try soaking it in Epsom salts (warm water) and see if the swelling comes down for her. If she is running a temp when you take it..I would give antibiotics.

I hope she starts responding to treatment soon for ya. Is she eating and drinking okay?

Looks like an injury to me. Like she got her foot caught and twisted and that is what is causing the swelling. Banamine is a great anti-inflamatory. Do you have a vet near by? Or some horse friends or neighbors should have some on hand. Is she able to put weight on it? I would concentrate more on getting the swelling down...the owie doesn't look too bad, looks like a scrape to me (correct me if I'm wrong). If she is not putting any weight on it it could be fractured or broken. Good to keep her in a dry barn and as quiet as possible. Let us know what the temp is when hubby gets home :)

The Epsom salt are where I'm heading next. She isn't eating much. I keep trying to avoid antibiotics. I will if I have to but I'm not sure if that will ruin her milk for being able to feed it to my little orphaned lamb...

That red spot was nearly unnoticeable yesterday. It is getting larger, which is why I keep thinking it's an abscess.

If she does require antibiotics..I don't think it will hurt to feed the lamb the milk. Plenty of folks on here give their does shots and have babies sucking or bottle feeding with the does milk.

If the swelling doesn't start coming down..I think you may have to call a vet in.

Ohhhh...I would use anti-biotics with an abcess. I don't know what that will do for the milk though. I would shave the whole area and look for punctures and to get a feel for what you are dealing with . Hair can hide a lot. shoot! If you cannot get a vet, then I would stick it with a syringe and see what comes out. Is the bottom of her foot totally ok? no chance of a nail being stuck in there or something that would cause an abcess? It may need to be lanced and a drain placed :( Usually a bad abcess will cause an elevated temp but not all the time.

Anybody have antibiotics suggestion? I will have to hurry to the feed store to get what is needed before they close. I don't have a set of clippers to shave the hair but I have gone over her foot very closely. There isn't anything stuck in it. I can probably stick a needle in the red spot...

I have LA-200 and she weighs about 90 pounds...

If you can get BioMycin from the feed store I would get that. It is the same medication as LA 200 but doesn't sting like LA 200. Give 1cc per 20 pounds.
I would start her on antibiotics & keep soaking her hoof with epson salts.

Thanks Katie! I will look for that. I sure hope I'm on the right track to help my girl. She is so sweet and loving...

Does it feel like there might be fluid trapped in there?

It does feel soft and kind of squishy..

yikes. I'm afraid that if you just suck out the pus it will just come back. Fill up again. That is why a drain might be needed :(

How odd.... And it's just that one foot? Is the coronary band squishy on it too? How about the other front leg, is it completely normal? I saw a foundered goat with sites like that and very soft coronary bands, but it was both front legs, not one...

How long has she been sore and limping? Did it come on suddenly or slowly?

As to anti-biotics, Duramycin 72 is cheap and easy to find at TSC and is in the same class aa Biomycin. It's my go to anti-biotic.... Wish you were closer, I'd give you a dose of Banamine.

I keep looking at that red spot. I can't really tell from the pic..but it doesn't look raised like I would think a boil or abcess would look. If it isn't raised and looking like it is "gathering"..I don't think I'd puncture it.

How's your doe doing? I keep thinking about her leg/hoof problem.

I was finally able to find a vet to help me with her. He placed her on Banamine and Nuflor. Also said to keep doing the Epsom salt soaks and the Kopertox twice a day. So, that's where we are. Thank you all for you input!

Oh that's good!! Does he think it's just a nasty injury?

Good! I hope she heals up really fast :)