Goat in pain - limping, swollen, walking on outside of hoof

Hi Nancy
Yes! I don't think anything is broken. I would agree that it's a sprained or torn ligament. But when I tore a ligament in my foot, the doctor put me in a boot to stabilize and restrict movement so it could heal. So I keep thinking that will help him.

I'm not sure what you see on xrays - I would think the vet would have let me know if something was seen. I'm tempted to send them to the UGA vet.

I have the sam splint. Can anyone suggest how I would place it? Include the hoof? Go to just under his knee? Curve in the back and open front or down each side and under the hoof? I have no clue how to brace it.

http://www.sammedical.com/products/sam-splint/

Just checked, and ligaments do not show up on Xrays. A bone bent sideways at the joint because of ligament damage might though, wouldn't it? I guess the main thing would be to figure out a way to get the leg positioned in a straight line and keep it that way first, and then wrap it. The sam-splint looks good. You'd probably have to go below the hoof to keep it from riding up.

There was no bent bone on the x-ray. That I know of...

I would make an L, hoof on the bottom part and come up from behind his leg. I have a Sam splint too but Toast is a Nigerian Dwarf so it was too big for her.

I tried to replicate this as best I could
https://www.orthovet.com/product/ort...nt-leg-splint/

Thanks! That helps!

Sorry, I didn't say it right. I meant flexed joint I guess. When it shouldn't have been. Like if a ligament on one side was pulling and the other side wasn't. Never mind. Just a silly idea.

Hope it starts to heal soon. You're a good mamma.

No, no, Nancy! I really appreciate your input. I appreciate EVERYBODY'S input!

When I tore my ligament and tendons away from the bone you could see a small black line between the bone and ligament. If you had no idea what you were looking for you wouldn't have a clue.

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I'm so done here.

You hit the nail on the head there.

Well - I have an update on Rocco - sort of. Really hoping that someone can give me some concrete information here.

This has actually progressed to something different. I'll try to make this brief, but basically, I'm wondering if anyone has reference range values for goats.

I had a THIRD vet out to look at his leg and to take blood. Remember - he had urinary calculi when he was 2 yo (and I watched the Ca:P diligently) and he has those bony mounds on his body. This vet said there are arthritic changes, but also 'calcification of distal ligaments'. I asked her to do a trace mineral panel as I'm very curious about his calcium / phosphorus / magnesium / zinc levels in addition to the selenium and copper. I got the results today and the lab has only reference ranges for sheep. WHAT ? Is that at all useful?

The vet said he is selenium deficient and he's normal in all other values. But if you go by the interpretation on the results he is VERY high in Manganese and very low in molybdenum. And honestly, I don't think he's truly deficient in selenium.

I am going to try to post the results here and WELCOME any input on this.

As always, I appreciate your help

Attached Files

Rocco Blood work 04272014.pdf (19.6 KB, 0 views)

Newbie but I have to say I got our 3 CAE positive goats from supposedly tested and CAE free herds.

(the 3 I got from a goat dairy were clean)...
I would have him tested.

I have a packgoat wether who has a bad rear ankle. It looks a lot like your goat's front ankle. Swollen and painful. X rays showed nothing. I think he injured it a couple of years ago and it's never really healed. Two things I've done that seem to have helped. A friend suggested a dietary supplement called Cetyl-M. I've been giving him that for several months now. I think it has helped some. Giving him pills or liquids is a real battle. So I make him a little sandwich by sprinkling some on a slice of bread and folding it over. I've tried wrapping it with an ACE bandage when we go out and around, but I've been warned not to leave it on or it may reduce circulation and make the problem worse. I think I've seen that happen once or twice. What I needed was a wrap that was easy to put on and take off, and only put it on when I take him out of the pen to go browsing or a hike. My wife gave me a human wrist wrap thing, with a hole in it for the thumb, and velcro to snug it up. Since I've been using that he is really improving. The swelling has gone way down, and he isn't lame from it any more. It may never really heal completely, but at least he can now go out on hikes and go browsing with the other goats.

Here is the wrap I've been using. The thumb hole lets his dew claws stick out of the wrap which makes it much more comfortable for him. I goes on and off pretty easily. It has a metal strip running the length of it, inside, that limits flexing of the ankle. I don't put it on very tightly for fear of cutting off blood circulation. I think it has helped a lot.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/3-Point-Pr...Black/22426592

The swelling has gone way down and he runs and jumps like he's in no pain at all. If your goat's problem is due to an injury, this may help. I know that when I was younger I tore up both ankles playing basketball. ACE bandages and high top shoes eventually allowed my ankles to heal.

gila_dog
Your post is super helpful - thank you.

Funny thing is, the carpal tunnel brace was the FIRST thing I thought I should use too. I pulled it out of my linen closet - thought about it - then decided not to use it. But that's what I thought at first too - perfect for on and off and almost shaped exactly like a goat leg. I will try it!

Do you use the Cetyl-M for livestock? They have it for dogs and horses also.

Sometimes I give supplement sandwiches too, but when I put meds on salty tortilla/nacho chips, they will fight over it (because they love it so much). Just an FYI.

But, love the brace idea - thanks for the nudge

Valsey, I've been watching your post with much interest. I picked up a boy on Sunday, his foot looks identical to yours. Interested to see how the splint works for you. Will keep an eye on your post!

gila_dog - do you also pad the brace to keep from chafing and rubbing?

Also - do you know if it's a right or left handed brace? I just did a trial run on one of the goats and I think I'll need a left handed one b/c the metal strip is on the wrong side

Have you ever tested him for CAE?

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I don't put any padding under it. I just don't tighten it too much. I think over tightening, like wrapping with tape or something, may cause more problems that it solves. I think it's a right hand brace, but I don't think it would matter. The metal strip is along one side and just keeps the ankle (or wrist) from flexing very much. I had to sew on more velcro so I could wrap the velcro straps around and secure them down.

The Cetyl-M is for horses. But I've been giving it to the goat per the weight-dosage ration on the package. I get it in a powdered form, it looks like brown sugar. I give him maybe a teaspoon full, sprinkled onto a piece of bread, then folded over, once a day. Some times he turns his nose up at it, so I just put it away and give it to him later. He seems to like it better when the bread is dried out and stale.

The Cetyl-M and the brace have returned this guy to packgoat duty. But it's taken several months to do it. He's also been on light duty, not carrying any weight and not going too far. Back in December I thought he was doomed because he was in so much pain, and just carried his foot around, not putting any weight on it. Now he runs and jumps and gets into heat bashing games with his fellow packgoats. Regarding all the minerals and such that others have talked about, I don't worry about any of that. I give the boys a trace mineral salt block to lick, feed them alfalfa and grass hay, and take them out to eat weeds and trees several times a week. That plus their normal packgoat duties (lots of hiking) and they stay pretty healthy.

Here's a couple of pics of him, just so you can see what a great guy he is, and why I hated to lose him. He's 8 yrs old now, and other than the ankle, still going strong. He's my smartest goat, and has such a good attitude. I really love him. His name is Moose.