Seizure in milking doe

cricket · #1 03/25/06, 07:50 AM

What can cause seizures in a milking doe? She's eating fine, drinking fine, everything fine. This morning she had a small seizure that lasted about 30 seconds. This whole weeks she's been acting rather strangely. I know she hasn't gotten into anything poisonous or odd. Just every so often you can see the "look" come over her face and she "flips out". Any ideas????

susanne · #2 03/25/06, 07:54 AM

three reasons come in my mind.
listeriosis, polio and cae. polio and listeriosis are thiamine deficiancies and she would need thiamine and antibiotics. cae is no cure.
i think for meningal worms it is a little bit too early in the season.

cricket · #3 03/25/06, 07:55 AM

She is cae free...been tested before I got her and had no goats on property ever ever ever before her. All the others that I had were also cae free.

susanne · #4 03/25/06, 07:59 AM

is there any chance the hay grain or bedding mareial had mold in it?

cricket · #5 03/25/06, 08:05 AM

Nope...

goatmarm · #6 03/25/06, 08:29 AM

Do you have other goats with her? If so, do they ever have similar symptoms? Wondering if it could be Milk Fever, but I don't have any experience dealing w/that. Milk fever cause wobbly gait in the hindquarters, constipation, and difficult labor. It is when the doe gets too much calcium right before kidding, and this actually causes a depletion in blood calcium. I believe vet attention is needed to administer IV calcium if that is the case.
Another possibility, could she have suffered head trauma?
Also, when leading a doe, there is a spot on their neck(pressure point) which can cause them to drop to the ground, shaking if it is pressed by the collar or maybe by the stanchion(when in the milk stand). You see it happen sometimes when a goat is learning to be led by the collar, and is resistant. Check to see that the stanchion is not pressing on her neck.

cricket · #7 03/25/06, 05:58 PM

I had someone suggest tetnus...But there aren't any new booboos anywhere....not even any old ones. She's been fine today, btw. What do ya'll think about that? I'm fairly certain she was vaccinated as a kid but not absolutely positive.

Oh, and the milking stanchion isn't like anything anybody else has...so there isn't anything there to press on her neck. I'll have to take a picture and post it. I love it and it works great....just different than anything I've ever seen before.