Eight week old buckling..wobbly back legs

[Tamar]

Hi all,

When the triplets were born, the first one to come out was the biggest male. She was standing to deliver him. It appeared to go well, though at the last second she as it were swung her backside back and forth and the little guy came out with a plop onto the hay. We gave them all selenium shots at birth and three weeks later, but that particular buckling was the slowest to walk and seemed to ever so slightly drag one of his rear legs now and again.

I noticed today that he is really dragging both his rear legs, and often ends up sitting like a dog would. As he plays with the other buckling, they both rise up on their hind legs in a mock attack..but he usually ends up falling back on his legs, and it looks like a dog in sitting position. He gets right back up, he can run and dance...but his rear legs are very wobbly. Is there anything I can give him, or do for him to strengthen those legs?

Thanks for any advice,
blessings,
Tamar

[oceanmist]

Originally Posted by Tamar

Hi all,

When the triplets were born, the first one to come out was the biggest male. She was standing to deliver him. It appeared to go well, though at the last second she as it were swung her backside back and forth and the little guy came out with a plop onto the hay. We gave them all selenium shots at birth and three weeks later, but that particular buckling was the slowest to walk and seemed to ever so slightly drag one of his rear legs now and again.

I noticed today that he is really dragging both his rear legs, and often ends up sitting like a dog would. As he plays with the other buckling, they both rise up on their hind legs in a mock attack..but he usually ends up falling back on his legs, and it looks like a dog in sitting position. He gets right back up, he can run and dance...but his rear legs are very wobbly. Is there anything I can give him, or do for him to strengthen those legs?

Thanks for any advice,
blessings,
Tamar

What have you already done for this little guy?

2 things come to mind right off... weak kid syndrome and Bo-Se...

what's his temp and how is he doing now?

take care, Misty

[oceanmist]

OBTAINED FROM WWW.TENNESSEEMEATGOATS.COM


Selenium Deficiency (aka White Muscle Disease) can cause weak rear legs in newborn and young kids and can keep the kid from swallowing. Walking on one's pasterns can also be a sign of selenium deficiency. Your county extension service agent or feed company nutritionist should be able to tell you if you are in a selenium-deficient area. Prescription BoSe should be injected into newborns and young kids in selenium-deficient areas at a dosage rate of 1/2 cc given IM. Dosage for adult dams is 2-1/2 cc's, also given IM. Do not use MuSe; it is too strong for goats. BoSe has selenium and vitamin E in it.

Mineral and Vitamin Deficiencies can affect newborns and young kids in ways similar to selenium deficiency. Copper is essential to the goat's body. Loss of hair color and inability to breed or ability to carry fetuses to term are indicators of copper deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness, poor hair coat, loss of appetite, and can predispose the kid to diarrhea, parasites, and respiratory diseases. Vitamin D is essential to the body's calcium and phosphorus absorption processes. Vitamin E deficiency contributes to White Muscle Disease (selenium deficiency) aka nutritional muscular distrophy, which affects the kid's ability to stand and use its muscles properly. All of the B vitamins are important to proper rumen function. Vitamin B-1 (thiamine) deficiency can result in goat polio. Cobalt deficiency prevents synthesis of Vitamin B-12. Some minerals work together well and some minerals prevent absorption of other minerals. The form in which the mineral is used (oxide, sulfide, sulfate, etc) makes a difference in how the goat's body can utilize it. Nutrition, including vitamins and minerals, is the most complex part of raising goats. Check with your goat vet or livestock feed nutritionist for known vitamin and mineral deficiencies in your area.

Good management practices go a long way towards preventing illnesses. Sufficient space to avoid over-crowding, clean and dry pens, fresh water, quality hay, and sanitary conditions are minimum requirements. Filth and crowding breed sickness. If you can learn to think like a goat, you can reduce the frequency of illnesses, injuries, and deaths.

Originally Posted by Tamar

Hi all,

When the triplets were born, the first one to come out was the biggest male. She was standing to deliver him. It appeared to go well, though at the last second she as it were swung her backside back and forth and the little guy came out with a plop onto the hay. We gave them all selenium shots at birth and three weeks later, but that particular buckling was the slowest to walk and seemed to ever so slightly drag one of his rear legs now and again.

I noticed today that he is really dragging both his rear legs, and often ends up sitting like a dog would. As he plays with the other buckling, they both rise up on their hind legs in a mock attack..but he usually ends up falling back on his legs, and it looks like a dog in sitting position. He gets right back up, he can run and dance...but his rear legs are very wobbly. Is there anything I can give him, or do for him to strengthen those legs?

Thanks for any advice,
blessings,
Tamar

[Tamar]

Hi again,

Because we live in a selenium deficiency area we gave them all shots at birth and followed up three weeks later. The vet had me give 1/2 CC of BOSE
to each of them right after birth and a repeat three weeks later.


Would it help to get another prescription of bose? How much for a buckling who weighs about 35 lbs?

Thanks
blessings,
Tamar

PS he doesn'et have a fever at all, his appetite has always been..healthy!
I am just concerned about his legs. Everything else about him is normal..he discovered he is male and he and his brother are separated from their mom and sister and my other nanny and her doeling.
I have been bottling the triplets since birth.

[chris30523]

I had a couple of different kids with what sounds like the same thing. Both had somewhat of a traumatic delivery and it happened at about 8 weeks. We gave baking soda and nutradrench for about three days they were fine after and are all now 6mos old.Something about the trauma causing acid build up ?? I don't even remember where I read it.I read so much but it worked.

[Tamar]

Thanks Chris,

I have both of those here..

Did you let them eat the baking soda themselves? Because they are on bottle I am sure I could get it into them with a bottle some warm water and molossas maybe?

How many pumps of the nutridrench?

Thanks so much, getting ready to head out there soon as I get a reply

Blessings,
Tamar

[Feral Nature]

You stated that you live in a known selenium deficient area. So if he was my goat, i would give him 1/2 cc BoSe for 3 days in a row. I would also give vit. E gel cap by mouth, one each time I give a shot of BoSe. Poke a hole in it and squish in the mouth. I would actually have done that at birth and not waited 3 weeks before giving the second dose. I would have given all the kids a 3 day run of BoSe even though just one kid showed severe outward signs of selenium deficiency.

This is just what i would do as i am by no means an expert or a vet, this is what works for me. I have had babies with wiggle-wobbly legs before and the BoSe treatment straightens them right out, but I give more of it than you did.

[Tamar]

Thanks Feral,

I only did what the vet told me to do

Are you saying it would help him still to get more Bose? The vet only gave me enough for the triplets and told me to give it again three weeks after the first shots, I did that and the tiny vial was empty. I would be happy to pick up more bose if it will help him!


Blessings,
Tamar

[Liese]

Tamar, your vet gave you the amounts & info that are standard practices. Before giving more Bo-Se you may want to talk to your university vet people because you can overdose Selenium - this could be deady for the little guy. I'm not saying Feral is giving bad advice here but with such drastic consequences you might want to double check. After administering a dose of Bo-Se & Vit E, you should see improvement after a week. Hay quality is also important and you might want to check that your goat mineral is really good and always available.

[chris30523]

I gave about a teaspoon of dry baking soda in their mouth twice a day. The nutradrenc a couple of pumps twice a day. They don't like the baking soda.But dry they cant spit it all out and get plenty.

[susanne]

tamar i think to talk to your university vet people is a very good advice.
what mineral do your goats have available. certain mineral deficiencies in dams can and do show up in their kids.
one other possibility is that a nerve was pinched when he was born.

[Tamar]

G'mornin

I called the university and not too much help there. They put me through to a vet, who sounded as though I interupted something. He basically said...it can't be a selenium problem because what I administered at birth and three weeks later was sufficient for any deficiency problems. He said I could have a vet pull blood samples and run tests to see what if could be. Before I could really say anything he had already hung up. He might of been in the middle of something when I called....?

Trying the nutridrench and baking soda for now

Blessings,
Tamar

[susanne]

what mineral do you have out for your goats?

[chris30523]

I hope it works for you. I also was giving a Bcombo vitamin orally .I have since heard it won't work that way? The baking soda and nutradrench won't hurt. I have also learned we do all we can but we can't save them all.Good luck

[Tamar]

Thanks Chris

The mineral block we use is the one the feed lot sells that is good for both sheep and goats. We have them together so we had to have a copper free one that the sheep could use as well. Not sure of the name of it though.

I could give him a shot of b12 if it would help?

Blessings,
Tamar

[Tamar]

Do any of you think it wise to get more bose and give him another shot along with vitaman E as shared above?

Thanks,
Tamar

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by Tamar

Thanks Chris

The mineral block we use is the one the feed lot sells that is good for both sheep and goats. We have them together so we had to have a copper free one that the sheep could use as well. Not sure of the name of it though.

I could give him a shot of b12 if it would help?

Blessings,
Tamar

I think you need to supply copper some other way if it's not in their mineral. Some people bolus copper.

[chris30523]

The b12 won't hurt. It is water soluable and if isn't needed it is passed in the urine.

[Feral Nature]

I would imagine that your goats are also very copper deficient. Any minerals labeled for sheep AND goats by it's very nature will not have enough copper for goats. this is because sheep cannot handle the amount of copper that goats need. Sheep will become toxic with the amount goats need. Also, they cannot get enough from a block, they need loose minerals. Cow or horse loose minerals would be FAR better than what you are using.

I use Cargill Right Now Emerald loose cattle minerals. I would prefer the "onyx" over the "emerald" and will switch soon.

Do change your mineral choice. Anything labled sheep is not good for goats even if it says goats on the lable.