something wrong with goat

[ugabulldog]

Last night our 9 month old goat fell down and kinda spun around like she was having a seizure for about 3 seconds but then got back up and was fine. this morning she was fine, then tonight she fell down again and couldn't (or wouldn't) get back up- like she loses control of her back legs.
The only thing differnet I can think of which i don't think is related (at least I hope not) is she was limping a little so I trimmed her back hoofs a few days ago (I am new at doing this), but nothing major, no blood or anything. And I gave her some horse wormer (the same active ingredient they sell for goats), but VERY little and adjusted WAY down for her weight (the tube has notches next to weight). Any help is appreciated. Also, we thought she might be pregnant because she looks and feels bigger on her left side.

[Alice In TX/MO]

What is her temp?

Exactly which wormer and how much?

Have you done a fecal test for worms?

What are you feeding her, how much, what mineral?

I highly recommend you navigate over to dairygoatinfo.com and do a lot of reading in Goatkeeping 101. Here's a good place to start:
http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=2077.0

[beccachow]

Any change of feed? Any possibility of exposure to moldy hay? Get some thiamine from the doc yesterday, or get to a feed store and get vitamin B1. I'm not sure what you're dealing with, but some of the heavy hitters present like this (seizures and loss of back leg function). You can't hurt her with it, and it could help her.

[Chaty]

Yep it almost sounds like goat polio. Fortified B complex or Thiamine is what you should use. Depends on what type of wormer you used but that should do this. Is she stargazing , off to herself? crying and bending her nect to her side. most of this is signs of polio or listeriosis. polio is the easiest to treat listerosis is harder to treat but basically the same meds but with antibiotics also.
Bad or moldy hay can cause this and also treatments for cocci can bring this on as it depletes the b in their system.
Is she pooping and peeing well. Check her skin to see if she is dehydrated. Goats are a mystery sometimes and you have to go with your gut to treat. Good luck

[beccachow]

Wondering how the doeling is making out?

[birdiegirl]

Are there deer in your area? You might want to consider meningeal worm, or deerworm.
Last year my goat contracted meningeal worm. I first noticed signs of limping, like she was dragging her back leg a bit. When the other goats bumped into her, she would fall over and trash around for a few minutes, she had difficulty righting herself. She was still eating and drinking normally.
Treatment for mengingeal worm is ivermectin. I gave my goat an injection of ivermectin and she recovered.

[DixyDoodle]

Was it Safeguard dewormer? I am very suspicious of that dewormer since one of my goats died from it last year.

Like someone said, I would start getting some B1 into her. My goat went off her feed and water, I ended up handfeeding her just to keep her going, but she did recover. Is she acting like she can't see properly? If it's polio, she can recover from that as well so don't be alarmed about that.

But the sudden seizure thing? I wonder if it is possible it's a blood clot? Or maybe the dewormer caused a sudden quick die-off of a large load of worms, causing a toxic reaction?

Anyhow, I would get the B1....if you are totally desperate, you can also just buy B1/thiamine pills from a pharmacy and get some of those into her.

[ugabulldog]

birdiegirl, that sounds like symptoms and we do have lots of deer, I will try the ivermectrin, you said you gave her an "injection?" can I give her the oral kind? The wormer I gave her before was safeguard. I really don't think it's polio or listeria because she started this two days ago and doesn't have any other symptoms. She will walk in pasture limping slightly, then I see her lying down, struggling to get up but when I stand her up she stays standing. Please let me know about the ivermectrin injection question as I would like to try this. The only other thing I can think of is we have a one month old calf that stays in the barn with her, maybe she got kicked...??

Edit, I think the seizure thing might just be her falling down and spinning around a couple of times because she is scared? I called one of the #'s on the goat 911 forum and they couldn't come up with anything. I would feel pretty dumb if it was a calf kick and I didn't think of that sooner.

[dragonchick]

IF its deer worm, I think it HAS to be injected. When you do this be prepared for the goat to scream, fall down and generally act like shes dying. Ivermectin burns when injected.

[betsy h.]

Ugabulldog- She needs a vet! There are goat vets near Athens, GA straight down I-85 if you are close to there- you need to have this doe looked at by a vet.

He teaches at UGA and she has a private practice at their farm. PM me and I can give you their info-

[fishhead]

Try doing a search of this site for the proper dosage and type of Ivermectin.