Anemic looking doe

[petaddict]

I'm hoping someone might have a diagnosis that my vet hasn't come up with yet.
I have a nubian/saanen, 3 years old, freshened 5 weeks ago with triplets. She is terribly thin (87 lbs) and her eyes just look anemic to me. I took her to the vet. They ran a fecal and all was fine. They drained a small lump on her udder which we were hoping was just a lymph node but appeared to be an abscess with a clear fluid (not CL). They sent the fluid off for a culture but won't know the results for 5 days. They ran a blood test. This was her last email to me.
Let's see... she was mildly anemic blood (PCV 25%) should be 35-45%. Abscesss cytology was mostly cocci bacteria and some degenerative white cells ( normal abcess from staph or strep skin bacteria most likely) but We DID send culture off.

Some days she eats like she starving (like a goat) and others she eats very slowly. She has no fever and her milk production is still way up. Her coat looks fine, poop also looks fine. She drinks normally and really sucks down Power Punch (amino acids, electrolytes etc. that I give right after they've kidded).

Any ideas?

[Alice In TX/MO]

If she had bad coccidia infestations as a young goat, her digestive system may be too damaged to take up adequate nutrients from her food.

What are you feeding her (complete list, please), what mineral supplement is available for her, and do you copper bolus?

[petaddict]

I've owned her for 2 years (she was one when I got her) and she has always been very hardy and healthy up till now. Last year's kidding she didn't get thin like this

Ok, food. She gets all she can eat on the milk stand (I get 1/2 a gallon each milking so however much she can eat in that time) Dumor Goat feed (not sweet, except occasionally when TC runs out of what I normally buy) from Tractor Supply. She gets alfalfa pellets every day - not free choice because all my goats love them and would eat a whole bag at a time. She also gets a mixed grass hay and browse. This year they've all been eating grass like sheep since there's very little else to browse on yet. They always have free choice Golden Blend goat minerals from Hoeggers. No, I don't copper bolus her. I looked up copper, selenium and cobalt deficiencies to see if any of them fit and they didn't really look like they did but maybe I'm missing something. This has all come on since kidding.
Thanks for looking at this Alice and anyone else who can think of something.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Has she been tested for CAE and Johnnes?

[petaddict]

She tested negative for CAE last May but has never been tested for Johnnes. I'm going to look up those symptoms now that you mentioned it.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I will tell you that we have a doe who "puts it all in the milk bucket." She is such a productive milker that she just can't really keep meat on her bones while she's producing milk.

We give her the extras, BOSS, beet pulp, and peanut butter cookies.

[chamoisee]

I would limit her grain to 1.5# per milking max, and give her free choice alfalfa hay in a pen of her own if I had to, at least at night if nothing else. If you can get Red Cell there, give that?

Oh yes- what Alice said about beet pulp, BOSS, etc. Yes.

[petaddict]

I'm going to go give her some treats.
I emailed my vet to ask if she thinks it could be Johne's. I'm feeling a little sick about it since you mentioned it. I hope she's just like your productive milker and that's all it is.
I appreciate your replies Alice.

[steff bugielski]

If it was just that she is a high producer her eyelids would still be pink.
The pale eyelids are cause for concern . If they are close to white you have a big problem not easily brought around. Give her handfuls of parsley for the anemia.like a whole bunch at a time.

[medic]

Not to jack this thread but I'm interested as well, we have a doe with similar problem. Her gums & eyelids are better now but still under weight. She gets all the extras as well with grain including boss, beet shreds, cracked corn. I have red cell but short of drenching them they won't drink it. Her last fecal was good the new vet we use actually spins it down instead of just the float test. I may try the parsley never heard of that before.

[freedomfrom4]

Mine won't eat parsley. I just threw away a bunch of it. I wonder if the grocery put something bad on it that the goats know not to eat?

How do you feed beet pulp? I have used it for horses before but not the goats except when they got the horse leftovers. How much do you feed? I know with horses it has a less risk of founder and helps with weight.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Half a cup or so, topdress their grain.

[freedomfrom4]

so not soaked?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Nope.

[petaddict]

I'll try parsley. At this point it seems like she'll eat anything. She seems really hungry. Tonight she sucked down several fig newtons. I keep thinking (hoping) she has a deficiency of something that I could give her that will fix it. She does seem to lick the salt block a lot.

[Alice In TX/MO]

That's because salt blocks are not the best way to get minerals in a goat. Their tongues are too smooth. She needs a loose mineral. She is licking it a lot because she's deficient in something and can't get enough from the block.

[Creamers]

If she is looking anemic - eyelids that pale- you need to give her red cell or injectable iron and daily Vit B12 shots - until she improves. . .give the red cell twice a week or the injectable.

It takes a long time to see improvement. You never know about Johnnes - a friend said always do the fecal testing, no the blood testing.

I'd also add rice bran pellets or Nutrena Omega - both HIGH fat and cool calories - for now.

[petaddict]

She always has loose minerals and salt block. She doesn't seem to be eating the minerals any more than usual, like she's craving them or anything. You know how sometimes you put more minerals out and some goats attack them? She's not doing that.

Where do you get rice bran pellets and Nutrena Omega? I'll Google it.
I'm going to talk to my vet again today to see what else we can come up with.
She doesn't seem to lack energy, which surprises me. I used to hate that she was so pushy with the others. Now I'm happy to see her being pushy because I know she's feeling ok. Silly, I know.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Any bran from the feed store will do.

[medic]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Any bran from the feed store will do.

I got perhaps a silly question, will increasing bran soften pellets?