Goat going blind

cassierousseau · #1 06/23/11, 08:40 AM

A little history. My milking doe got sick first. On Thursday and Friday, when I milked her, she just didn't seem like she felt well. I looked her all over but couldn't see anything wrong. Saturday, one eye was a little weepy so I started treating for pink eye. By Monday her eye was milky white so I called the vet. She had a fever so the vet said was systemic, gave her all kinds of antibiotics and something for pain. That eye turned solid white and distended with a pink ring around it and the other eye started turning white. We wormed and continued antibiotics. She got better, her fever went down and she obviously started feeling better, but her eyes went milky white to solid white and then started turning reddish brown. She was completely blind in both eyes. She wasn't happy. I kept her locked in the barn stall because I was afraid if dogs or something got in our pasture she would be defenseless. She cried for the other goats when they went out in the pasture. One night she got out of the barn. When I got her from the pasture she was just standing there looking scared. So we put her down.
She was an awesome goat. Registered Alpine that gave a gallon a day. More than that, she was a friend. I'm still torn up about it.
Now, my problem. She has a doe kid, about 8 weeks old. The vet said it was ok to bottle feed her the milk, so I did. Then, one of her eyes got weepy. Vet said she's never heard of this. The doe kid didn't have a fever, but eye went milky white. I weaned her early and started antibiotics in that eye. She seemed to be improving, but when the doe got out, I think the kid got some more milk because it's been 2 days and her eye is worse, I think blind in that eye. The other eye is clear still. The eye is weeping, her cheek is covered in greenish gooey discharge, so it does seem to be an infection.
Any ideas what can be causing this?

Alice In TX/MO · #2 06/23/11, 09:15 AM

Are you treating her eyes directly with antibiotic? The vet needs to culture the eye fluid, too.

Creamers · #3 06/23/11, 11:30 AM

I would REALLY like to know, too - never heard of anything like this!

hyamiranda · #4 06/23/11, 11:39 AM

I also have no idea, but would like to see how this progresses or what is discovered. I'm sorry about your doe. The lady I bought our goats from had a blind goat that had been "adopted" by a wether. It was the strangest thing to see, the wether would lead the other goat around by calling to it and physical contact.

I hope this can somehow be resolved.

Natural Beauty Farm · #5 06/23/11, 11:45 AM

Really Confused........
What did your doe have?
For your description it sounds like Pink eye and a cold which was being treated.
Goats cry... some more than others. Its their way of talking and finding the herd. If she was blind and had a kid then I bet it was constantly.

Cheribelle · #6 06/24/11, 03:46 AM

Wow. Please keep us updated. This is kind of scary.

cassierousseau · #7 06/24/11, 07:59 AM

The doeling's eye is improving. It's still whitish, but not solid white or distended like her momma's was. She didn't have as much drainage last night as there was before so I think she's improving.
I don't know what my doe had. She had had mastitis about 4 weeks before all this started and I had treated that. She seemed fine and then everything else started. She seemed like pinkeye when it first started, but the vet said it wasn't pinkeye since there was a fever, it was systemic. The vet didn't really know. We only have 2 large animal vets in our area and neither is a "goat vet." She said it's possible the mastitis went systemic, but she really didn't know what happened.
The doe was treated with 2 different antibiotic shots and antibiotic eye ointment. I've treated the doeling with just antibiotic eye ointment as she has not had a fever.
Without knowing what this was, it's really scared me off goats milk for me and my family.
I was also feeding the milk to a dairy steer we have and he is fine, so at least this did not cross species.

southerngurl · #8 06/24/11, 08:03 AM

I bet she got it through contact with mom and the incubation period caused the delay. I would.give the baby garlic daily. It is an excellent broad spectrum antibiotic. Also some eyebright in the eyes and orally too.

cassierousseau · #9 07/05/11, 07:46 AM

An update. The vet thinks this was mycoplasma. (http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issu...ycoplasma.html and http://www.goatwisdom.com/ch8diseases/mycoplasma.html) This seems to fit as she had mastitis and then blindness. Still treating the goat kid's eyes. One seemed to clear up, then the other started getting bad. I'm treating both eyes and hoping for the best.

noeskimo · #10 07/05/11, 03:37 PM

I'm so glad to hear she's doing better. Here's another thought:I don't know if goats can get ehrlichia, carried by ticks, but dogs can.It is caused by a rickettsia, same genus as organism that causes Q fever.My dog went completely blind, 2 months ago. It started with fever, sore joints. I took her to the vet-who checked her platelets: they were low.He put her on tetracycline. Next day, the milky eyes. Then they were an eerie dark color. She was given steroids and more antibiotics.Gradually,over the next two weeks, her stiffness went away and the eyesight returned.Yea- a miracle!