Need help with one of my babies please!

[lovemygoats]

Hi I wanted to know if someone out there can help me out. I have a 1 year old buck, he got out of his pen and got bitten by my neighbor's dog on his ear. I was able to get rid of the stupid dog but my little guy got a cut on his ear. I cleaned it and put on that purple stuff for cuts on it and didnt think much of it . I thought he got lucky because that horrible dog is a big pittbull and mean as he can get. I checked on him next day and his ear is now swollen. I touched it and it felt like he had water inside so I used a needle and made a little hole and lots of water came out. The tip of his ear is swollen, I tried to do the same and poke a little hole but all I got is blood so I left him alone. I have been draining the water from his ear but it is still swollen. I have no money to take him to the vet, I live on a rural area and the only vet that sees farm animals is realy expensive. I dont know what to do. He is eating well and drinking well but I think he is in pain and would like to do something for him. Please can someone help me out here? I would like to be able to bring the swelling down and help him with the pain. I have to wait a few days till I get my pay check to take him to the next town where I found a vet that is willing to work with me. I am also trying to see if my neighbor can help me out since it was his ---- dog but I dont have much hope there. Any ideas anyone? Im looking for a temporary solucion till I get paid. Please help. Thanks!

[dozedotz]

I assume you are referring to Blue Kote? If you cleaned it well and sprayed the Blue Kote and then continued with the Blue Kote I would also have thought that would take care of a bite...BUT saliva is full of nasty critters and it looks like he has an infection. Do you have any antibiotic on hand? Pain can be treated with Prevail which is a generic and less expensive IF you keep that on hand?? Contact the helpful vet and ask him what you might use over the counter that is available and not too expensive to ease the pain and perhaps combat the infection until you can get the little guy in to see the Dr. is what I'm thinking I would do. If you have a goat friend who would be willing to share some antibiotic or pain meds until you get paid, that might help until you see the vet?? Best of luck and sorry for your boy and your rude neighbor!

[Jlynnp]

You did contact animal control or the police to report the dog attack, if not you need to. Then get a gun and the next time shoot the dog.

[motdaugrnds]

If the goat were mine and I in your situation, this is what I'd do.

Fill a syringe with Hydrogen Pyroxide. Drain the water out again and this time immediately wash the are out by inserting that pyroxide into the area where you had drained it. What you want to do is WASH out the insides of that swollen area. (I would do this each time I drained it for awhile.)

[mygoat]

Hydrogen peroxide in a body cavity will cause a lot of tissue damage and I wouldn't be surprised if the tissue would then slough. It may still already depending on if the skin layers are damaged enough. Draining it is all I would suggest, just as you're doing already.

The liquid is likely edema or a hematoma. It's quite common in floppy eared dogs with trauma and is exacerbated when they try to shake their head because it hurts.

[mzgarden]

Do you have unprocessed honey? Honey has been known for years to be a natural antibiotic. 2nd option using things you may have at home, until you can get more help - pack the injury with sugar. Mix sugar with glycerine to make a paste (glycerine makes it sticky), apply to the wound. If possible, bandage to keep the sugar in contact with the wound.
I don't suggest this instead of a vet, but as you say money is a limiter and I got the impression the vet may or may not work with you - suggesting options based on what you may have at home.
Come back and keep us posted on how the little guy does.

[badlander]

Its due to the injury near the ear. Mygoat is correct.

Our ACD had a similar injury last summer. No bite. Injury unknown. He just showed up one morning with his right ear swollen double.


We did a couple of drainings on it to no avail. It kept refilling with fluid. Finally we took him to the vet. Three procedures later he came home with his ear sandwiched between two pieces of plastic to keep it from refilling again. It healed but he has a little 'crinkle' in his ear from the original injury. This is what he wound up looking like with the 'splint' on his ear.



I'd like to say that it will heal on it's own but that's unlikely to happen without the ear becoming deformed. What has happened is that the skin has separated from the cartilage. The little goat is probably shaking his head, exacerbating the swelling. His ear hurts. Keep it clean. Use triple antibiotic ointment on it and watch him for signs of systemic infection from the bite until you can get him to a vet. I don't know about your area but this wasn't an 'expensive' fix at all.

Please do not inject anything into his ear. While draining the swelling will give him relief, you are not a vet and once again, mygoat is right. You could inadvertently damage the ear so he winds up looking like a prize fighter.

The dog's owner should be held liable for any treatment costs for your little goat. I'd definitely file a police report and be talking to a lawyer if he isn't willing to be responsible. That dog is a menace. If it bit a goat, it is only a matter of time before it bites a human.

[motdaugrnds]

OMG you are all so right! It was a bad sore that the Hydrogen Pyroxide I used worked so well on with the scab falling off. Thanks Mygoat for correcting me.

[billinwv]

I have cleared up infections like that with today mastitis treatment. Works great. Use about 1/4 tube.

[lovemygoats]

I want to thank all of you for all your help and advice. Im happy to report that my little guy is doing great. I will tell you all the steps I took in hope that this can help someone else somewhere out there.

I used many of your suggestions. I was able to help my baby without having to go to the vet and all I spent was 20 dollars.
I cleaned the cut with hydrogen peroxide, while I was doing this I noticed that the ear was getting really swollen so I used a really sharp knife and made 2 little cuts on the places that were really swollen. As soon as I cut , a mix of water and blood came out I cleaned the cut really well with peroxide and then with water I bandaged and waited till the bleeding stopped ( the cuts were small, smaller than the bite it was just to drain faster) I bought raw honey like suggested it was a little expensive around here but well worth it. I also remembered that my grandmother once used garlic to heal one of her cows when it was bitten by a wolf a long time ago. I remember asking her why and she told me it was to make sure the cow didnt get an infection. So I bought garlic and made a paste with garlic and the raw honey. I applyed it to the whole ear and bandaged it. I dont know if it was because the infection was not bad or because god sent me a little bit of help or just great home remedies but the swelling stopped almost the next day. I clean and re bandaged everyday and on the second day the swelling was really down.
By the time my paycheck arrived the ear was almost back to normal. I dont know if it also helped with the pain but I could tell he felt better because he was at the front of the line ready to eat the next day. Thank you so much for all your suggestions. As for the dog I called animal control but they said that the neighbor said the dog was missing( not true since I had seen the dog that same day) so I told them and my neighbor that if I caught him in my property again I was going to shoot the dog and animal control agreed.

Again thank you all for your support and help.

[mygoat]

It doesn't sound like it was an infection, it sounds like edema from damage (you saw extra cellular fluid when you opened the swollen areas). I'm glad he got better and it was so easy! Cleaning open wounds with peroxide is fine for most wounds, but it is damaging - in minor abrasions the benefit outweighs the costs though.

[Pony]

It does sound like a hematoma (we used to call them "hematomatoes") to me. I wonder if the pressure from the bandage was sufficient to hold the tissue together until it healed. Garlic and honey are good treatments.

Glad your little guy is doing well.