boer kid wont kick pneumonia

furrflys · #1 04/22/05, 05:41 PM

i recently purchaced a boer buckling from auction. he is about 3 or so months of age. when we picked him up we noticed he showed symptoms of pneumonia(cough, shallow rapid breathing, cloudy nasal discharge, blue tinged mucousal membranes during bad episodes of respiratory distress, general lethargy.) we started treating him with injectable penicllin 1/2cc every morning for last 5 days (he wieghs 45lbs) he seemed to do better for the first 4 days but on 4th night his symptoms returned as before treatment. i went ahead and gave hime the morning 1/2cc of penicillin and made him comfortable and left for work. when i returned (8 hours) later he showed no improvement still. i was hopeing someone might have information or ideas on what i should do next. any info is appreciated. also the kid was wormed with ivermectin to rid him of any parasites that may cause problems. and he is eating fresh browse, a bit of alfalfa as i had read not to feed him any feed concentrates while ill. i supplement red cell and offer salt/mineral block. he's a sweet kid i hate to lose him. thanks for reading
marilyn

furrflys · #2 04/22/05, 06:23 PM

his temperature is 101.3f forgot to post in main tread

shelbynteg · #3 04/22/05, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by furrflys

his temperature is 101.3f forgot to post in main tread

His temp is fine, my first choice for respiratory infections in Nuflor, if that is ineffective, then I will use Naxcel or Excenel. I don't find penn. very effective against respiratory infections. These meds I'm suggesting are all prescription. Good luck.

Ark · #4 04/23/05, 08:19 AM

Hi!

I just want to encourage you not to give up on this kid.
We went through the same thing for about 3 weeks - we bought a Nubian kid, by the time we got home she had pneumonia. Took her to the vet the next day because she was SO bad. He gave me 2 days worth of Nuflor and Banamine and said she would die. :no:
For 2 days I syringed electrolytes into her, and meds, then went back for more medicine. Vet again gave me 2 days worth and said "She will die before you run out of meds."

Grr.... well, long story short, I nursed her round the clock for a week, then she got better. Then, she relapsed and got BAD again. This kid will NOT take a bottle, so I put her on a foster mom when she was feeling well enough to nurse, but most of that time she refused to nurse.
She is doing great now, and she loves her new mama who is a LaMancha. The LM has accepted her as her own kid!
Rachel

Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians · #5 04/23/05, 01:30 PM

He is not getting better because you haven't done anything for the pnemonia yet. Any 300,00 unit penicillin is used at 3cc per 50 pounds, given subq, and used twice a day. A better OTC would be a tetracycline 200 mg (LA 200, Biomycin there are hundreds of them) 3cc per 100 pounds given once a day for 4 or 5 days. Using Banamine 1cc per 100 pounds along with the meds, will improve lung function, by decreasing swelling.

Find another vet, there is no such thing as 2 days worth of meds to treat pnemonia. Never purchase syringes full of meds, opt to purchase the whole bottle, it's cheaper in the long run, then come to the boards and ask for dosages.

And sadly the temp does go down before death. And if a goat is not treated agressively for pnemonia the lungs will be scarred for ever, making for a goat who always mouth breaths, who even from a short run in from pasture will gasp and pant. Vicki

furrflys · #6 04/30/05, 09:37 PM

we gave it one last shot before putting him down. we took him to a new large animal vet who delt primarily with goats. he said the pneumonia had cleared up, but the fecal showed coccidia, so we treated with albon and electrolytes every two hours. he is now acting like a normal little goat kid. he stays indoors over night, but spends the day in the paddock. he will start spending his nights in the goat barn on monday(thank goodness). what have i learned from this? TAKE THE DARNED GOAT TO THE VET AS SOON AS I BUY IT...NO MATTER WHAT!!! lol. thanks for all you imput, and thank you vicki for taking the time in this very busy season to reply, your advice is always greatly valued by a novice like me
marilyn & ferdinand the friendly boer

okiemom · #7 05/02/05, 02:04 PM

In you case like mine the pneumonia was probably a secondary infection from the coccidia weakening the kid. Kids really need to be watched for cocci. Take fecal samples if you are not on a preventative and probably even if you are. I lost a whold baby crop due to cocci and pneumonia. Reallly hard leason and very expensive. We were treating for pneumonia not loose stools like cocci is "supposed to have" and loosing the babies one ofter another and w/in 24 hrs of symptoms. Treating the pneumoniaonly just wont cut it and i agree I don't think pen will kick it. I now make sure cocci is addressed in all young kids by having a rumensin block out for the mom's so the overall ct. of cocci remains in check. The babies are not bobmarded w/ a huge load. Knock on wood it seems to be working very well. Katharine

furrflys · #8 05/10/05, 05:02 AM

okiemom, that could have very well been the case. i appreciate the advice as well. i hate to have to learn these lessons at the expence of the goats.ferdinand is now finished with his medications and is doing very well, putting on muscle and weight. im concerned about any possible long term effects that would affect his future potential. he seems to have normal endurance and dosnt pant after a good romp and appears to be gaining wieght and size at a good pace. we will just continue to keep a close eye on him as time goes on. i've had goats for 4 years now but they were pygmies, and this is the first boer i've tried to raise. i can tell already that boers will be no walk in the park.lol. thanks again
marliyn and "fat and sassy" ferdinand

okiemom · #9 09/09/05, 10:49 AM

Hi furflies,

I was wanting an update on your goat w/ cocci and pneumonia. how is it doing? have you noticed a lag in its growth or progress? I don't think I ever saw a permanent "stunting" once the diseases were corrected. I am so glad to hear from your last post that he survived.

Let us know what you do to prevent cocci. I found the block to help but treateng the water might be great too.

I agree w/ you that boers are not as hardy as some other goats. Also watch the worm load. I have found some boers to be very wormy even after being wormed. They just don't fight off worms well. I believe that is do to breeders not selecting for worm resistance and bring a desert animal to high humidity and moisture regions. Just my findings. Want to see if anyone else feels the same. Have a great day. Katharine

tnborn · #10 09/09/05, 11:27 AM

I gave one that had pneumonia LA 200, Maxi B, Penicillin, Triangle 4, made a concoction of corn syrup and molasses, goat drench. I gave the penicillin 10cc. I did this and it worked. Of course, it took a week or two for her to get better. Call a vet to get more quailifed info.
tnborn

GoldenWood Farm · #11 09/09/05, 12:34 PM

If I had a goat that was sick and had a temp of 101.3 I would be worried. I do NOT like low temps on kids that are sick.

Get this kid warmed up. Not to warm but make sure he stays around 102-102.5. If he gets to 103 thats not horrid either.

If possible since he is not kicking it I would take him to the vet or get something stronger in his system. He needs to kick it NOW. I had a kid who did the same thing. It took her a little over a month and a half to fully recover from it.

I sure hope you kick it the sickness with this kid.

MotherClucker