The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Talana on June 21, 2015, 10:22:21 pm
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You would never guess this diagnosis I still can't get my head round it -on thur evening one of my goat kids was suddenly poorly she was initially lame on one front leg which was quite swollen as well as her shoulder and as each day went by swelling increased over her chest and flank and tummy the swelling is rapid and unbelievable, she was in shock and cold slobbery nose despite getting antibiotics/ant inflammatory, this morning big dose of another antibiotic and steroid, we've to give her injections for the next week.
Vet's diagnosis was ADDER BITE , at the vet's when we tipped her over you could see clearly one bite mark inside her front leg,I am grateful to our vets who suspected this and knew what to look for.
Tonight she is eating some leaves and has a warm nose so I am hoping she is on the mend, although she's still terribly swollen. My children are now terrified to walk in the field or garden for the grumpy snakes (vet says the cold weather makes them grumpy)
Anyone experience adder bite before on their stock my husband knows another farmer who lost a cow to an adder bite when he told me that well it wasn't very reassuring. Hope poor Magic get's through this.
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Oh gosh how awful. I hope she continues to improve. Are your goats on very scrubby ground or were the adders just in the grass
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Whereabouts are you Telana, to have adders?
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The goats are in a grass field next to the house and have access to part of washing green / old garden which has a couple of trees at the edges grass around the washing green part the rest was full of nettles now eaten!
I am in Dunecht, Aberdeenshire. My children been doing a bit of research on internet apparently the adders are everywhere except Ireland and some islands. Good thing only one bite more chance of her pulling through as several bites can be fatal.
I thought she was dead this morning - flat out but luckily she was just cast on her side ,got her up and gave her daily injections and she managed to drink some water only manages a few leaves at a time. Think I'll give her a molasses drench for energy.
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My dog found one last week. She is a spaniel and wants to hunt everything out.luckily it retreated under a pallet so dog was ok. We found a very large dead one on the road last year. We are in North Lincolnshire
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For adder bite deLevy recommends feeding garlic and rue ( no more than 1 dessert spoon of chopped rue) morning and night. For the site of the bite 2 ounces of pounded wild garlic, 2 ounces of pounded ivy leaves, 2 ounces of oil of turpentine mixed into 4 ounces of olive oil. apply hot cloths to the bite then rub this in around the area.
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BH says he's had cattle - and sheep - with a lump that he's assumed is an adder bite.
We don't seem to get weather warm enough for them these days... :cold:
I've been told that an adder bite can kill a Labrador.
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unfortunetly animals quite often deteriorate suddenly a few days later just when you think they're through the worst. The affected area usually goes necrotic & sloughs off if they survive long enough. It depends on the amount of toxin injected. Clostridial infection in the necrotic area is also a strong possibility. Here's hoping...
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Any news??
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She is actually worse still swollen and can't move except her head although she still has a warm nose and I am giving her lectade to drink in a bowl and leaves to eat which she manages, she is propped up with straw and blanket over her and bowl of water/ lectade and leaves at her nose. She is like a pin cushion just now but I'll finish her course of injections and then back to the vet to discuss what next. At the moment I don't think she's going to make we may have to put her down if she doesn't improve as she is still very swollen but I don't know how long it takes for the medication to have an effect. She may just have too much snake poison through her. I'll know more once i have spoken to my vet.
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Sorry to hear that. :(
It sounds like she's had a bad bite and if she's only small she's taken on a lot of toxin.
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Oh gosh. Sending you both hugs :hug:
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Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that. I have never heard of adders up here, so this is now also something in the back of my mind of what can happen... :fc: she pulls through.
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Hope she comes through, :fc: , I'd try the vet again now if she isn't improving.
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Update on Magic- yesterday turned a corner -improvement and hope, washed her chest with capricleanse -starting to weep. Today even better swelling starting to go down she can get her back legs up and she can stand once I help her although unsteady and stiff. Vet says keep on with loxicom every second day til swelling down, thinks shes been lucky, but just have to take one day at a time. Eating well - sticky willy,dandelion, raspberry willow leaves some hay and grass She's definitely preferring sticky willy and dandelion.
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That is good to hear. I hope she continues to improve :fc:
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:fc: but good news so far.
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:fc:
do you have rosebay willowherb around? my lot go crazy for it. she may like the juicy fleshy stems?
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Hope she continues to improve,
Alfa A usually tempts mine if they're off feed for any reason.
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Fingers crossed she is on the mend. We have adders here in the Lake District. I see maybe a couple a year, usually disappearing into the bracken. Horse nearly stood on one once and my labrador got a touch too close to one last year but it didn't strike.
The unseasonably cold weather will be making them a bit slow so they probably aren't getting out of the way quick enough.