The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Roxy on April 08, 2012, 12:20:06 am
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My beautiful AN goatling, Jinty has Listeria. She is really poorly, and things are not looking good for her. Got her to the emergency vet this morning as she was staring into the corner of her house, then doing little circles, all in one direction. Vet gave her a thorough examination, then we put her down and she circled again and again. He has given her antibiotics, and given me another one to inject her with. I have put her in a separate house, which has not gone down well with Carina and Finlay, but she needs to be kept quiet, so thought it was for the best. She is right next door, and can hear them. Every time I approach the ark she is in, she calls to me. I am so worried, as this evening she looked worse, but the vet did warn this may happen, and improvement if there is any, will be slow he said.
Listeria is horrible .....you cannot see the contaminated haylage, and the animals will just eat it. Its heartbreaking to see poor Jinty lay there, her eyes all glazed. She is aware I am there, and reacts when I stroke her and talk to her. Ate her feed tonight, and was nibbling hay,and I put the water right under her nose and she drank.
I don't know what I can do with Carina if we lose Jinty (which looks likely) they are very close. Will need to find another youngster quickly.
I am always so careful when feeding Haylage, and check there is nothing iffy about the bale, or any soil that I can see. We had heavy snow on Tuesday, and used a lot of big baled hay. As we could not go and collect more large bales until today, I got 4 small bales of halage on Thursday to make sure we had enough. It was proper commercially bagged, from our local agricultural merchant. And apparantly it is checked, but of course that does not say the bale is perfect.
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Hi Roxy
I hope things go well, sounds promising if sh'e eating?
good luck
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Fingers crossed for her and you :-* Sounds like you've caught it early and are treating it well so I think there's hope {{{hugs}}}
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fingers crossed she pulls through :bouquet:.
i would have thought the vet would have put her on 4 x anti b's for 3 - 5 days.
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So much of a worry for you, who would have expected the Hay to be bad? sure she will get better and as she is eating she must be feeling better""" :goat:
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Roxy, you are right the outcome may not be good.
Do you know which antibiotic the Vet has given ?
According to Joh Matthews book.... the recommended ones are Trimethroprim/sulphonamides in very high doses intravenously where possible with maintenance doses for at least 7 days.
Also fluid therapy to correct dehydration..... they dehydrate from shock as well as not drinking.
It is also recommended to treat other animals in the same group with antibiotic.
Call me if you want to talk.... I lost one just befire Christmas to the same thing.
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Roxy this is awful, hope all ends well :)
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OMG - I'm so so sorry to hear this - fingers crossed and sending {{{hugs}}}
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Oh, what a horrible thing - fingers crossed and postive thoughts to Jinty :bouquet:
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Oh no!
Best of luck for little Jinty, hope she recovers. :bouquet:
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Best wishes Roxy, hope it all turns out well, we will all await your further post. Think I'll go out and cuddle our goaties, good luck :-*
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I have no words of wisdom, although I wish I did but I just wanted to let you know that we're all (inc the goats) thinking of you. xxxxx
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How's she doing?
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Oh Roxy, so very very sorry, if this was to happen to one of mine I would be gutted, I really hope things are looking better. :thumbsup:
Ann
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Yes,we are thinking of you and Jinty,wishing you a good outcome :'( :bouquet:
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Thank you everyone for your kind words.
Unfortunately, Jinty has shown no sign of improvement, in fact this evening she looks worse. She ate some breakfast, and nibbled some hay, and ate again this evening, and I managed to get her to drink quite a bit of water, but she has not stood up at all today, and is curled up in a ball in the corner. I have put plenty of straw round her.
People I know think I am paranoid for checking haylage, and only getting it from reliable sources, but after a neighbour lost two of her ponies from contaminated haylage, I have always been extra careful. I did ask the vet about the other young goats being at risk, but he said they are not.
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Roxy it isn't your fault.... you cannot see the bacteria.... sometimes it is just the coming together of events. As simple as dry weather and then rain onsome of the hayage....can be as little as a damp shower to activate the bacteria.
Since we lost a 6yr old to this awful disease last year.... we now keep a big bale indoors once it has been opened/about to be opened. Possibly doesn't fo anything but at least it is peace of mind that it cannot get damp by other means .
Has Jinty stopped circling, has her head twisted, is she drooling.? Today will be the decision day.
I am heartened tht she is eating however small amounts......... if it is possible get some yoghurt down her, this will keep the gut bacteria on the move........ must be live yoghurt and does not matter if it is cow.
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So sorry Roxy - keeping my fingers very firmly crossed for Jinty - and I would always take even a small amount of eating as a good sign - good luck
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Roxy, I am new here - posted last week for the first time after a similarly distressing thing (Acidosis) - and am so sorry to read your post. It is alarming, how quickly these things can occur.
I still don't have my goats with me but I have been 'learning' and practicing for months - and am worried that I had not come across this, Liseria, before. I had no idea about the possibility of contaminated hay, haylage etc.
Since reading your post I have been Googling it and reading around. The best article I have found is this one
http://celticknotlm.com/Listeriosis.htm (http://celticknotlm.com/Listeriosis.htm)
It's obvious you really know what you are doing, but I thought I would share it anyway in case reading resources helps you (it helped me last week).
I am thinking of you and Jinty.
Charlotte
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I have had Listeria several times in sheep, and often they have recovered, but it can take up to 6 weeks of nursing. It is important to get the animal up each day, if only to stand for a few minutes. as otherwise the leg ligaments contract and eventually the front legs won't straighten.
I now don't feed my sheep haylage, and have not had the disease since.
However, it is not caused by bad haylage or silage, so you cannot detect it in the forage. It is caused by soil contamination, maybe due to a molehill. You only need a slight amount, and you probably won't even see the soil particles which carry the bacteria. So it's better to be safe and feed hay instead.
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Hope Jinty is on the mend by now.
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Sorry to hear this Roxy- I hope she's improving.
Beth
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Hope things are looking better , please let us kn ow how she is. :bouquet:
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Yesterday was not good - Jinty seemed worse if that were possible.
Fot those of you who do not know what Listeria symtoms are, I will try and explain how Jinty looks/acts.
As I said previously, she started by starting in a corner, making low bleats, which in itself was not a big deal, as she was still eating and drinking and walking ok. This progressed to looking wobbly as well as looking in the corner, and then going round one way in circles. Day two, Jinty was lay down, with her head bent back onto her back. Eyes flicking up and down, nothing seemed to register with her, although still eating and managing to drink. No longer going rond in circles. Bottom lip drooping, which made it hard to eat.
Day 4, Jinty was flat out today, head tilted right round. Eyes looked more normal, just occasional flicking up and down, lip stopped quivering. One eye bloodshot looking though. Every now and again a tremor runs through her body, and her legs move as if she is running. On the whole she is just lying there, only bleating when she hears me, or one of the other goats call to her.
Its very hard to get a rigid goat upright, and hold her there on your own, while you get food and fluids down her. Tried to turn her the other way, but she was not happy, becasue of her tilted head, so had to turn her back.
Been syringing lactade down her, to keep her fluid intake up, but she did manage a drink of it from a dish.
Had a word with the vets this morning, as to the prognosis. To be honest, now she is flat out, its not good. I am so tired, running back and forth to Jinty between feeding and mucking out etc. all the other animals. Was there at 10pm, in a snow storm, this evening, syringing fluid down her, and I sat a while with her. Sometimes she looks quite normal, and I think she knows I am there, other times, well, she just looks vacantly into space, and that really upsets me.
Will see how Jinty is tomorrow, and then will have to make a decision at to whether to keep her going. Jintys quality of life, and the prognosis of a recovery are foremost in my mind.
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You'll know what to do for the best mrs :-*
Thinking of you and Jinty, and keeping everything crossed.
Much love, Karen x
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I am so sorry that it has progressed this far..... I am amazed you have been able to keep her going this far, well done.
But if she is that stiff, unless there is a real change this morning ......... as you say her quality of life is the most important thing ,
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Sending hugs, you must be so worried and stressed {{{{hugs}}}}
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Sorry to hear how bad she is, roxy you must be exhausted, I really feel for you, everything crossed in hope she improves overnight :bouquet:
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Thinking of and praying for you and Jinty :bouquet:
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Not sounding good - but I'm still thinking of you and hoping for the best xx
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So sorry to hear Roxy, I do hope she turns round, I know its not just the work that's tiring, the worry wears you down much faster, good luck to you all, and take care of yourself, we all want Jinty to get better, but if you let the worrying pull you down, that won't be good for any of you
Take Care {{{{hugs}}}}
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Such sad news :bouquet:
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Hailstoning and sleeting today - I told Jinty she is probably better off lying there under her straw blanket; Her eye - the one I can see, that is - looks normal, and she does seem more aware of her surroundings. Moving her ear, and her front leg too. But ...I do think the damage has been done, and no amount of coaxing, wishing or anything else is going to change anything;.
I suppose its like having someone in a coma - you are never sure if and when they wake up, exactly how they are going to be. It does tire you out mentally as well as physically dealing with something like this, as its on you mind all the time, and when you get there in the morning you have to prepare yourself for the worst.
Carina is ok at the moment, as she keeps calling and Jinty bless her, bleats back, and Jinty bleats when she hears me. If Jinty goes, and there is no more bleating in reply, I am not sure how her friend will take it. She is in with Finlay last years pygmy kid, but he is up for sale, and if he goes, there is no other goat suitable to put with her.
Sounds a bit daft saying that when I have 19 goats, but they are all in their own groups/age brackets, with their own buddies.
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thinking of you :bouquet:
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That's sounding a bit more hopeful. Crossing fingers for you both :-*
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Well, things seemed to be improving last night. After not eating all day, much as I tried to coax her, Jinty suddenly decided she could eat hay, and even goat feed, without my assistance. Eating today too, even though she was still lay flat out. Unfortunately, on the side where her eye is funny, she has again got a twisted head, and she seems to have gone downhill again, although I left her eating hay tonight, and I have still been able to syringe liquids into her.
I have done my best, but its obvious that irreversable damage has been done.
I must thank Wytsend for her suggestions and advice - in 35 years of goat keeping I have never had a goat with Listeria, so speaking to someone who has been though it with their goat, and who is knowledgeable on treatments etc. is a big help.
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thats good & not so good news then, hope she continues to improve
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I hope she keeps mending too.
Brain damage is rarely irreversible, think of the improvement folk who have strokes make :-*
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keep posting Roxy, we are all thinking of you, sick animals are such a stress.....best wishes to you.
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Still hoping for jinty. Wish I was close enough to help in some way, even just sorting rest of animals so you can have a break. :bouquet:
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That's a very good point Mammyshaz, I don't think that we are very far from you Roxy so if there is anything I could to help you with the other animals please do let us know :bouquet:
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So Sad :bouquet:
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How is she Roxy?
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Sorry I have not posted for a few days, mobile broadband has been very poor, so I gave up trying.
Jinty is still with us! 10 days now. I really thought that was it last Friday night, but come Saturday morning, by some miracle her neck was no longer twisted round on her back, and she was moving her head around freely and without my support, and she has improved a fair bit in the last few days, being able to lift her head to eat and drink without assistance, and kick her straw blanket off!! She is eating me out of house and home - her appetite is good obviously!! Can eat on both sides of her mouth now, and swallow ok - she was struggling before. And this morning, when she saw breakfast arriving, she struggled into an upright position, again on her own :) I could have cried I was so happy!!
One eye still looks a bit strange, and every now and again a little tremor goes through her body, but the other eye no longer flickers, and Jinty seems a lot more alert.
We will battle on, and see what happens.
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SOOO pleased the news is good Roxy, here's hoping she continues to gain strength and makes a full recovery :thumbsup:
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Oh, that is such good news ;D Lol, I'm crying a bit, I know how much we love our goats and worry about them when they're ill.
I'm so pleased Roxy :thumbsup:
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That's great Roxy - you both certainly deserve a turn for the better - all your hard work has paid off, thats just fantastic :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Hope she keeps improving :wave:
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bless her, hope she carries on getting better.
Well done you for persevering :thumbsup:
:wave:
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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What fantastic news !!!!!!!!
I am so pleased for you.
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Great to have things change for the better :thumbsup:
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Great to hear she's improving so much. Fingers crossed. :thumbsup:
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:'( I am so pleased for you and Jinty,must be a horrid time for you.hugs x
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Oh Roxy I have only just seen your post, not been on for a while. how is she doing? hope she is improving give her a hug from me and her sister xxx :bouquet:
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Wonderful news. I'm so pleased for you and Jinty. :D
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Crying here
nearly asked where you were last night, but dreaded the news, so chickened out
Maybe she felt us all willing her on, let's keep it up and get her right :thumbsup:
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Thank you everyone,. I have told Jinty people are thinking of her, and want her better. I just hope she does not have a relapse again. She has got very demanding - shouting for her food, then her water, then her hay. I tried telling her there are a lot of other animals to be fed, but she looked up at me, as if to say "but I am ill, so deal with me NOW!"
Thank goodness its not one of the adult goats or I would never move or turn her on my own. Have to keep moving her round to replenish the straw under her and keep her dry and clean. She looks sweet tucked up at night, with a blanket of straw over her. Its been very frosty the last few nights, and with her not being mobile I worried she may get cold!! I have even been warming her water slightly to take off the chill ........Pampered or what?!!!
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She deserves it ;D
Keep up the good work (slave ;))
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Can I come and stay with you next time I'm ill please (I'd rather not have a straw blanket tho!) :D
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Amazing what love can do :thumbsup:
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She has got very demanding - shouting for her food, then her water, then her hay. I tried telling her there are a lot of other animals to be fed, but she looked up at me, as if to say "but I am ill, so deal with me NOW!"
:D Naughty girl :love:
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I have even been warming her water slightly to take off the chill ........Pampered or what?!!!
Whenever it gets cold mine stop drinking the cold water ... not sure if that's pampering them, they won't drink unless it's lukewarm... not much choice really...
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Great news Roxy....I don't drink cold water when its cold out either....nothing wrong with creature comforts :love:
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I have even been warming her water slightly to take off the chill ........Pampered or what?!!!
Whenever it gets cold mine stop drinking the cold water ... not sure if that's pampering them, they won't drink unless it's lukewarm... not much choice really...
Been reading about this in the last few days apparently goats can not use the water in their systems until it reaches body temp. So they are using energy to warm the water, so when ill or cold they are using reserves needed for other things as well as causing a delay in re hydration
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Thats interesting, its sometimes quite hard to drink very cold water for humans too unless its a hot day or you are very thirsty!!