The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: Penninehillbilly on June 04, 2018, 08:07:49 pm
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Hi
I have a little Boer kid, (7wk old, lost his mum a couple of weeks ago), took time to get on bottle, been inside, but a few days ago put them out with a mum and 2 younger kids. In at nights. It was a bit chilly when they went in last night.
Last night wasn't keen on his bottle.
This morning wouldn't touch it, brought him into conservatory in dog crate.
This afternoon he was more lively and drank 200ml of milk, thinking it was a blip i put him in a pen in the polytunnel, with his sisters.
An hour later went down with a bottle for him and sister and he was trembling (shivering?).
Brought him back in, put a dog coat on him, thought pneumonia, he was trembling and making a noise as he breathed in.
Gave him .5ml pen & Strep.
Had him on my knee in kitchen for about 40mins and he's now stopped trembling.
But can't find trembling in pneumonia symptoms?
Any thoughts please.
Currently calm and warm on my knee but I have to go out & do jobs.
Sorry for long post but thought I should put everything in.
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Transit tetany is trembling (as in shortage of calcium as a result of stress, usually observed after travelling to shows), but never heard of it in young kids.
What's his temperature? Is he actually coughing?
If his dam wasn't vaccinated (or he didn't get much in the way of colostrum) then I would be worried about pasteurella, but if he is under the weather I wouldn't vaccinate with Ovipast until he is better.
I have had to give a shot of Alamycin LA to a 7 week old kid a few days ago as she was coughing and had a raised temperature (40.6), she is now right as rain but still occasionally coughs.
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TBH he felt cool so my first thought was to warm him up, didn't think of taking temperature.
No coughing but a bit noisy breathing in, and as he was laid on my knee he looked stressed.
He did calm down as he warmed up, he still has the lightweight fleece jacket on.
Had about 150ml milk earlier, and nibbling at food.
I prefer Alamycin, but have had 2 bottles where I've only used them a couple of times before out of date, friend gave me a small amount of P&S left in a bottle.
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We just had a trembling ram the other week. Vet friend initially though pneumonia. He was very cool to the touch and temp came up at 35.6C. Vet that we called wasn't sure he'd make it through the night but straw bed in polytunnel with fan heater, dose of wormer and some anti-biotics and he was alive in the morning. He was also off his food a few hours before he dropped down hill. Vet was quite perplexed when he saw him the next day and came up with a diagnosis of fluke or plant toxicity. I did a fluke count and nothing so our best bet is that he ate something he shouldn't as we had been really struggling for grass. Vitamin shots were prescribed for the plant toxicity and he had painkillers as well as he was grinding teeth. I've got some videos of our boy in our latest blog post if it's helpful.
I'd take the temperature and give the vet a call.
Good luck
Dans
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Hes had some more milk tonigt, eaten some readygrass and left him with some calf pellets and goat mix. He seems a lot brighter. Fingers crossed.
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well, just a quick update, yesterday, Tuesday, he had a mucky bum, so maybe he had eaten something, don't know what though, goats have been in that field on and off for nearly 10 years, no problems
there were some foxgloves, but they only ate them when grass was low and i'm sure I've got them all out now.
[/size]thought he was on his way out when he was on my knee in my arms :)
seems back to himself today , but thanks for the replies