[Roxy]

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.

[wytsend]

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.

[Brucklay]

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

[Tree Farmer]

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

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

[landroverroy]

 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.

[Lesley Silvester]

Hope Jinty is on the mend by now.

[ballingall]

Sorry to hear this Roxy- I hope she's improving.

Beth

[Mammyshaz]

Hope things are looking better ,  please let us kn ow how she is. 

[Roxy]

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.

[HappyHippy]

You'll know what to do for the best mrs 
Thinking of you and Jinty, and keeping everything crossed.
Much love, Karen x

[wytsend]

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 ,

[jaykay]

Sending hugs, you must be so worried and stressed {{{{hugs}}}}

[Mammyshaz]

Sorry to hear how bad she is, roxy you must be exhausted, I really feel for you, everything crossed in hope she improves overnight 

[Sylvia]

Thinking of and praying for you and Jinty

[Brucklay]

Not sounding good - but I'm still thinking of you and hoping for the best xx