[jameslindsay]

Going to get the vet out tomorrow as I am worried about one of my Aylesbury ducks. She is loosing her feathers around about her chest and it looks worse today. Originally I thought it was an over amerous Drake but am now worried as it's getting worse. I also have to get them to look at the Pygmy goats - they got "Spot On" on them a few weeks ago and one of them is still looking a bit sore, I think he may need a top up dose. Also another of the Pygmys has a very sore nose/mouth. This is a problem from last year too, we think he has an alergy to the sunshine and the cream we are using doesn't seem to be helping. So, a busy day for the vet tomorrow.

[ballingall]

Lots for the vet to look at. Hope they can suggest something to help them all.

We are getting our Blue Tongue vaccination from the vet tomorrow, so a busy day of injections. Hopefully it won't upset Browyn, who still has a week or so to go.

Beth

[doganjo]

Beth, can't you leave her till after she has kidded?  I have heard bad stories about sheep and cattle being done prior to giving birth and both Mums and babies being ill.

[sabrina]

Bad idea to inject before giving birth as not enough know about the affects this may have. Would wait if I was you rather than risk losing baby.

[HappyHippy]

Going to get the vet out tomorrow as I am worried about one of my Aylesbury ducks. She is loosing her feathers around about her chest and it looks worse today. Originally I thought it was an over amerous Drake but am now worried as it's getting worse.

I know it's a totally different species, but I had a friend with a cockatiel which lost feathers round his neck & chest - it turns out he'd been plucking them because he was frustrated (no mate  ) but every moult since then the feathers in this area take much longer to reappear.
If she's a highly strung girl, is it possible she's pulled the feathers out herself ?

[jameslindsay]

I don't think so, she is a gentle and quiet wee girl who gets on well with all the others. Now put an emergency call to get the vet out quicker as I have a very poorly wee pony. She is very quiet and obviously not herself and in pain at her back legs. Off out now to comfort her.

[jameslindsay]

The vet has been and I have a very sick pony. They are very concerned about her and will visit her again later today and see if there is any change. They have taken a blood sample in the hope that that will reveal what is wrong, she thinks it may be some sort of Tetanus problem. In the mean time they gave her injections to help her breathing and pain relief and something that will combat tetanus if that's what it is. The next wee while is crucial, so fingers crossed that she improves quickly.

[LockerbiteReiver]

The vet has been and I have a very sick pony. They are very concerned about her and will visit her again later today and see if there is any change. They have taken a blood sample in the hope that that will reveal what is wrong, she thinks it may be some sort of Tetanus problem. In the mean time they gave her injections to help her breathing and pain relief and something that will combat tetanus if that's what it is. The next wee while is crucial, so fingers crossed that she improves quickly.

Keeping fingers crossed for you here James, it's always upsetting when something sudden happens with no previous indication it might.  Best of luck with her.

[jameslindsay]

Just back home, we had to move Darcy to the Dick Vets in Edinburgh. She is in a great deal of pain - so much so that she won't even walk. We took her down and she was transported still on the drip. Both my vet and the Dick Vets think it may be a peritinitis but she has other symptoms that do not tie in with that. She has high levels of Calcium in her blood which could suggest a tumor. They are scanning her just now and I am dreading the phone ringing over the next few hours. Normally she is a fiesty wee madam, today she can't hold her head up and looks really miserable. Tomorrow hopefully we will know more.

[Rosemary]

Sorry to hear this, James. Fingers crossed for a positive outcome.

[jameslindsay]

Sadly there is no great change in her condition this morning, she did have a "stable" night and more blood tests etc are being carried out. But, she is still "quiet and dull". I am going down to spend some time with her this afternoon. We also have her 1/2 sister and they have never spent a night apart and she is really missing her wee pal.

[ballingall]

Sorry to hear James. Fingers crossed for her.

Beth

[jameslindsay]

Thanks, I went down to see her this afternoon and she was so happy to see me, it was heart warming. I was told she was "still not out of the woods" but if she continued the way she was she should be ok. However, tonight my vet phoned to say she had been speaking to the specialist at the Dick Vets and they were now delighted with her progress and it is talk of when she comes home - not if! So that is brilliant news. Because she needs to be filled full of fluids treatment is very expensive, but that is irrelevant. The bag of fluids she had going in today is due to finish sometime in the early hours of tomorrow morning and they hope not to have to give her any more, instead she will eat and drink herself, all going to well.

She managed a carrot and 2 apples that I had taken for her. They had had her out side for a wee walk as well - yesterday she wouldn't walk at all as she was in so much pain. I think she really appreciated seeing a "Known" face today and the vet encouraged us to go see her as it helps comfort her when she is surrounded by strangers.

I am hoping that tomorrow it is more good news, the other 3 Shetlands are really wondering where their pal is!

[doganjo]

Got a diagnosis yet, James? Hope she pulls through, it's always so worrying, more so with the bigger animals I think.

[jameslindsay]

Annie - They are treating her for Colitis (inflamation of the large intestine). They are pretty certain that's what it is but she does have other symptoms that are not in keeping with this, however, she is reacting to all the fluids she has been given. We are going to try and get down to see her for 15 minutes today as it is impossible for us to get away from here on a Monday or Tuesday. Her insides were full of red worm which is more than likely the cause of so many of her problems, a shame as the vet tested them for worms less than a year ago and they were all clear. The other ponies will be wormed tomorrow now and all the goats were wormed very recently.

Below is a definition that I found describing the condition;

ABSTRACT: Acute equine colitis can cause rapid, severe debilitation and death in horses.
Horses that are treated appropriately may respond and gradually recover over 7 to 14 days.
Acute equine colitis-associated diarrhea is sporadic and characterized by intraluminal sequestration
of fluid, moderate to severe colic, and profuse watery diarrhea, resulting in endotoxemia,
leukopenia, and hypovolemia. The condition usually occurs in horses 2 to 10 years of age. The
disease has a sudden onset and rapid progression and is often preceded by a stressful event. A
definitive diagnosis is made in only about 20% to 30% of cases. Treatment in horses is
extremely costly because of the massive fluid therapy requirement. There is no cure for acute
diarrhea in horses; treatment regimens are directed at rehydration, electrolyte and plasma protein
replacement, antiendotoxin therapy, and antimicrobial therapy, when indicated.
Acute equine colitis is a frequent cause