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I have a female goat that cannot stand up. She tries to get up but can't. She is eating and drinking normal. Her front legs are kind of stiff, but she moves them, she also moves her rear legs trying to get up. She does not have diarrhea and is having normal bowel movements. I have been making sure she is on fresh clean hay every day and I move her around and flip her over to her other side daily. I have ordered her selenium and vitamin E, and will give it to her when it comes. I was reading something about a deerworm, and was thinking that we have whitetail deer and slugs. The goats are beside a pond and the winter so far is warmer than usual, so it's been wet. Would it hurt to treat her for that since I'm not sure that's the problem?
Optional Information: Type of Animal: Goat Gender: Female Age: 5 Name of Animal: Oreo Already Tried: Nothing really. Just keeping her comfortable and hydrated.
Welcome to JustAnswer, this is Dr. Christie.
I am a licensed veterinarian and would like to try and help you with Oreo.
I have a few quick questions for you to gather some more information concerning oreo.
How long has she been unable to stand up?
about a week now
Any known trauma, such as a fall or another goat beating up on her?
i thought my other goat just was being rough with her, and she was just sore, but she still wont get up
Any chance she could be pregnant?
i dont know if the other goat hurt her
no
Is she eating and ddrinking normally?
yes
Is she going to the bathroom (urinating and defecating) normal?
Have you checked her gum color to see if she is nice and pink?
And have you checked her temperature at all?
her gums look normal and she is not depressed or anything
i have not checked her temp
Do you know the last time she was dewormed?
i'm not sure
Ok, thank you for the information!
springtime i think
So a couple of things to consider: trauma (possibly from the other goat), infection, and parasites (meningeal worm aka the deer worm)
If the other goat somehow hurt her spine, it certainly can cause the symptoms you are seeing.
The meningeal worm is certainly a possibility if you have whitetail deer in your area. It can be hard to diagnose (typically a fecal exam by your vet and clinical signs).
It can also be really hard to treat, especially once an animal becomes recumbent.
The immature forms of the worms can migrate through the spinal cord and even the brain. Sometimes the damage is permanent.
Treatment can be tried, which involves proper deworming, potent anti-inflammatories such as steroids, and supportive care such as IV fluids.
Dewormer to use would be fenbendazole also known as Panacur
I have Safeguard
I would recommend getting a fresh fecal sample to your vet to have checked for parasites, specifically the meningeal worm
Normal doses of dewormer?
Safeguard is fenbendazole, the dose is 20-50 mg per kilogram body weight
once a day for 5 days
Since it has been a week with no improvement, I would also recommend having your vet check her out. Certainly a physical exam can go a long way and rule out alot of other things too!
Make sure to collect a fecal sample before deworming her too!
ok
Here is an excellent article concerning the meningeal worm as well: http://goatconnection.com/articles/publish/article_126.shtml
Do you have any further questions for me?
No, I just wanted to know about the treatment for the meningeal worm. Thank you very much for your time.
You are most welcome! Best wishes for a speedy recovery for Oreo!
Please keep me updated as to how she does! You can reply at any time to this thread!
If I have been helpful, please click on the green 'Accept' button so I can be compensated for my time!
Ok, I will do that. Thank you again.
Experience: Experienced mixed animal veterinarian
Oreo's fecal came back negative for parasites. Thought you would like to know. She still has not gotten up, so maybe she has an injury. She is in good spirits, eating and drinking as normal. I am going to try to sling her to see if she will put any weight on her legs. Thanks again for your time.