Poor Capri is experiencing a relapse of health, this week. :( She was doing pretty well up until Sunday; she had been gaining weight slowly, but surely, she seemed perky and happy, and I had high hopes for her. Then, out of the blue on Sunday morning, she started stumbling around. Her diarrhea came back, and by Sunday afternoon, she could no longer stand up. She inched her way into the barn, crawling on her front knees, and sputtered to a stop in front of the hay manger.
That was Sunday. I expected to find her dead on Monday morning, but to my surprise she is still plugging along! The poor sweetheart still can't stand. Well, she actually can't move any part of her body at all, except her head!! So I am in the midst of medication rounds, trying to get a fecal sample analyzed at the state lab as soon as possible, flipping Capri from side to side so she doesn't get sores on her body, and making sure her body temperature stays stable. Oy. For some reason, her body is no longer absorbing any nutrients, and there seems to be some damage done to her intestinal lining. So the reason she can't move is from a severe nutrient deficiency.
Capri is doing surprisingly well, despite her circumstances. She's very content and bright eyed. Her appetite is good, and she's comfortably placed in the barn. To keep her warm, I've piled up hay all over her, so all you see is her head sticking out from the hay stack! It's pretty comical. But even with temperatures dipping into the low 30's at night, she staying quite snug in that pile.
I'm in a race against time now... Will I be able to reverse the problem before it's too late?
That was Sunday. I expected to find her dead on Monday morning, but to my surprise she is still plugging along! The poor sweetheart still can't stand. Well, she actually can't move any part of her body at all, except her head!! So I am in the midst of medication rounds, trying to get a fecal sample analyzed at the state lab as soon as possible, flipping Capri from side to side so she doesn't get sores on her body, and making sure her body temperature stays stable. Oy. For some reason, her body is no longer absorbing any nutrients, and there seems to be some damage done to her intestinal lining. So the reason she can't move is from a severe nutrient deficiency.
Capri is doing surprisingly well, despite her circumstances. She's very content and bright eyed. Her appetite is good, and she's comfortably placed in the barn. To keep her warm, I've piled up hay all over her, so all you see is her head sticking out from the hay stack! It's pretty comical. But even with temperatures dipping into the low 30's at night, she staying quite snug in that pile.
I'm in a race against time now... Will I be able to reverse the problem before it's too late?
3 comments:
Oh, I'm so sorry :(
Praying that everything works out well.
Greetings from Yesterday's Farm
I am so sorry that your goat is sick. Maybe I can help. I once had a milk goat that did the same as yours. I gave her antibiotics. She grow worse then I realized the good bacteria had suffered because of the antibiotics that I gave her. I began to give her live yogurt, three times a day. Then her health began to improve. Hope this helps.
Yesterday's Farm
www.yesterdaysfarm.weebly.com
^Thank you for that advice. :) I had given Capri some yogurt in the past to help the good bacteria, but we ran out so I had to stop. We just got a new batch this week, so I will take your advice and give it a try. It's a much easier route than stealing cud from another goat to inoculate her own rumen... I despise doing that!
Post a Comment