My yearling is sick: blind, walks in circles, running into the walls and everthing else, pushes head into corners. The vet gave me banaimine and spiced up vitamin B1 with thiamine. The book I have describes her symptons as ccn. Need advice on continued treatment and I really would like to know more about it. Debbi

-- debbi (snflr216@aol.com), June 20, 2001

Answers

What does ccn stand for?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 20, 2001.

I keep goats and never heard of ccn............what is that an abreviation for??? What do her eyes look like?? Are they clouded over?? It sounds like the vet is treating for caprine polio encephalitis. When I brought home a terribly contageous and ugly pinkeye from a show one time my blind animals did similar types of things. The vit B will help your goat fight either disease.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), June 20, 2001.

CNN is cerebro cortical necrosis. Her symptons matched the discription for this. The vet thought it was polio encephalitis. The treatment and the reason for Vit.B1 deficiency is the same. So I'm thinking they are either the same or very similar. Debbi

-- debbi (snflr216@aol.com), June 20, 2001.

It could be a vitamnin B (thiamine, I think) deficiency, if so it can be entirely reversible. It seems that your vet suspects this also, how long ago did your doe receive the shot? Did you take her in to the vet? Listeriosis also causes circling, I've also heard that salt poisoning can cause a goat to act drunk, as though she is 'seeing stars', and that the cure for it is massive doses of vitamin B.

-- Rebekah (daniel@itss.net), June 20, 2001.

I found Polioencephalomalacia (PEM. Cerebroncortical necrosis) in my copy of Merek's Vet Manual. Too long and complex to repeat here. However, if you will send me your snail mail address to my e-mail account, I'll make you a copy of the two pages when I go into town next.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), June 20, 2001.