It never rains, but it pours around here! Sheesh. One of my yearlings appears to have been bitten by "something" in the face. I couldn't find any double punctures for certain, so I don't know what. Anyway, her face is completely swollen. I took her to the vet..late night and all because it seemed like her face was getting bigger. He said it could be any kind of a bite, recluse spider, bee or wasp, scorpion or snake. He couldn't find a bite site either. I gave her a shot of ID 1 and he gave her a shot of tetracycline(sp?) and dexamethanone(?) as a steroid to try to keep the swelling in check.

Has anyone ever had this kind of swelling in a goat? it's as though she has inflated the top and sides of her muzzle to forty psi. There doesn't seem to be too much swelling underneath, so I don't think it's bottle jaw, the vet said bottle jaw doesn't come up suddenly. She looks like a muppet of a sort. She was eating and seemed okay other than the head. She is CAE+, but they don't get encephalitis like that when they are older, do they? Thanks for any ideas.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), June 29, 2001

Answers

Oh Doreen! From the swelling it is probably a snake bite. Seems they always get these in the face since they are so inquisitive, sniffing around where they shouldn't. The Dex was a great idea, and hopefully he gave you enough for 6 days, it wouldn't take much more than 1 cc per day for 3 days then because it is a steriod you back it down to 1/2 cc for the next 3 days. Tetracycline is just your LA200 and since it really isn't anything that will help, he probably was thinking more upon the lines of stopping infection, though for wound infection I actually use Pennicillin. As long as the swelling starts to go down she will be fine, if the skin starts to seperate, it is better to have the vet cut the skin instead, releasing the fluid. Some vets will just put in a shunt. Peoples Benedryl or the fake stuff, given at the peoples dosage will also help. Good luck! Make sure she keeps hydrated, offer her koolaid or anything that she will drink! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 30, 2001.

She is doing just fine now! Almost all of the swelling is down and she has continued to eat really well. I thought that I saw two small marks on her nose, there doesn't apear to be any kind of infection or soreness there. It must have been a copperhead as I think a moccasin would have done more to her system. Thanks for your advice, Vicki. It seems that my refrigerator is fast becoming more of an animal apothecary than a food storage unit!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), July 01, 2001.

Yep, one whole cabinet in the kitchen, one whole row of shelving in the fridge, and worse is my horrible habit of keeping my needles and syringes in a cup on the kitchen window ledge! :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 02, 2001.

Back in the burbs, my shepard got stung by a bee. Whole head was huge within an hour - (YUP!!! I PANICKED - big time). Anyway, quick trip brought an antibiotic shot, and she was normal within another hour.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), July 05, 2001.