Hello My girlfriend and I are trying our best to be resposible goat owners. We are new to this and sometimes it is hard to have all the answers when your just starting out. So here is the question: 7month old Boer doe was attacked by a pitbull terrier, the cage was secured and was protected we thought. The dog bite her jaw and her leg, the wounds were pretty terrible. The doe was taken to the vet, he put her on antibiotics and sent her home with wound care instructions. This was 1 1/2 weeks ago. Today, she is acting "odd" and is off her feed for 2 days. Her temp is 102.2 the vet isn't in today and we can't get any info. Should she have been given a tetnus shot? What are the signs in a goat? Her jaw where she was attacked looks slightly swollen or misaligned. Generally, the question is what have you all done when something like this happens? Karole

-- Karole (Biz3boymom@aol.com), October 17, 2001

Answers

I'm not a vet. But at the very least it is common sense to give animals liquids/electrolytes as much as possible when they are sick or hurt.

Can you try feeding her pedialyte? Old timers swear by the medicinal properties of vinegar in the water. There may be something to this as vinegar is considered to be antiseptic to a great degree ( I guess for bad bacteria since it is used to form yogurt in milk and yogurt is made from good bacteria).

Please post the results as it will help someone in similar circumstances.

I nursed a cat with a nasty big dogbite by putting neosporin on the wound(vet advice) and feeding well.

I believe that loving care makes as much difference in animals as it does in humans. I loved that cat to health.

Had the dog been innoculated against rabies?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), October 17, 2001.

I would give her about 10cc of Vit B either IM or Orally to help with the stress and being off feed. Also give her some Probois or yogurt to help keep her ruman going. That is a normal temp so you shouldn't have an infection going on. I wouldn't push grain on her, by doing so you can cause rumen acidoisis. Offer her nice hay, forage, branches/leaves,etc. Some electrolytes in the water if she is drinking or orally if not wouldn't hurt.

-- leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), October 17, 2001.

It seems a lttle long for not starting to see some improvement. I would think that maybe the goat is a little sore from being bounced around and all. I don't think the temp is really that high..if I remember right normal is l0l for a goat. I would call the vet when he gets in and take her back down to him. Is this a farm vet or a dog/cat vet ?? you need a farm vet. Can't see them ever having a day off. Try to keep her up and moving and because if they go down and won't get up that is a bed sign. Good Luck !!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), October 17, 2001.

Karole, maybe there is an abcess on the tooth area that needs attention causing her mouth to be sore and she won't eat, she may be experiencing some soreness in her sinus area also. Bannamine is a good antimflamatory, maybe the jaw line is broken and misaligned a vet could be sure even without x-rays. see is she is tenter when you apply pressure to the area otherwise hot packs will help some bringing the blood to the area to heal the affected part.

-- Diane in Idaho (oleoranch3@aol.com), October 17, 2001.

Exactly what Diane said. If the mouth bite has stopped draining and swells under the skin it causes pressure and she will not eat. It could have also pulled skin away from a molar, making an abscessed area. 102 in a goat is a normal temp a little higher when it is hot out. I would have used penicillin for 10 days on this doe, 3cc per 50 pounds under the skin twice a day until she had no fever then once a day from then on. She may not be eating also because of the meds she has gotten have killed the good bacteria in her gut. Probios is cheap and found at the feed store 5 grams each day until the tube is gone. B vitamins will perk her appetite, but only if her face isn't sore. Banamine for pain is fine but remember you only should give it for 6 days, A steroid like Dexamethazone may also be needed for the swelling, jeffersequine.com carries Buteless I would order it now and start her up on it after you have used the Banamine. Sounds like a recheck from the vet is in order. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 17, 2001.

I agree with Diane in Idaho (hello Diane, I miss your emails) and Vicky the goat lady. A month ago lighting hit my sheep pasture and sheep broke through barb wire, electric, then a stampead of cows and horses chased them. I stood there with a shepard cane controlling the situation! Anyway a ewe lamb became very sick and hurt. I gave her Pen.G, then she went off of feed, phobios, B-12, yogurt, I kept her leg wrapped a few days and took her temp twice a day.Now I give all my lambs tetanus shots at 3 days of age, so I wasn't worry about that but did your goat have one. She pulled through so I could fatten her up and sold her last week at a good weight.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), October 17, 2001.

Pitbulls jaws have termindous power I wouldnt be surprised if the jaw wasnt broke, or at the least if the dogs tooth didnt causes a mouth or tooth absess which would make eating hard for this doe

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), October 18, 2001.

Hello All, Thank you for all your helpful posts. We have alot of good suggestions that my girlfriend is taking you up on. We didn't know what Probois was, but now she will look at the feed store or ask there. She also looked at her goats gums and eye lids and saw that they were "whiteish gray", she wormed her immediatley and by yesterday afternoon she was up and acting more normal. She also was eating alittle hay and grain. Thank you once again, your so very helpful. Karole

-- Karole (Biz3boymom@aol.com), October 19, 2001.