So as some of you know, our young (6 month) old Nubian goat suddenly began dragging her hind legs last week. We took her to the vet at Iowa State quite quickly, and they did some tests, including a spinal tap, which showed elevated eosinophil levels. This is a sign of the infection with deer meningeal worm, the Latin name for which is Paralaphostrongylus tenius.
Normally it infects deer, but goats and sheep, along with some camelid species, are secondary hosts. Goats can get it from eating a slug or a snail, which is the intermediate host for this nasty parasite. It gets into their central nervous system by entering the brain or spinal cord, and is often fatal.
Cookie has been on massive doses of deworming medications (2 different ones) as well as a steroid. The poor little goat is very sweet, so the idea of her dying from this horrible parasite is extremely upsetting. We are doing our very best to bring her back to health, even if she has a permanent limp, which can happen if they do actually live.
So, this week I learned how to give sub-cutaneous (sub-q) and intramuscular (IM) injections and I feel better having learned how to do this task, even if it doesn't help this time around. To be honest, it was more difficult getting through the skin than I expected. Goats are tough skinned! Or maybe humans are just thin skinned. I haven't given myself any injections but I've poked myself with pins or sewing needles often enough to know it's not that hard to get through my skin!
Yesterday, I carried Cookie outside to let her eat some fresh clover since it was so nice out, even though she has been housed inside the barn since she became unwell. She actually stood on her own for a few seconds after I helped her up. Then she leaned against my leg for a while as she munched on the clover. She is not extremely heavy (so although it sounds bad, it really isn't) so I gently held her back end up by the tail. When I hold her tail, she tries to scamper around just like she used to. I don't always have to hold her tail.
Today, she seemed even stronger. She can't stand by herself, but once she is standing, she can walk for a while longer. Today I lured her forward with goat treats and she walked even on the concrete floor of the barn, which is a bit slippery. She EVEN tried to scratch her belly with one hind foot. She managed to do that for a couple of seconds and then plopped down again, but she did manage it. That shows that her hind legs are not completely paralyzed, otherwise she would not be able to do these things.
We are hoping that it will be a steady recovery, even if it is slow. She seems to be making baby steps. I hope that I am not being overly optimistic. Anyone else with experience on treating this problem? Should I keep working her legs to "encourage" her to exercise and rebuild the muscles?
Claire
Cookie the Goat and her Meningeal Deer Worm Paralysis...
I think if there are no contra-indications (which the vets could tell you about) that it is important for most animals to be kept up and active as much as possible. Muscle loss can be very hard to regain and lead to other problems.
Yes i agree i had a hen with mereks and she was recovering but just didn't want to get up so i intentionaly scared her into getting up and walking to exercise her legs and she completely recovered.
Excellent, I will keep making her move then. It seemed like the right thing to do....
Thanks Harmony and Cat!
I've worked with several animals with either injuries or weakness due to illness and it is important to their over digestion and circulation to get them upright and moving as well as for their muscles. I'll usually use a towel slung under their bellies with the ends in my hand to support them as they stand or move around and I try to get them up at least a couple of times a day. I'm familiar with the parasite you are dealing with and am glad you caught it as early as you did.
The symptoms are a bit similar to cronic waisting desease and "mad cow" and I have gotten calls about deer who are instead suffering with what we always called "brain worm". Unfortunately, my only option has been to euthanise them.
It sounds like you will have a fortunate recovery and your nursing the little goat will be worth it.
I used to swim injured race horses.. there was no concussion to their legs that way.. even a dead lame horse can swim. The "use it or loose it" term is important here IMHO
My Mama always told me this that her Mama told her.
When you sit down you are going to die. She was a very active person and true to her word she became sick and was forced to sit down as she put it she died less that a year later.
I did some goat re-hab this morning. We did some loops around inside the barn because it was extremely windy and cold and raining outside and I didn't think that would help her. I lured her with the licorice flavoured goat treats. She loves those things! She did walk on her own and sometimes I had a towel around her belly under her back legs to keep her up. She kept wanting to go back to the hay bale area, so I would pick her up, take her to the opposite end of the barn, and make happy little goat conversations about "Where's the hay?!" and "Let's go find the hay!" etc. She did OK. I am hopeful that she will continue to improve. I think she was slightly better today than yesterday. It is going to take time and effort but I am in it for the long haul.
I just found an article on treating alpacas and llamas with this problem, and they did do flotation therapy. I and wondering how I could possibly do flotation therapy with my goat. It is cold outside and i don't want her to catch a chill. On the other hand, my bathtub isn't anywhere deep enough. Hmmm....any bright ideas?
Some veterinarians prescribe flotation therapy for dogs--maybe a local vet has a tank or knows where one is available.
Ahhh! Very interesting idea! I will look into this! (Chief Intelligence Officer Catscan, see how you fit your new title!)
as my knowledge goats DO NOT like to be wet.
Don't do flotation with your goat.Goats hate being wet so much that the stress would do more harm.Just keep walking her around.
Oh dear me, I never thought of that aspect. I need an anti gravity device for her flotation needs! LOL! Very well, I will keep doing the walking. I have also been massaging her back legs sometimes. I figure that might help too.
Do alpaca and llama like being wet?
I don't know. I never asked one....good question though!
lol Claire not sure about them either. I do know about the goats tho no they dont.
Well she doesn't like it much when I wash her with the hose but I have to do it every day because since she cannot currently stand for long, she lays down all day, and of course she does her "business" in the hay that she is laying on, in a large dog kennel. So she lays in it to an extent, and so I have to wash her every day when I get home and change the bedding. She gets hosed off with some protest, but I don't know what else to do. She is very stinky if I don't wash her. I am hoping she will soon be able to stand by herself to go in a different area. She can stand if I stand her up, and she can take some steps like I've said, but she cannot get up from a laying down position by herself without help yet. I think that takes more muscle than just the standing in one spot or even the walking.
Did you read this Moxon? (Warning--contention level, HIGH)
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=3382268
Toward the bottom someone reports success with the sling and walking method.
Man, they get a bit persnickity on that thread! Thanks for the warning! I think one thing in my goat's favor is that she is small. She is only about 40-50 lbs, so not nearly as large as their goat, so less "bulk" to lift. She has not stood on her own yet. I am going to keep using the walking method and maybe we can engineer a sling from the barn rafters for her to use from time to time.
One of the links in there went to an article about people whose goat seemed to recover but then they kidded her and she died shortly after kidding. I don't think I would ever try to kid Cookie if she makes it. That seems like asking for trouble to me.
I want a Pack Goat!
http://www.boiselarry.com/goats/Escal/escal.html
At the bottom of this one, talks about getting goats use to water.
http://www.northwestpackgoats.com/on_the_trail.htm
This message was edited Oct 22, 2008 6:42 PM
Wow, working goats! Mine have the easy life! And much smaller horns...
More on Pack Goats and water: http://www.scinternet.net/~smillers/Pack%20Goat%20Manual.htm#Water%20Training
Stop me before I post again!
Catscan, you are forbidden from acquiring a goat until you have all your ducks in a row and your armadillo has ceased nightly levitation.
Geewhiz....all my little enthusiasms flattened by the cold hand of Canadian rationality.
I have been considering the Fawn Indian Runner Duck eggs on eBay--how did you know?
Ohhh...really? How fun! I want ducks too. I have a pond already but not predator safe housing. And still too busy building goat housing.
I have a pond--with giant Papyrus and mosquitoes! I am attempting to recreate the fetid fever-ridden conditions of the ancient Egyption Delta near Helopolis. My dream is to attract the vicious Egyptian Goose--although now that I have learned that it is illegal to own one in Oregon, I am reconsidering.
http://www.acornhollowbantams.com/about_geese.cfm?id=14
Note the Poultry show in Iowa on November 29-30!
And how goes the Fayoumi acquisition planning?
Oh, are you coming to the Iowa show?
GUESS WHAT!!! COOKIE IS UP AND WALKING ON HER OWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kelly just emailed to tell me, I'm so excited for her.
Of course she is! You did everything you possibly could and she knows it:0)
Just happened across this thread. Wow; glad Cookie is up and walking.
We raised goats when I was a kid...hee hee. I loved them; ours (except for the one grown male who wasn't TOO bad) were a sweet adventure.
I know this sounds strange, but have you seen the book "The Cure for All Diseases by Dr. Hulda Clark? Here is a web site that has some pages linked. I found a link on amazon for you.
http://www.amazon.com/Cure-Diseases-Hulda-Regehr-Clark/dp/1890035017
The zapper.
Kill parasites and worms.
Interesting stuff.
Best wishes for Cookie!
April
Kelly got home and went into the barn to find her and she wasn't in her dog kennel, so he had to look for her and she was over on the other side of the barn eating hay! So he went over to get her and she RAN away!!! She fell over a couple of times but she was all playful with him and kept doing her little Cookie dance. We are thrilled to pieces. It brings a tear to my eye to watch her because I was so sure she was going to be our first goat loss.
I'll take a look at those links April - thank you!
Excellent!
That is soooo cool Claire! It is so wonderful when we get a good result... I'm so tickled for you. What a fantastic day!
I'll have to take some pictures tomorrow. Even if she always has a limp, she will still be our special girl. I couldn't be happier - and I feel like we learned a lot too. I would know those symptoms again in a heartbeat.
Yay! So happy for you, Kelly, and Cookie!
So glad to hear your goat is better and you say you have no maternal instincts you have tons.
Thanks Harmony - you think so? I am not sure! Maybe the problem is they are only ever directed to animals and not to human youngsters! I will just be an animal mom.
I could loan you 2 human kids to test the theory of only being an animal mom. I really think that you have human instinct. You were so beautiful with the kids at Jacob's Cave. Not meaning you need some of your own, just wanting you to acknowledge that you might be able to keep a human alive, LOL!
Sheila
Here is a picture of Cookie this morning when we went out to the barn. As you can see she is standing by herself but her stance is a little funny on the back end. Her water bowl is full of hay because that happens overnight - don't worry - we just cleaned it out and refilled it! And we cleaned out the old bedding too! I should have taken "after" pictures instead of "before"!
You can also see the spot on her back end where they shaved her on top of her back for the spinal tap. That is why her fur looks funny there.
I was so glad to see her standing on her own again this morning. I really believe she will make it.
Oh Claire i think of Maternal as being loveing and careing to "all" that is why it is special and yes you are Maternal and it shows!