Hi, I have a pregnant doe that has been week in the back legs. We've recently gave her WCP and been giving her oral minerals (repliman gel plus) to help boost her but she doesn't seem to improve. We have just moved 4 months ago and have had them on pasture and supplementing with grass hay. It is good green hay. It seems like her eyelids are pink so I'm not sure if it is a parasite problem. I got really worried last night when she was layed out and hard for her to get up. WHen she does she goes around in circles. She is due any day. She's bagged up and the other day we thot maybe she was about to kid because she had mucus but nothing happened. Of course it is the weekend, I don't know the vets around here very well and have never had this problem in the last few years we've had goats. Any help would be much appreciated!!
Could she be deficient in something?
I posted this in the introduction and relized it was probably the wrong place...
Replies
Yes, alfalfa pellets are the same nutritionally as alfalfa hay. If you want to be really precise, you can weigh the hay and weigh the alfalfa to be sure she is getting at least 50%. Or you can just provide a flake of grass hay in the morning and evening for the long stem forage to keep the rumen working properly and then let her have as much alfalfa pellets as she wants. Be sure you have baking soda available because they don't have to chew the pellets much, and chewing is when goats produce bicarbonate, so unless goats are on a 100% hay and pasture diet, they should have baking soda available 24/7 to avoid rumen upsets.
Copper oxide wire particles -- COWP -- won't help with rear leg weakness.
Molly's dewormer does not actually kill worms. I did multiple before and after fecals on a buck years ago that was down for a week before dying from worms, and I was using her dewormer at 2x the recommended dosage daily, and there was never a fecal that showed a reduction. There is also a published study that had a group that got Molly's and a control group that got nothing, and there was no difference between the two groups.
I am wondering if this is a selenium problem. That's why I asked what mineral you have available. The only two that I've see that are even close to having enough are Sweetlix and Purina Goat Chow.
Stress from moving would only affect a goat for a week or two at most, so this is not related to that.
If it is not a nutritional issue, it could be that the kids are pressing against a nerve in her back end, but I have only seen that a couple of times in 19 years, so you really need to look at nutritional issues first.
Thanks Deborah. I hadn't thought of alfalfa. We did always have some on hand back in Kansas but with moving I'd forgotten. Could I give alfalfa pellets? And if so how much? I don't have alfalfa hay available right now. By WCP I meant wire copper particles :) We started giving a pregnancy tonic from Molly's herbals and dewormer balls and she seems to be doing better. I'll have to post pictures when I have time.
Goats get sick when you move them from one place to another. I hope I can see them.
Pregnant does at the end of pregnancy need their hay to be at least 50% alfalfa for the higher protein and calcium.
What mineral do you have available for her?
What is WCP?