# Goat can't get up



## barelahh (Apr 13, 2007)

I have a alpine girl whos very very pregnant. We have had some really rough weather the last month or so. I have a storm cellar that they goats go into when its super cold,but she can't get up on her own and i can't get her out now.

I am feeding her in there, and watering, she has a healthy appetite, but when she tries to get up her rear end it just isn't strong enough to lift her butt up. Her legs seem weak.

Any ideas on what would be wrong? She is huge. I suspect she has 3 or 4 critters in her just by the sheer size of her. laying down on her belly it spreads to about 3' wide.


----------



## betsy h. (Sep 28, 2008)

If she is hugely pg, she may have a surplus of a hormone called 'relaxin'. No kidding.

It loosens the bones to where they cannot stand sometimes- I had it in a very large Saanen doe some years back. she kidded fine and it took a couple weeks for her to be able to get back up and on her way again.

fix her a nest, do what you can to keep her on her brisket and see if you can at least get her up on a daily basis, even if she falls back down again.


----------



## barelahh (Apr 13, 2007)

betsy h. said:


> If she is hugely pg, she may have a surplus of a hormone called 'relaxin'. No kidding.
> 
> It loosens the bones to where they cannot stand sometimes- I had it in a very large Saanen doe some years back. she kidded fine and it took a couple weeks for her to be able to get back up and on her way again.
> 
> fix her a nest, do what you can to keep her on her brisket and see if you can at least get her up on a daily basis, even if she falls back down again.


Ok. Widget is the biggest i have ever seen her while pregnant. I can't lift her. the best i can do is pull her around. 
I wonder if she's about to deliver.


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

See also the thread on milk fever / hypocalcemia / doe down.

Has she had enough calcium in her diet?

What is your feeding regimen?


----------



## barelahh (Apr 13, 2007)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> See also the thread on milk fever / hypocalcemia / doe down.
> 
> Has she had enough calcium in her diet?
> 
> What is your feeding regimen?


right now its hay and a feed mix 16% protein.
corn chop, oats, milo, bean meal, molasses in the mix.

I'll get some alfalfa pellets to feed her in the morning.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Get come calcium pills and dissolve them in just enough water to melt them.
Pour it over her grain


----------



## Briza (Aug 11, 2009)

She is metabolically incorrect. There is no reason she should not be able to stand just because she has a lot of fetuses or heavy pregnancy. It is the drain on her energy and reserves of minerals. She is leaching her bones and organs for minerals and not able to use any fat reserves because of too much sugar in the diet. 
She needs CMPK injected 30 cc twice a day. Split the dose in half and inject under tented skin in two locations and give as much alfalfa as she will eat. You need to take away the sugar and drop the protein. What does her urine smell like? Finger nail polish remover? The grain without alfalfa is too much phosphorous. 
Ketosis and lack of calcium are the most common reasons to be down. Do you have a due date? Is she late? Udder full? She needs help or she won't have energy for labor and delivery. The rumen and lungs of a goat do not function normally laying down for long periods. You will need to get her up in a sling if you can't get her up by reversing her mineral imbalance. She will end up with pneumonia laying still so long in the wet and cold weather this time of year. 
This is not something to put off if delivery is close she will crash after delivering and the job will be worse once she goes off feed. Multiple fetuses often cause these problems.
Lots of good reading about this online as it occurs often. Good luck.
B~
http://goat-link.com/content/view/148/156/


----------



## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

If she's hypocalcemic, feeding calcium won't be enough at this point. She'll need injections, get them from a vet ASAP.


----------

