# goat emergency



## Wanoga (Feb 27, 2007)

MY Uncles goat broke her leg this morning he thinks. We are snowed in and a vet will not come to his home. Her front leg is just hanging limp. He manipulated it and he thinks it is broke up high. She seams to be in pain but is eating and drinking. Any sugestions or should he destroy her and how is that done humanely with goats? He lives in a residential area and the goat is a pet. Any help will be appreciated and my apologies if I am posting in the wrong place. Pat


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## Bay Mare (Jun 7, 2007)

See the sticky at the top of the board about butchering. There is an excellent picture there on where to shoot a goat. That said, if it were me I would try to splint it. 

Not much help but maybe someone else with better advice will be here soon!

Angela


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## Wanoga (Feb 27, 2007)

It's up in the shoulder is there anything they can do for that? Should they let time pass to see if it will heal on it's own?


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

If the vet will not come, will he not at least give advice? Good grief!

I've not had a broken leg so I don't know much about this. You may need to do some kind of splint with a wrap around the chest to keep it from moving around. I don't know how well they would heal from such an injury.

Be very careful about cutting off circulation!


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## Wanoga (Feb 27, 2007)

I will tell him to call but the vets around here are afraid of getting sued so I do not know how much advice they will give over the phone.


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## Natural Beauty Farm (Feb 17, 2003)

Put in the right position and splint it. Give banamine for pain. Check out Vicki's site dairygoatinfo.com and ask for help from someone local if you do not have meds. Can also google goat911 for help, sure Vicki's site has a link also. I've seen lots of goats with broken legs and after splinting it they were fine and you could not tell, just DO Not wrap too tight, just need to keep splint in position and leg straight.


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## Bay Mare (Jun 7, 2007)

I agree with calling the vet!

Don't know what to tell you about a shoulder break. I think that since she is eating and drinking I would give her a chance. If the pain gets bad enough that she won't eat or drink then I would put her down. 

I have never had a goat with a broken leg either.

Angela


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

High, as in above the knee?? Or a dislocated shoulder? Broken shoulder??
How old is said goat?? 
I have set many broken legs in the past, one was a break just below the shoulder. Have not yet had to put one down due to a broken leg.
Goats in general heal broken bones very well if treated properly. Young goats heal broken bones *extremely* well.
Do you have Banamine(Flunixin Meglumine, is marketed under many generic names as well)?? If so, give her a dose at 1-2 ccs per hundred lbs. This is a painkiller and will make her feel much better as well as helping with inflamation.
See if you can locate the exact spot of the break. Then set, and using padded paint sticks and duct tape, splint it into proper position(do NOT wrap too tightly, just wrap securely). You can also use padded PVC pipe to splint broken legs, but if its above the knee, I'd say that would be difficult.
Make sure she gets plenty of calcium(alfalfa), for bone regrowth and keep her on banamine for three days. Do not bother the splint except to check for its holding position every day and make sure the leg below the splint is warm and healthy.


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## betsy h. (Sep 28, 2008)

I would do what you can and leave it alone. goats can live very good, full lives on three legs.......


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## freedomfrom4 (Jul 27, 2009)

You need large animal farm vet not a regular old vet. Most vets around me do not touch goats, but my large animal vet will give me meds and advice over the phone. Are there any vet school clinics around. They are great on the phone (at least the one in columbus ohio is)
Good luck


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## Wanoga (Feb 27, 2007)

Thank you all for the help... they finally got a horse vet to come out, hopefully they can save her. Thanks again, Pat.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Wanoga said:


> Thank you all for the help... they finally got a horse vet to come out, hopefully they can save her. Thanks again, Pat.


Thank goodness! Let us know what happens...I hope she will be ok


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## Wanoga (Feb 27, 2007)

The vet that came out advised them to put her down. The leg was broken in 5 places, shoulder and upper leg. They went with the vets advice and had her put down. He did not charge them for the visit, I thought that was kind of him. My Aunt is heartbroken. They bottle raised them from birth. The two goats are named Adam and Eve. Sad. Thanks again, Pat.


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## Janis Sauncy (Apr 11, 2006)

I'm so sorry for your parent's loss.

I hope they will consider getting the remaining goat a companion as soon as possible.


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

Aw, I'm sorry. 

I agree on getting a buddy for the remaining goat.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

How awful!  I wonder how she broke it in 5places! She must have really been tangled up. I feel so bad for your parents...my goats are pets too. What a crummy thing to happen right before the Holidays. Hugs to you and your parents and I'm so sorry for your loss


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Wow, 5 places. That must have been some bad place she got stuck. Do they have any idea where it happened so that they can possibly prevent it from happening again?
Sorry for their loss. Very nice vet you have there.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Oh, man. I am so sorry.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

I'm so sorry. The vet was very kind, indeed, not to charge. 

NeHi


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## betsy h. (Sep 28, 2008)

You know, I have to say this- that vet WAS stupid! If she was a beloved pet, there was not one reason whatsoever to put her down- here's why....

One of my Guersney does jumped the fence and broke her back foot all the way off of her leg. We took her to UT vet school in Knoxville. They amputated the foot, worked on the stub, gave her an orthopedic appliance and when I took her home, they showed me how to change the bandages. She bred two weeks later and kidded just fine. It cost me $1,000 to do this for her.....

If that was a front leg, it is way easier to amputate than the rear leg- she could have gotten around just fine on 3 legs, and being a beloved doe, she would have gotten even more lovin's. 

It appears to me that the vet just didn't want to be bothered with doing the work, even though he did not charge them for it.


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## Wanoga (Feb 27, 2007)

Thank you all for the sympathy. It was my Aunt and Uncle. They are on a fixed income and I do not think they could have afforded to get the goat to a specialist ( maybe the vet sensed that ) and on top of everything else they just found out my Uncle has cancer. I think they have enough on them right now. My Aunt has decided to rehome Adam because she says she will not get another goat or any other pets as it hurts too much when they die. She wants me to find him a home or find a rescue that will take him. If anyone knows of any in the Baltimore Md. area please let me know. Thanks again, Pat.


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