# Goat kid- broken leg



## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

Got a friend with a baby who unsuccessfully jumped the fence. Her back leg is broken- they believe- 

I'm attaching a diagram of a goat leg and the break is just below what is marked 28. At the joint. 

I have dex but read it can't be used on goats with broken leg. I also have duramycin for antibiotic 
But no banamine.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

How would I splint it and any other suggestions 
The baby is about 10 lbs


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## OwlHillFarm (Feb 11, 2016)

He needs a vet, honestly. Yes, bones can be set and splinted successfully in the field, but odds of successful recovery are greatly improved with professional medical care. 

If you must do this yourself, be extremely cautious. Splints for any vertebrate are pretty similar, so that's really the easy part. The bones must be set correctly or damage will be severe and permanent, not to mention extremely painful, probably for life. I spent ten years riding ambulances and yes, I've seen bones set. It can be ghastly, and is all but impossible to describe. Seriously, he should see a vet. ASAP. Re-breaking to re-set is extremely traumatic. 

You can, and probably should, provide a temporary splint to prevent further damage and that is definitely something you can do on your own. In my own experience with humans, soft splints are actually the easiest to craft and the easiest on the patient. For humans with severe leg injuries we would fold and wrap at least one full size blanket around the limb and tie it securely (Not over the injury or directly over a joint) so that movement is restricted, tissue is supported, and all material is soft enough to keep sore spots at bay until a thorough exam and proper cast can be applied. Caution for any kind of splint: take care to not cut off circulation. In humans, one would check pulse points distal to the splint. Not completely sure how you would do that for a goat since I'm not sure where their lower limb pulse points are. 

And seriously, this splint is great support and may prove calming to him, but it's a band-aid. Improperly set bones and a lack of prescription pain medicine could be permanently damaging. He needs a vet.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

She will be taking the kid to the vet in the am. 
Thanks


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## OwlHillFarm (Feb 11, 2016)

Let us know how the kid fares.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

My friend said the doeling is doing fairly well. She's walking, just not putting pressure on the leg. She is eating and drinking well.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

A break in or near a joint is definetely a veterinary matter. If the break is in the growth plate, you may expect a growth deformity of the limb - the degree of dysfunction that would result may severely impact the animals quality of life and ability to function, get to food, escape bullies, etc. But, it's best bet is to see a vet.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

The vet examined her and will go back on Monday to re-splint her. 

She's not going to have to be down like the first vet said (via phone) 

Thanks all 
I'll try to get her to send me a pic of the girl


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## OwlHillFarm (Feb 11, 2016)

Sounds promising. Thanks for the update and yes, we love pictures around here.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

I wonder why the vet waited to splint it? I hope your friend isolated the goat in a small pen where it couldn't be too active. 

I had a goat kid get caught in a hay feeder and broke her leg just below the growth plate (top part of bone 26 in your diagram). Took her to the vet right away and he splinted it very well, and after several weeks in a stall, the splint was removed and she had another week of stall rest before she was allowed much movement. It healed perfectly, and she was VERY happy to be out of the stall after that.


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## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

It says re-splint. Sounds like there's a temporary one in place. Often times any swelling or initial pain/instability can mean that the first cast/splint needs to be adjusted or replaced shortly after it's applied, to ensure that the leg has set correctly, stayed set, and can't wiggle around too much now that swelling has gone down and pain has decreased (and thus animal activity increased).


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

mygoat said:


> It says re-splint.


Oops, didn't catch the "re" part.


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## Farmers Pride (Feb 26, 2011)

Needs a vet. And no dex. Banimine is OK. Over the years I have had two break a leg. One was a fence jumper and she broke it in the same spot as yours as a first freshener yearling. My vet is awesome. He knocked her out and shot some x-rays, set the bone, and caster her up. He told me she would not milk after that. She figured out the cast in a day and milked twice a day never missing a milking. Normally she would beat the rest to the milk room. Anyway, it did not slow her down much after a few days. Vet re-casted her once because she was still growing. She healed really well. The following year she had a perfect stance and walk. I showed her and nobody ever knew she had ever broke a leg. So, yes it can be fixed. She is an old lady now and retired and still has no issues. 
The other was a buck that broke a front leg fighting during rut. Same result. Vet fixed him up and he never had a problem after that and was in my breeding program until two years ago when he died of old age. 

Greg


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