# Help! Dislocated Shoulder



## fiberfinns (Sep 5, 2010)

I was shearing my Angora Goats and when i went to flip one of the girls on her side, her front leg got stuck and it dislocted at her shoulder. I took her to the vet and her gave her a sedative and during the examination her shoulder popped back in. The vet seemed to think that it would pop out right away again, and gave us enough pain meds to keep her over the weekend till they could fix her surgically on tuesday (the earliest they could do it). This happened yesterday, and I have kept her in a small confinment area to keep her calm and off her leg. The strangest thing tho, she is walking around just as happy as a clam, eating, drinking, trying to climb the fence, and looks normal. So now i dont know what to do? Do I take her in for an expensive and painfull surgury? She does not appear to be in any distress or pain, and i have not given her any of the meds yet. Has anyone experienced this before? do you think the shoulder would heal on its own?


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

anesthesia is hard on goats and unless the vet knows how to do goats and bring them out of it I would lean towards NOT doing any surgery unless this turns into a cronic issue.

One dislocated shoulder shouldnt cause huge issues with her life. its good to keep her confined so that ligaments can tighten again and she doesnt put undo stress on the shoulder but if she is acting fine after the pain meds are gone I wouldnt do the surgery. 

vets always want you to spend spend spend. I dont see the need unless its putting her life in danger


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Ouch.... :shocked: I agree with Stacey.... you need to give her time to heal and not let her get into a situation... to where she will dislocate it again.... 

I wonder if... there is a way to wrap it.....so it helps to keep it into place...until she heals.......right now ....being a new injury.... it is real easy for it to dislocate again..... If she has the time for healing ....she may not need surgery..... only time will tell...... :hug:


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

As long as she is doing ok for now I would just hold off on surgery. Also, you may want to put her in a pen with good footing and nothing she can climb or jump on. She'll need awhile to recover so get her away from the other goats. Just getting butted by another goat could cause it to dislocate again or even jumping off of something.


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## harmonygoats (Nov 20, 2007)

We had a buck that did that. We wrapped him with an ace bandage and kept him confined in a smaller pen by himself for a couple weeks. Never had a problem with it after that. Just don't let her run around for a while and she should do fine.


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## fiberfinns (Sep 5, 2010)

We have been keeping her in the back of the truck with the canopy on, so far she seems happy. I parked the truck near the paddock so she can see the other goats. Tomorrow i will build a small fenced off area for her to hang out in for a few weeks till things recover a bit. I have been trying to find out if a goats shoulder is like a humans with a ball and socket, or more like a deers where the shoulder is only held on by a sheath of tendon and ligaments. Fingers crossed that it does not pop out again, so far it has been 24 hours since the injury and 48 till the proposed surgery.


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## fiberfinns (Sep 5, 2010)

harmonygoats said:


> We had a buck that did that. We wrapped him with an ace bandage and kept him confined in a smaller pen by himself for a couple weeks. Never had a problem with it after that. Just don't let her run around for a while and she should do fine.


How did you wrap the leg? did you bring it up, or just wrap around the whole shoulder? Thanks!


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## harmonygoats (Nov 20, 2007)

Around the chest and shoulder and over the withers. You don't have to wrap it too tight. Their shoulders are like a deer is what our vet told us. Had one break a shoulder, you could feel the gap. Wrapped it and we were still able to show her and breed her.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

When ever we had a dislocation in the clinics (cat or dogs) we actually braced the leg up so that they could not put any weight on it at all by bending the leg up under them and vet wrapping it with cast padding between the animal and the vet wrap.


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## fiberfinns (Sep 5, 2010)

Thanks! That is some encouraging news! Fingers crossed for a full recovery! She spent the night in the truck again last night and was bearing weight on it this morning. I will try and wrap it today to give her some more support.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

ray: Here's to a full recovery... :hug:


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