# Newborn doeling cant straighten front legs



## AlecBGreen (Jul 7, 2009)

Hey everybody, I just had a surprise birth. Bought a 18 month-old doe who wasnt supposed to be pregnant. Well, yesterday she threw cute little doeling. The kid looks healthy and hungry and generally OK except for the fact she cant straighten out her two front legs. If she were a human trying to walk on her hands, her palm wouldnt be down, they would be bent under and walking on her wrist. She is having a heckuva time  I tried to straighten them but they feel real tight and it felt like if I forced them into a 'nomal' position it might cause damage. So far she has been able to nurse but I dont what the problem is. Is this normal? Will they eventually straighten out? Thanks for any help you can offer.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hey there... :thumb: 

Congrats on the new surprise.... :hi5: 

Yes... it can happen....

If you can get a Bo-se shot and vit E... that will help the baby... the vet can sell it to you.....
you can brace the legs ...to help to retrain the tendons.... to go back right....


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## Happy Hobby Farmer (May 16, 2011)

Its contracted tendons - be careful because this can sometimes be an inherited condition.

Normally it will correct itself once the kid starts putting more weight on the hooves, stretching the tendons. Sometimes splints are needed.


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## DulmesFamilyBoers (Feb 26, 2011)

We had 2 of 3 triplets this spring who were like that for a couple days. Each time I came in by them I would straiten them as much as possible, and they could stand that way, but as soon as they tried to walk they would "fold" over. By the end of day 2 they were walking just fine. Hopefully it will be the same for you!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Hope she gets better for you soon.


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## AlecBGreen (Jul 7, 2009)

Thanks for the help yall. Her hooves look a little looser today. I tried stretching them out a bit but they wont quite go straight. Better though I think. 

I got the number of a good local vet and Im going to get a BoSe shot into her. How much do you recommend?


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## Rechellef (May 17, 2011)

I give my kids 1/4cc at birth and then break open a vitamin E capsule and shoot that down her throat as well.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

My very first experience with goats and goat delivery was 2010. We had bought a few does just for the purpose of eating weeds around here. The doe we bought was 9 months and it took me a while to realize that we bought a prego doe! I had her tied out on a run, she heard a noise and panicked, fell hard on her back with legs up in air. Soon after this fall, I had suspected her to be pregnant and about a couple months later, she kidded a good size buckling. I was alone never delivered anything & there were birth problems. My father, who lives next door, came over to coach me along while he held her head. The legs were folded way back under the baby's chest inside the womb. The momma had been in labor for too long and was going wearing out. I had the buckling's head all the way out and had to push it back to move the legs to the opening. If I had not have pre read on what to do or had my father here, I am sure both mother and baby would have died. 

All this to say.. this baby buckling had very bent legs that would not hold him. He walked like a crab. Bo-Se was given with no improvement. The mother improved fine but the baby's front legs were unable to straighten out. After reading and reading, I came to the conclusion that he had a distended tendon problem. I massaged his little legs and straightened them daily. In a few weeks he was walking, soon jumping, soon running fast all over the place. I did brace them with paper towel rolls and ace bandage as his hoof kept trying to turn under. He did become a wether. We bred this same doe this year to our buck and she produced healthy twins, no problems with birth. They popped right out with legs first and were our biggest babies born. 

So ... the distended legs maybe caused from what I have read... an inherrited disorder that can show up generations later.. and also sometimes evidentally, the uterus can get a twist in it,caused maybe from doe falling, not allowing baby to get into correct position. This doe took a hard fall(I felt so bad) me not knowing she was prego. 

Maybe this is a distended issue that could correct itself. I am not sure ours was a genetic thing but more from our doe being bred at 9 months of age and then not being able to have baby slip into right position. Poor little doe being bred so young.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

> I give my kids 1/4cc at birth and then break open a vitamin E capsule and shoot that down her throat as well.


 I agree.... :thumb:


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## AlecBGreen (Jul 7, 2009)

I made some splints but they came off after a day. Made more, they lasted two days lol. I gave her an oral drench of BoSe (1ml) because I couldnt get the shot into her. Anyway, two and half weeks later and she is looking much better. One hoof is normal and the other one is allllmoost there. Thanks for all your help!


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

:thumb: Glad she is doing better!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:thumbup: :hug:


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## RowdyKidz (Apr 2, 2009)

You can also massage them where they are contracted. A friend of mine would make a split out of popsicile sticks to help them straighten. :thumb: 

Glad to hear she is do better!!!  :leap:


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

I am so glad that she is doing better. The brace becomes frustrating because they dont stay on. If her hooves keep turning under when she walks just do your best to help it straighten out with a brace that works. I finally found a brace that worked well. I took some thin cardboard pieces, cut 2 inch wide but not long and put on either side of the leg/hoof area. I then wrapped with athletic stretchy tape around the leg; the kind that is wide and sticks to itself but not to the hair. That worked well to keep the legs from bending under. At 7 weeks he was walking normal but it took a few dedicated days with a brace. I think it kind of trains their brain to favor the legs and they need to have their brain rerouted to walk right to develop the muscles. I think the brace was a big help in my situation but was frustrating to make work.


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## AlecBGreen (Jul 7, 2009)

UPDATE: she is walking normally now, woohoo! Thanks for all your help guys!  Now I just need to get her mom taken care of ray: (new post)


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## elaine (Feb 20, 2010)

Thats great news :leap: so glad she has straightened up.

I once had a foal born that sounded just the same, i was at the birth luckily as had to help the mare deliver her, the foals legs were bent over the top of her head as she was coming out, i was on own so just kept pulling and eventually got her out. She couldnt straighten her legs at all at first but was such a big foal she could reach her mothers milk from her knees bless her. With in a few weeks though she was perfectly normal just like your little one  

Good luck with her and will keep everything crossed that mom will now take care of her ray:


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## Marta Karolina Tomaszek (Nov 7, 2020)

Hi, just wanted to let you know that the baby goat is doing fantastic. After 4-5 days of on/off splints we took them permanently off. While having splints she was able to walk and get to the milk. Surrogate mom started to take care of her and she feds her. She is gaining strength and her ligaments are much stronger now. Thank you for your help.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

That's great to hear! :neat:


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## Marta Karolina Tomaszek (Nov 7, 2020)

This was at the beginning. First days with splints. I was able to see about 60% of improvement within 20h of wearing the splints. Joints would still get fatigued after about 20 min of her walking around.


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## Marta Karolina Tomaszek (Nov 7, 2020)

These are more recent. She is much stronger and looking more confident on her lill hooves. Farmers dais is is hopping and running.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Thank you so much for the update. 

Good to see a great outcome, looks great and the goat is so cute.


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## MellonFriend (Aug 8, 2017)

She's such a pretty girl! I love those comeback stories!


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