# Meningeal Worm



## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

I've seen a few threads on the topic, but wanted to start one of my own based on what I'm going through right now.

I have a nubian doe, April, who has given me issues since she came to me in April. She lost weight coming to my house, which didn't surprise me, but she still won't put it back on. She's purebred, 6 yrs old and weighs about 95#.

I had fecals done on my entire herd last month because scours were running through my herd and I couldn't figure out what it was. Turns out they had coccidia and strongyles. 

Everyone went through a treatment of DiMethox and Safeguard - including April.

Within a week everyone was back to normal - everyone except April. No matter what I gave her - Red Cell, better minerals, BoSe, Copper bolus - she didn't get any better.

This past weekend she started acting lame in her back legs, more the right leg than the left. I also noticed that she appeared hunched up in her spine towards her back end. I thought it was a selenium deficiency but the BoSe should've taken care of that.

Someone suggested meningeal worm so I googled it and all the symptoms are there. She's not in any pain. I've felt her all over, moved her legs looking for breaks or fractures and got nothing. She's just now started itching her spine area.

I have a call into my vet to determine the best course of action for our area and for her based on her condition. I believe she's in the minor stages, but I've never seen an acute stage and from what I've read the goat appears fine and normal and then they're just dead.

I know there are only 2 ways to test for meningeal worm...a spinal tap or a necropsy. 

Does anyone else have any information on this to share? Has anyone else gone through this?

I'll update with the treatment plan and let you all know what my vet says, but I'd like to hear other input as well.

Thanks!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

my friends goat had similar symptoms but it ended up being listeriosis. I would also check that out


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I knew someone who had a llama with meningeal worm... I'm not sure what you should do for treatment but it might be a good idea to isolated her to prevent spread....??? Good luck!


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

I thought listeriousis was more of a head thing - she is bright, alert and, from what I can tell clear as day. It's just the lameness and arched rump.

I'll check that, though...I know that's a quick killer too.

As for isolating her, I believe this worm is only ingested through slugs and snails that are directly injested (which there are plenty of slugs in their wet swampy area....). If anything, I'm going to have to treat everyone anyway so I don't see the point in causing her stress if she's not the direct issue...know what I mean? 

However, I could very well be wrong and I will certainly ask the vet when she calls me back.


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## Happy Hobby Farmer (May 16, 2011)

Have you ruled out CAE & Johnnes?

ETA: the symptoms of listeriosis and meningeal worms are very similar in the accute stages. 
And here's a good article with diagnosis & treatment info:
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/deerworm.html


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

Her previous owner had her tested and she was negative; she's only been mine since April and I planned to retest everyone in a few months anyway.

I talked with my vet and since April was only lame in her back legs, in no apparant pain and meningeal worm isn't something you 'wait and see' about she agreed the best course of action was to treat for meningeal.

I have to give her panacure (safeguard) at a dose of 1cc / 5# for 5 days. I have banamine and she said I could give that to decrease inflamation if she went down or could no longer walk.

She said I should treat everyone else with 1cc / 75# of ivomec to prevent it in all the other goats.

From here she said I have a 50/50 shot...either it's too late or she'll bounce back but there's no way to determine how far along she is since it's such a quick progression to death.

Send happy thoughts!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Safeguard will not help her from my research 

She needs 1cc per 20lbs im for at least 5 days. I did all the math when my friends goat was suspected. Its all written down at home. 
she needs a high dose or it won't do a thing for her. 

Do a search online and you will see the recommendations for treatment and then you can make an informed decision on how to treat.


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

Either I'm reading your post wrong or missed something somewhere...

I'm giving her the safeguard at 1cc per 5 lbs orally; this is what my vet said has worked for our area in the past. Actually she said that it's usually becomes an epidemic in certain areas this time of year since it's really wet.

All the other research I've done (which has been nonstop for 2 days) also recommends a dose along those lines...some in the area of 1cc / 7lbs and some even lighter.


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## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

Sending hope your way.

Jan


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## dobe627 (Oct 16, 2007)

My llama is believed to have meningeal worm, going on 2 years now. We ruled out everything else(via vet) he was hit with high doses of ivermectin plus, some antibiotics and an antiinflamtory. He was fine then suddenly was wobbly in hind end. Almost to the point we were going to put him down. He still walks funny in his hind end-especially if he runs to fast. But he doesn't appear to be in any pain and does everything he's supposed to do including being a PITA. SO there is hope. If I remember correctly it's spread by deer( and we have plenty). And there are 2 times of the year it's worse( but I can't remember when). So good luck and hope she recovers, Probably won't be able to breed her if she is weak in hind end though.


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

A few years back I had a doe who was fine one day and the next collapsed on her hind end. Definitely suspected deerworm so called the vet. He said 3 days of Ivermec shots (I gave 5), I think 5 days of dexamethasone for swelling and thiamine. Thanks to getting on it quick she recovered, but to this day has a limp. She was also a few weeks pregnant at the time and the vet figured she lose the kids due to the dexy, but she had triplets. She's actually one of my best does.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Ivermectin *+* if slugs & snails is the culprit.


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

Interesting about the ivomec vs. safeguard - from what I've researched on-line and other goat websites it says the ivomec is the _preventative_ treatment and the safeguard is to treat them _when_ they're infected.

I gave April the Safeguard last night and followed it with a B Complex shot. I gave her another B Complex shot this morning; the vet said I'm supposed to do the B Complex 2x day for 5 days and the safeguard 1x day for 5 days then report back.

Here's a video of April walking....as you will see she's not down but there is a slight lameness in her back end and you can see her favor her right leg.



Here's another video of April with a shot of my other goats so you can see her condition compared to hers. Please excuse the muddy mess...it's been raining for a week now and really hard to clean up when it's poop soup!


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## naturalgoats (Jan 3, 2011)

I may be wrong but I don't think she really looks too bad.... I think I might be able to see what you were talking about on the back but it isn't so severe that I would really notice it if I wasn't looking for it really hard. She looks a bit thin but apart from that it just seems to be a problem of a slight limp.... 
Of course everything may look a LOT different in person... but from the video those are my thoughts......

I'm curious to hear what other people think.....


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

Thanks, naturalgoats. I, too, think she's thin and for a while was just assuming she was one of those hard keepers. But last Sunday she a bit more lame in her back legs, shuffleing them as opposed to picking them up to walk and when I grabbed her right leg to see if there were any injuries she went right down. No yelling, no pain, nothing. Just went down and stayed there. Monday morning she did get up and walk a bit, but it took some coaxing from me and the other goats to get her moving.

She's doing much better today - picks up her feet to walk and has even headbutted with another goat. I'm feeding her away from the other goats so she's enjoying that too.

I'm curious, though, do their eye lids/gums turn pale with this worm too? Her's are nice and pink, which is why I didn't even think of worms until I explained what was happening and someone suggested meningeal worms.


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## dobe627 (Oct 16, 2007)

This worm will not change the color of their eyelids. It affects their spinal cord/brain. Once it has migrated to there other then treating the symptons the only way to really know they have it is necropsy. It won't show up on a fecal. I don't even know about a spinal tap( as mentioned above). It's carried mostly by deer and spread through their droppings, either being eaten or picked up by a slug and eaten.


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

good to hear, dobe - I know it doesn't show on fecals or anything, but wasn't sure about the eye lid color so now I know I'm not going crazy.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I believe you are right about the ivomec being a preventative, but (in camelids) it must be given by injection, not orally. Good luck, sounds like you caught it in time.


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## imaginationacres (Sep 27, 2009)

viewtopic.php?t=19191

Sounds like my experience with a meningeal deer worm with one of my wethers.

I did a 10 day course of oral panacur (febendazole) and a 7 day course of injectible ivermectin. He was unable to walk at all in the rear legs - totally paralyzed - at the begining of the treatment. Now months later he only walks with a limp, he did suffer permanent nerve damage and will never fully recover.


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## glenolam (Jul 20, 2010)

Di - yes, I gave the other does the ivomec injected - sorry if I left that out.

The safeguard was/is being given orally.

imaginations - I read your thread, which helped a lot. My doe, luckily, was never down completely or paralyzed, just lame so we thought it'd be best to treat first than wait and see.

Interesting about your treatment, though. My vet said a 5 day treatment was enough....maybe because it wasn't so bad?

She's doing exceptionally well. I left her out for a bit yesterday evening and she wandered around grazing without the pestering from the rest of the herd. She seems to be putting a bit more padding on her hip bones, too...if I could only get that sunken in look to go away. I'm going to try adding oil or something fattier to her grain so she has added calories (something suggested in that "diet" for skinny goat thread).


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