# What to give a goat with arthritis



## Chloe1233 (Sep 26, 2017)

Sunshine my new doe I got last month seems to have arthritis in her front right shoulder and knee. She turned 8 this year and is quite a wide doe so I know that is probably contributing to her joint pain. None of my feed stores have any joint supplements but I found these two products off of chewy.com and was wondering if it would be a good product to give to Sunshine.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

Molly's herbals has a joint and arthritis support that has glucosamine, MSM, and herbs!! http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/products/arthritis-and-joint-support


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## Chloe1233 (Sep 26, 2017)

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:


> Molly's herbals has a joint and arthritis support that has glucosamine, MSM, and herbs!! http://www.fiascofarm.com/herbs/mollysherbals.php/products/arthritis-and-joint-support


Thank you. I didn't know about there being items in the other products that weren't safe for pregnant animals so I went ahead and ordered from Molly's Herbals. Hopefully this will ease her pain. She is quite a big Nigerian dwarf, probably 70-80lbs and I think that her weight is putting a lot of pressure on her joints


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Chloe1233 said:


> Thank you. I didn't know about there being items in the other products that weren't safe for pregnant animals so I went ahead and ordered from Molly's Herbals. Hopefully this will ease her pain. She is quite a big Nigerian dwarf, probably 70-80lbs and I think that her weight is putting a lot of pressure on her joints


I used the Mollys for my wether Remus and he thought I was trying to poison him when I tried using it as a top dress on his feed. My solution was mixing in some slippery elm powder, oats and molasses and making little balls to give him. If your doe doesn't like it either you might try making the balls.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

GoofyGoat said:


> I used the Mollys for my wether Remus and he thought I was trying to poison him when I tried using it as a top dress on his feed. My solution was mixing in some slippery elm powder, oats and molasses and making little balls to give him. If your doe doesn't like it either you might try making the balls.


Dosage balls win over most goats. I have about a thousand other herb dosing techniques as well :bonkdance)


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Do we know though if these products really worked for the arthritis? I have tried Glucosamine and MSM for my goat with arthritis and it didn't seem to help. 

Someone told me about green lipped mussel for arthritis. They use that in dogs but I haven't heard of this supplement. I wonder if anyone here has used that for their goats?


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Buck Naked Boers said:


> Do we know though if these products really worked for the arthritis? I have tried Glucosamine and MSM for my goat with arthritis and it didn't seem to help.
> 
> Someone told me about green lipped mussel for arthritis. They use that in dogs but I haven't heard of this supplement. I wonder if anyone here has used that for their goats?


The Mollys herbal stuff didn't work for Remus but an equine chiropractor did. He's doing a lot better.  he's running all over now.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

So that is really interesting! I haven't ever heard of a equine chiropractor! Very cool!
Can you tell me what was wrong with Remus? Arthritis? Or spine? Or?
Thank you!


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Buck Naked Boers said:


> So that is really interesting! I haven't ever heard of a equine chiropractor! Very cool!
> Can you tell me what was wrong with Remus? Arthritis? Or spine? Or?
> Thank you!


We found Remus was having a really hard time getting up from a resting position in the mornings he would only use three legs and the fourth he would swing in the air and limp to his feed. He was only a couple months old when it started. At first I suspected joint ill and took him to the vet and he said no that's not it and gave him meloxicam for three days. It didn't help. We went back and did X-rays .. nothing obvious just a bit of inflammation in his shoulder and knee, more meloxicam. No good. Searching the Internet I found mollys... 5 weeks later no help. Finally a friend said her horse was seeing a chiropractor and I brought Remus over for her appointment. He adjusted him and he was sore but walking better. 6 treatments later he was running around and old enough to test for CAE (negative) so every now and again I get him adjusted and he's a year and a half old and runs and keeps up with the herd just fine. 
Truthfully, I don't think I'll ever know what exactly caused it but as long as he's doing well he'll get tweaked as needed and have a home here.
Picture of Remus when it was bad and more recent with Luna


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Awe. I am glad you found someone who could help him! The meloxicam does seem to be helping our boy. I don't think we have any animal chiropractors here....so I am hoping that maybe a change in hay can help him too. I went and got some good hay that isn't a year old and he seems to be doing a bit better. But now I have to test it myself because of his stone history....we love our boys but wow they are alot more work to keep healthy than the girls! We have one boy that has had two stone surgeries. But since being on tested hay he is doing well! We didn't know better early on and was feeding him grain and alfalfa. For us, that was the wrong thing to do. Our univ vet large animal hospital said do not feed those to yr boys. So we haven't and it certainly is working well! He had a ct recently and NO stones at all.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I believe there's a large animal chiropractor at the Sweet Home veterinary hospital Tammy.


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## Buck Naked Boers (Oct 15, 2012)

Thanks Jill that is good to know. I think we may have a chiro closer to us as well but not positive. I am trying a couple things to put weight on him right now. He is down in the 220's now which is very very thin for him.

Have a good weekend everyone!


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