# two year old wether with really stiff front legs, need advice please!!



## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Hello all,
I need advise on what to do medically with my boy. He has had very stiff front legs for over a year. He can hardly get up when he is laying down. i have brought him to the vet three times. he has had blood work, tested negative for cae. The vet thinks i trim too much off his heals because he tends to walk more on his heels. She gave him a shot of banamine which seemed to help him walk better that night. What do i ask for as far as tests? He either has arthritis or something else going on. He seems in pain and when he walks his front legs are really extended out in front of him. I'm at a loss as what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be wrong with him? Thank you all for any advise you can give me. Donna


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Do you have any pictures?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

a video of him walking would be good....


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

i will get a video of him tomorrow. It is pouring out right now and they wont come out of the barn. Will post one tomorrow! thank you


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Did the vet check for founder/Laminitis?

What are you feeding him?

Look at this video is this how he walks?





Is he peeing OK?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

How are things?


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

i just watched the video and he does walk like this but doesn't bend his legs. he walks stiff legged and extends his legs out in front of him.I just tried to upload two videos but it failed. i will try again. thank you. Donna


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Did the vet ever do x-ray? Trimming too much is not going to cause stiff legs and not bending at the knee.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Hi Karen, 
The vet didn't do any xrays. I agree that it isn't from trimming his feet. he has been like this for awhile and i have had him there twice for it. I have to bring my other goat in for de horning tomorrow so i will discuss him again and ask for xrays.When he first gets up from laying down, he is so stiff he can hardly walk. She gave him a shot of banimane the last visit and he seemed to be relieved a little bit. If he does have what the other goat in the video has , is there any thing they do to help him or does it just get worse. can they tell if it is that by a xray?Thank you


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If there is arthritis or anything weird, they should see it in xray. Banamine is fine for a quick hit but can't be used long term. It may be beneficial to use some type of arthritis med. There are quite a few good horse ones you can use on the goats.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I seem to remember once, that sometimes when they don't have the correct calcium/phosphorus balance, it makes them stiff. This could be a shot in the dark. What is his diet?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice given.

An xray will tell more. Mentioned what was in the video to the vet and see what he thinks.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

He gets second cut hay, cup of nutrena grain, mixed with oats, barley, and sos, alfafla pellets, free choice minerals and kelp. i also keep a goat block out because they will not touch the loose minerals. i have tried so many different kinds with no luck. I will ask the vet to do a xray because he looks like he is pain all the time. he will not run around like my others. he just stands in the middle of the pen with his front legs outstrethed and keeps lifting each foot off the ground a little.It is frustrating because this is not normal and he is getting worse. I have checked his feet and do not see any hoof rot. His legs don't look swollen or hot/warm to touch. I will try to post the video when my son gets home since i seem to be doing something wrong. Thanks Donna


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Did you raise him or did you get him as an adult or teen? Just wondering if he could have had an infection in his joints as a kid which caused joint damage?

Lack of Vit D can cause joint pain also.

Founder can cause all sorts of lameness and odd gaits.

You can try the Glucosamine/Chrondroiton/MSM trio to see if that helps him. It comes in pelleted form for horses that goat usually like. MSM comes in a crystal form that is pretty much tasteless. I feed that to my dogs, older goats and even put it in my oatmeal in the morning. It helps provide nutrients to rebuild cartilige


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)




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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)




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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

I'm sorry for the lack of evidence of him walking but as you can see he is very stiff legged and does not want to walk. I will talk to the vet tomorrow about everything you have all posted. He is hurting ! I got him when he was three months old. he will be two in August and he has been having this problem for over a year. he is getting worse now though! I will let you know what the vet says tomorrow. Thank you all so much! Donna


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck with the vet.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow, it is hard to say.

Hope the vet can figure something out.

Did you push on each hoof to see if he reacts to it in a spot?
He seems to be favoring right foot more than the other and trying to walk on his toe instead of heal. But it appears his heal may of been trimmed to low possibly. Allow it to grow out. Stone bruising can happen if he is trimmed often and he has been on rough terrain.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Hi Pam,
The vet thought on his last visit two weeks ago that maybe i was trimming his heel too much. I don't think so. He has been like this since he was seven months old. he is getting worse now though. he won't run and just stands in the pen. i talked to the vet today and she said it is possible he does have founder so we are going to do xrays. i have to call tomorrow and make a appointment. i hope it isn't founder. poor guy doesn't need that. Will let everyone know once i get the xrays results. Thank you everyone


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good luck. :hug:


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

I have a appointment at 1pm tomorrow for dakota. She is going to xray his hooves and legs. I'm so afraid for him! If he has founder, what do i do? Did i cause this? I always trim hooves every couple of weeks. I don't feel that i feed too much grain but not sure since they are just pets. Dakota probally gets at max a half cup of grain and the same with alfalfa pellets plus free choice second cut hay, minerals which they won't touch, mineral goat block which they love, free choice kelp,they love that and apples, carrots before i tuck them in. Is thios too much for him? He is a nigerian and weighs 76 pds. too fat, yes, since then i have been cutting back on treats such as shelled peanuts, animal crackers..ughh am i killing my goats??


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Thank you Pam!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

You bet.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Good news, no founder! bad news is that his xrays show that his front legs bones didn"t grow right. They are more curved outward which makes the joints mess up the rest of his legs. he has arthritis in both knees because of this abnormal growth. The left leg is worse. She suggested i put him on a diet because he is overweight.He is a nigerian dwarf wether and weighs 90 pds. She said that their isn't really anything i can do for him but get weight off. Someone mentioned a joint compound for horses , would that help him?What does everyone else do , if their goat has arthritis? Do i just feed him straight hay? Right now he gets about a cup of grain and alfafa pellets. Thank you all so much for your input and help! Donna


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Glad you found out. I would discontinue the grain but keep feeding a little alfalfa pellets. You can try a horse arthritis med.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Karen, 
How much is a little referring to pellets? He probably only got less than a half of a cup before? i bought Joint combo . it is a pelleted joint , hoof and coat health supplement for horses. I have been giving him about a tablespoon the last three days. I don't know if it is me or what, but he seems to be walking more and running.Could this just be me hoping it will work for him? What would you suggest? I want to help him if i can. I will work on the weight issue. Anything that will help him!Thanks


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'd probably give him half a cup per day.


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

is there anything i can do about his problem with his legs besides diet? Does anyone have a arthritic goat? Any advise would be greatly appreciated! Thank you Donna


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

there are herbal supports that may help...landofhavah.com is a good source..the owner is very helpful


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Thank you Cathy! I will check our her website.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very good advice.

Finally an answer, I am sorry he didn't grow properly and now has issues.


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