# Limp



## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

One of my goats started limping pretty good. We check him over and there no obvious signs of injury or cause, nothing looks swollen or feels hot to the touch. We do have a vole problem we're trying to resolve, I wonder if he didn't just step in one of the holes and injure his foot/leg. When we put him on the lead to bring him up to look him over he didn't limp at all. I don't know if he was just acting tuff, as soon as we put him back in the field he started to limp again. Anyhow, if it doesn't improve I'll take him in, anything I should do for him or just wait and watch in the mean time?


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

this could very well be an injury like you describe. Have you checked his hooves for thorns, etc.? Any infection between the hooves? This time of year mine sometimes get mites that infect the space between the hooves and up to leg because of the wet and warmth of the spring rains.

If it's a sprain, rest should help and this should be over in about a week.

For these things where no apparent cause can be determined, I like to give the goats Traumeel Solution. It's a homoeopathic remedy for traumas of all kinds and you might find it in you local pharmacy.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

It is also that time of the year when the grass is new and fresh.
Lots of clover and vetch. Watch for founder.
Hoofs would be hot.


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

I did look his hooves over good and didn't see anything, but will continue to monitor. Today he seems to be the same, not better or worse. 
ryorkies, can you explain to me about the clover and vetch? Thanks.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

both are high in Protein like fresh alfalfa. can be 30%.
And can cause founder. Did you want me
to show photos of the plants?
many kinds of vetch:
http://theora.com/images/vetch.jpg










Great food just need to limit how much they eat.
Just watch for hot feet. And bloat when on fresh grasses.


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks for the great info and pic, I wasn't aware of that.

He's still limping, but maybe a little less. I've continued to keep a close eye of him and look him over each day.


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

Well, it's been two weeks and he's still limping. He seemed to get better, but now he seems to be limping more. When he comes for grain at feed time he runs fast and hard, he runs around playing and head butting with the other goats. We've checked him over really good on numberous occations. We did have to cut some side wall off his hoof last month when it was so wet out, but everything looked fine and has hardened up. We've had to do this several times with no problems. I don't see anything stuck and nothing feels hot to the touch. I proded around his hoof wall a little to make sure there wasn't a pocket that maybe healed over and got infected, it seems to be his hoof, he flinched and showed his teeth several time when we worked on his hoof. Any ideas? I hate to rack up a vet bill, but I think I might need to take him in. Just when the hiking is getting started :x


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

Could you take a picture?
Maybe one of us can see if you are missing something?

Also when you trimmed his feet due to the wetness.
Did you spray it with anything? Koppertox or bleach for foot rot.

Just brain storming!


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

Hello,

he seems young for it but I took one of my 5 year olds to the clinic two weeks ago for consistent, heavy limping (walking on three legs more and more often) - suspected a break - and they found during x-ray arthritis in the upper hoove joint (the one where the hoove wall ends). Haven't seen the x-rays yet but it seems severe enough to end his future as a packgoat.

Vet said that they see arthritis in goats quite often and often in this joint.


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## ryorkies (May 4, 2010)

sanhestar said:


> Hello,
> Vet said that they see arthritis in goats quite often and often in this joint.


Do they test for CAE there?

http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/logan/index.php


> Most goats infected with CAE virus are asymptomatic,(SNIP) The arthritic form of CAE viral infection is the most common manifestation of the disease and is generally observed in sexually mature goats (6 months and older). The arthritis tends to be chronic and progressive, though there have been reports of a sudden onset of lameness. Joints that are commonly affected (in descending prevalence) include: carpal joints, tarsal joints, stifle joints, fetlock joints, alantooccipital joint, and coxofemoral joints. All synovial membranes can be affected by CAE virus, and the number of joints affected in any one animal can vary. Early arthritic signs may be subtle or severe. Subtle signs include stiffness, shifting leg lameness, decreased ambulation, weight loss, reluctance to rise, and abnormal posture after rising. More severe arthritic signs can include acute swellings without pain upon palpation; joints that are drained of the fluid simply refill. Eventually these signs lead to a painful arthritis.


Sounds like if the a goat has this he is not going to make a packgoat.


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## sanhestar (Dec 10, 2008)

Hello,

we test for CAE in Germany. And most often it's arthritis in another joint.

For our Jason, he has arthritic proliferations on the last joint of the toe, most likely from an earlier trauma = fighting. The severe lameness he's showing now is in addition caused by a severe malformation of the hoove that has developed over the last winter, maybe just weeks. His heel is way too long and has tipped his toe inside the hoof onto it's tip. This is now pressing against the sole while walking which I can imagine, is painful as hell.

Next to treating the proliferations with homoeopathic remedies, first action is to get the heel down and the toe bones aligned correctly again. His x-ray looks like a rotated coffin bone in horses.


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## DKalakay (Dec 24, 2009)

A couple of years ago, one of my goats developed a slight limp. It would get a little better then we would go on a hike and he would be limping more by the end of the hike. Except for the limp, He acted normal, playing and head butting with the other goats. After about a month of no improvement I took him to the vet. We tried an anti-inflamatory for a week - no improvement so took x-rays. He had a fracture and I don't have a clue as to how he got it. I felt so bad not only that I waited so long but was taking him out on walks with a leg fracture. The leg healed fine after several weeks in a cast although I think he overcompensated and now his other leg is not so straight. He's the lead goat so we take him packing with us but he doesn't carry much weight (except in attitude). 
Good luck,
Denise


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

Ok, I started this post last year, his leg got better soon after the last post and he was fine until December. I still think he hurt his leg stepping into one of the holes we had in the yard, but can't be sure. He started to limp again in December and holds his leg up off the ground at times. It hasn't slowed him down at all and he's still just as active, although it's been winter and no hiking. We lost another goat the end of November and I considered if the stress of that cuased this to act up again or maybe the cold weather. Either way I need to do something, but am trying to avoid the cost of an x-ray if not needed. I found something called Bigeloil, thought I might try that before we take him in. Has anyone had any experience with this? Also thought about wrapping it and seeing if that would help, but I don't want to cause more damage not knowing what I'm doing. His foot/leg has no signs of injury, swelling, hot to the touch. He comes from a CAE/CL neg farm. I could post some pic's of his hoof, but there is nothing to see as everything looks good.


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

How old is your guy? I take it he's pretty young, but it's still possible he could have some form of degenerative joint disease. I had a horse get it at only 8 years old, and I suspect it was because of an injury she had as a filly. We took Cuzco to the vet last year when he went lame and it turned out he had arthritis between his toes (of course, he was also 10 years old), but the x-rays turned out to be a lot less expensive than I thought and I was really glad I found out what was ailing him because then we were able to treat it effectively. It's just not possible to treat a problem if you don't know what's causing it. Who knows--the vet may not even need to do x-rays to figure out what's wrong. It's worth finding out in my opinion.


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## Huckleberry (Mar 12, 2010)

He'll be three this month. I think your right though, I'll call the vet in the morning and see what they think. I want to get it taken care of sooner than later, he's not going to be too happy if we need to start setting out for hikes without him


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## Nanno (Aug 30, 2009)

Naw, you couldn't leave him home. That would make him a very sad goatie.  

I hope it's nothing serious.


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