# Doeling with thiamin deficiency.



## WildSkyRanch (May 29, 2014)

Hi all. Scary and emotional day for me, came home from church to find our one doeling (approx 13 weeks) standing splayed out, then sitting, then falling over. With in a few minutes of observation she was stretched out straight on the floor flopping all over, not able to stand up. We called the vet and were sure we'd have to put her down. 
Thankfully, he says he thinks it's a thiamin deficiency and took her to the clinic for 24 hours for treatment. He said that if she responds well she will be back tomorrow, but that it will be a while until she's " normal". 
Can anyone tell me what to expect over the next couple of weeks so that I am mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared?
Thanks!
Leah


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Good catch sounds like it could be either polio or listeria. I would ask for a bottle of thiamine to take home.
And some penicillin if needed. Both are good to have on hand just in case.
Floppy kid comes to mind but she might be a little old for that.
What a scary day!


----------



## HouseElfLamanchas (Apr 12, 2013)

we actually had a doe that had thiamine deficiency or so we were told by a lady who does dairy goats, she was found laying down in the pasture ditch, and was not able ot get up no matter how much she tried she flopped and it came ot the point where she finally stopped but then began seizing we put her down because we did not know what to do, we had no one to aid us and we even tried here but it was too slow took too much time to get a response of course it had to happen in the middle of the day when people are most likely busy at work. so no blames here but i was looking the other day for Thiamine in my co-op and local feed store. NEITHER OF THEM HAD IT! all they had was High level B complex that had 100 mg of Thiamine in it. or they spelt it Thyamine :/ 

did i get the right stuff? 
if so when, how often do i give them shots of it? 
and if not where can i get the stuff i need? 

WildSkyRanch please watch for answers to this post because if your vet doesnt know these guys will and our vet that actually attended to animals of pasture nature passed away so i have no one to take my goats into that are local. These questions and answers might help you as well though


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Good job and acting fast...you can also ask your vet for a bottle of thiamine to keep on hand..or fortified B complex...

I would search feeders and hay to see if there is mold....usually the casue of polio (thiamine def. ) keep watch on the others...here is a article that might help you
http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/articles2/listeriosis.html

I prefere to keep thegoat on thiamine or fortifed B complex for a few days after they begn acting normal..then slowly decrease dose over a spand of a few days...


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

here is a quote from tenn. meat goats to answer your questions house elf lamancha



> all they had was High level B complex that had 100 mg of Thiamine in it. or they spelt it Thyamine :/
> did i get the right stuff?
> if so when, how often do i give them shots of it?
> and if not where can i get the stuff i need?





> Fortified Vitamin B Complex contains 100 mg/ml of thiamine, so the 4-1/2 cc per 100 pounds bodyweight dosage is appropriate, and must be given every six hours on a 24-hour cycle until all symptoms have disappeared completely to avoid relapse.


----------



## HouseElfLamanchas (Apr 12, 2013)

happybleats said:


> here is a quote from tenn. meat goats to answer your questions house elf lamancha


okay so then its not needed to give to the whole herd just one infected goat or more for every 6 hours?? and it is used to treat those with Thyamine deficiency?


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You have to get thiamine from a vet. The best you can do OTC is a high level B Complex.


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

yes..you would treat only the goat infected..and as karen said thiamine is RX only but fortified B complex has plenty of thiamine in it to help a goat with polio..


----------



## WildSkyRanch (May 29, 2014)

Thanks all, our vet called and she is doing much better after a few hours. She has stopped seizing, is sitting up, and can see a little more. 

What I'm interested in knowing is what she will be like when I bring her home, and if I should keep her separated from our other three goats. One is an older female we got last week, the other two are wethers that were bottle fed with her and the babies are very attached to her. The female isn't that aggressive but likes her space. Should we make a small temp stall for her?


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Last year was my first case in an older doe. She was stumbling just enough to make me wonder.
The thiamine I had was expired but I slammed her hard with it, maybe 6 or 8 cc for a 150 # & immediately her eyes quit dancing.
She also got penicillin for a week. The thiamine was for about 3 days along with probiotics.


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I might fix a special place for her where her friends can visit via fence line..I would also continue treatment when she gets home...she may be a little weak from her ordeal..and so making sure she is eating and drinking well...Vets sometimes take the "light" approach and say she will be fine...but it wont hurt her at all to have thiamine for a week after she is 100% better, then slowly decrease treatments until she is off...you want to see her running and playing and eating and drinking with no weakness, no stumbling...nothing.


----------



## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

WildSkyRanch said:


> Thanks all, our vet called and she is doing much better after a few hours. She has stopped seizing, is sitting up, and can see a little more.
> 
> What I'm interested in knowing is what she will be like when I bring her home, and if I should keep her separated from our other three goats. One is an older female we got last week, the other two are wethers that were bottle fed with her and the babies are very attached to her. The female isn't that aggressive but likes her space. Should we make a small temp stall for her?


I am still a newbie at goat diseases and all so I can't really help u with this situation but I am curious to know what your vet gave her so I might can have some on hand. That is if your vet told you


----------



## WildSkyRanch (May 29, 2014)

Hey everyone! Here we are driving home from the vet!








We are coming home with antibiotics, thiamin shots, and some rumen specific bacteria helper. 4seasonsfarm, our vet said we should just keep some thiamin or vitamin b complex on hand. He says it's like probios, it won't hurt to give it to them, and just give them a dose when we see someone acting "off". He also said they see about 4 cases if this a year in our area, so it was just bad luck. 
Thanks all for your support!


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

GOOD VET!! I totally agree...happy home coming!!


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

:hi5: Wonderful news, what a cutie & your vet rocks!!


----------



## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

Wow ok well I had a buckling to die earlier in the spring and his symptoms were very similar and I took him to the vet but the vet just thought he had possibly gotten into something poisonous or had a bacteria. But this happened suddenly like one day he was fine then the next day he was down!!! So how long did it take your goat to get like that??


Sent from Malory who is awesome!! 14 yo, has goats and a donkey


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

> So how long did it take your goat to get like that??


Polio ( thiamine def.) can come on quickly...you might see a goat in the AM looking fine and then by afternoon, star gazing, off balance....its a good idea to keep thiamineonhand or at least fortified B complex..if you have a goat acting off...give it..it wont hurt if they dont need it..but can save his life f he does.


----------



## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

Wow thank you very much!!


Sent from Malory who is awesome!! 14 yo, has goats and a donkey


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

We have two plants here that cause Polio. What we watch for is what we call wobbles, a goat just slightly off balance in his hind quarters. Maybe he gets bumped and has to take 3 or 4 steps to balance himself, sometimes they will even fall. Maybe they go over a log awkwardly, they're just a bit wobbly on their hind feet. If you can catch it at that point, one or two shots will usually fix it with out them ever going down.


----------



## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

What if they get rammed and fall over and are half the size of the other goats??:O


Sent from Malory who is awesome!! 14 yo, has goats and a donkey


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

goathiker is talking about a goat being easliy set off kilter..as if they cant stay balanced...sometimes a goat can hit another off their feet but its not polio..its just a good shot lol..


----------



## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

Ok good phew!!


Sent from Malory who is awesome!! 14 yo, has goats and a donkey


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

No, not bumped that hard, Say their brother bumps into them while trying to nurse and they lose their balance.


----------



## 4seasonsfarm (Jan 22, 2014)

Oh ok that makes Sense thanks


Sent from Malory who is awesome!! 14 yo, has goats and a donkey


----------

