# Broken leg or dislocated?



## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

My word! We can't get ahead over here! I'm treating a doe for severe cocci and strongyles with basically water poring out of her rear end. I have another doe housed with my buck to try to get her bred and I drove up today and she didn't come out of the barn to meet me like normal. So I walked out to check on her. I proceeded to call her and call her but she didn't come. When I got a glimpse of her she had one leg picked up off the ground just standing in the barn. The nasty satan spawn buck I own started chasing her around in circles and biting at her and she couldn't put that back leg down. I managed to get them separated for closer inspection. Her hind leg is limp. It is bowed out to the side almost like it may be dislocated. She isn't showing signs of pain, but then I don't speak goat language. She isn't wincing or crying out in pain but she isn't going anywhere either. I called the vet but he is naturally out on other farm calls already. He will have to get to me tomorrow. So in the meantime I put her some water and fresh hay in the barn to see her through the night. I'm worried she won't lay down to rest. Then I'm worried if she does lay down to rest that she won't get up. Then I'm worried if she has a broken leg we will have to put her down. And I'm worried if its dislocated and she is bred that she will have such a difficult pregnancy being injured. What do I do for her? No fever. And what could have happened? She was fine this morning.


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

If it's dislocated she will be dragging it around. 

Get a hold of her and move each of her joints individually to see if she responds. 

Check for any heat or swelling. 




Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

I'd say the issue is up high, closer to the hip are, not down lower on the skinny part of the leg. It's that meaty muscle area that looks deformed compared to the other side. Slightly rotated forward and out. I don't sense any heat but I would think there is swelling there. She was hungry and thirsty. I guess I just have to wait on this stinking vet. He won't work after hours, which I can respect, but it sure is annoying when I have a problem. I did call him before 2pm though. So maybe I'll be early on his list tomorrow. If she is laying down in the morning (like at 5:30 when I would have to tend to her before work) should I help her get up?


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

Can you move her hip around? Forwards and backwards or does she cry out?


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

For tonight give her an adult aspirin to dull the pain and help with swelling...I wouldnt give banamine right now...you want her to remember shes hurt so not to re injure or make it worse..
also a shot of B complex for the stress...

If a doe is not in heat yet the buck can be quite a brat to get her attention...


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

I could spank his ever loving butt for hurting my girl!!! I know he is just being an animal doing what animals do. But still. Yeah, I can move her joint around. Like I say, it's limp. I can move it forward, backward, side to side without any reaction from her. It's just confusing me I guess because she doesn't seem to be hurting but she won't put any weight on it and won't even come out of the barn. I have children's low dose aspirin but she would need like 16 of those! She was due for red cell and she usually plows me over to take that but she fought me on it today. I'm not sure I could force feed 16 chewable pills down her tonight. What about in the morning? Should I force her to stand? I will be gone about 6 hours.


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## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

Ouch ... poor baby. 

I had a dog once which had similar symptoms and it turned out that the head of his femur had been snapped off, probably by a car accident. (He was a rescue that we found hidden under a bush, severely dehydrated, and almost ready to give up and die.) The vet did surgery to remove the bone chips and said to keep him very quiet and leave it alone. The bone eventually formed a callous which became a crude substitute for a hip joint and he was able to get around very well, at full speed, and with only a slight limp. The real, preferred treatment would have been to insert a surgical steel pin to stabilize the neck of the femur, but we couldn't afford that much. 
I don't know if such a thing can be done for a goat or not, especially since laying around for extended periods isn't good for them, but it might be possible. 
I hope that isn't what has happened to her, though, because my gut feeling is that such an injury would leave a permanently weak area that would always be subject to re-injury.
I hope it's just a bad bruise or something. *fingers crossed for her*


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

she might eat the aspirin on her own if they are orange lol..or you can crush in water and drench...

I think I would get her up and walk her a bit, let her stretch her bones.....but let her lay back down if she wants, 6 hours is a long time to stand on three feet but also to lay so its a toss..but I think I rather her be comfortable...be sure her water is where she can easily reach it along with hay...I would avoid grain while she is not able to get up and around on her own....


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

I agree. I'm not sure that she can't get up and down. I'm just trying to prepare for worst case. 

I hope it isn't broken and needs surgery as well. Husband says we aren't spending a bunch of money to fix her. (Insert outburst of tears here). I told him if it was a worst case scenario we were going to be in for a rough weekend. 

I would leave the aspirin out for her to eat but her wethered son is keeping her company. He is no trouble to her. They have the sweetest temperament towards each other. Their bond is unlike any I've seen. I wouldn't want him to eat them out from under her. I can drench them though. I'll see if she will eat them on her own first though.

Thanks y'all.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Prayer sent, hope she will be OK and sorry she was hurt.


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Her name is Cookie Belle.


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

If you think it might be her sciatic nerve you can pull up a chart and find it's location and put pressure on it and see if you get a response. 


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

((hugs))


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Hmmmm.... Hadn't considered that. Thanks Samantha. I may do that depending on what the vet says tomorrow. I don't want to do any further damage if she is broken or dislocated until I know something more certain.


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

IMO if it was broke you would get a pain response. I hope for the best for and the other doe.

This has been a crappy day. Eh......


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

You got that one right! I brought the other doe (Little Debbie) 4 syringes of stuff to take a while ago. And y'all, she wins the award for worlds worst medicine taker! She makes it sound like we are killing her! Huffing and puffing and junk flying out her nose, head bobbing, gagging like I put motor oil in her mouth.... She is a big drama queen. I have to bribe her with a bite of hamburger bun to get the next syringe into her mouth. It's a sight to behold.


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

Haha! I have one of those does. She gags and sneezes and squeals like crazy and then we you are she staggers around like she is drunk then turns around and grunts at you like you just poisoned her. Silly goats. 

Little Debbie fits the other one lol love that name!


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Thanks! All the goats have a junk food name around here... Chip, Cookie, Peanut Buster Parfait (Buster for short), Honey Bun, Cocoa Puff, Silly Willy Wonka, Moon Pie... But the buck is plain ole Uncle Jesse whom we lovingly start calling Stink Bug about this time of year.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

love theones who run and rub their mouth on the grass...."get it off get it off" lol


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Lol!!!


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

One thing I LOVE about my bottle babies is that anything you put in a syringe the suck it down like its gold. LoL we come out with syringes and they think they have hit the jock pot. 

I bought the goats prefer probiotic and everybody fights over it. It looks like orange juice mixed up. 


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Cookie is like that with the regular ole blue probios tube. She could devour the whole thing if I'd let her! 


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

She is up this morning. I don't know if she layer down last night honestly. I'm not going to make her lay down. I gave her some fresh hay. She did come out of the barn when I fed Buster some grain. I reluctantly let her eat too. I think she can't feel that leg at all. It was covered with mosquitoes and she wasn't bothered by it. The lower part is swollen this morning considerably. I sprayed her for the mosquitoes and ill be calling the vet to hound him as soon as they open.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Poor girl...Might be a pinched nerve....Lets hope its an easy fix!!!...


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Poor girl. It doesn't sound good tho...so be prepared. As far as pain if it's broken, we had a mare that broke her pastern in 3 places. We were moving it around, pushing on it, messing with her hoof, etc. She just stood there and didn't show any signs of pain at all. No clue that it was truly broken until we hauled her to the vet in sleet and ice and snow to get an xray. She never did show any reaction to pain with it.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Poor baby, prayer sent.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Have you heard from the vet??


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Well, it's an awful sad day here. We took Cookie in to the vet since he wanted to X-ray her. Sure enough a break. It was broken above some joint near the hip which meant there was nothing that could be done. He said IF he were to attempt a risky surgery that probably wouldn't work anyway it would be very expensive. He recommended putting her down. We cried and hugged and loved on her and said our goodbyes to the first, the sweetest, the most well behaved and precious goat I have ever owned. It's a tough ending to a tough week.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Awwww...I am so sorry


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## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

I am so sorry. :-( 


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


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## mayia97420 (Apr 22, 2014)

Sorry for your loss - sometimes life just sucks - lots of hugs your way


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I am so sorry


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## Cactus_Acres (Sep 24, 2013)

Man, that stinks. so sorry you had to deal with that. We thought we were in the same boat with our dog earlier this year, who stupidly took a nap square behind my car where I couldn't have seen her, but in our case it ended up being a dislocation (in a 10.5 year old bloodhound, which means there is barely any joint lip left to try and relocate it). She did come through that well, but we didn't know for several days whether she was going to have any kind of quality of life after that. You did the best you could. Had you been able to even try the surgery, the recovery (if it would even take) would have been excruciating and she might not have weathered that part of the process. You did the kindest thing you could by putting her comfort first.


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## rebelINny (Feb 7, 2014)

Oh dang I'm so sorry


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

So sorry..:tear:


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Oh, that is terrible- so very sorry for your loss.


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## HappyHarrisFarm97 (Apr 13, 2013)

Thanks everyone. It was a hard day at Happy Harris Farm. I think I took it the hardest. She was my girl. So the lesson was learned... NEVER pen a buck with a doe if she is not in heat. After this incident, we are making some decisions to down size for a while. We are going to sell the buck and maybe a couple of does. Just not worry about breeding for now until we can get a large barn built how we dreamed of and fence off more pasture. It does, however, confirm that we do not want meat goats. It's dairy gots all the way for us.


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