Baby goat got attacked. Ive given him oral amoxicillin that i had, washed it with soap and water then sprayed with antiseptic spray. He’s eating and drinking but has a limp on the back leg. He’s tired and warn out but not to where he doesn’t want to move around. Is there anything else i can do?
by dropoffear
10 Comments
We run a small infirmary pen for our chickens. If you could set up a small area to discourage him from being too active, and to protect him from your other animals, that might help. With chickens that’s important cause they murder the shit out of injured chickens. Idk how mean goats are to injured goats
Make sure the bedding where he sleeps is clean
I don’t know goats, but if this was a calf of mine, I’d just wait at this point. You’ve done the right stuff—clean the wound, a little prophylactic antibiotics. Now it’s just time for the dude to heal up. If they’re getting harassed by other animals, I’d quarantine them. But otherwise, they’re herd animals, keep them with their herd.
I’d wash the area down a few times a day with hydrogen peroxide.
You could take it to the vet…
You have done fine. But consider locking him up until he stops limping. He’ll heal faster if he takes it easy. Also, it will be easier to check the wound daily (maybe twice a day)
I think that’s about all you can do. Maybe hit him with a B vitamin injection just because it can’t hurt….i always dose my goats with it whenever they are feeling not their best.
I’d also second restricting motion to a degree. I’m a pretty firm believer to let them move if they feel like moving, but don’t let him run and jump like a wacko.
Isolate him from the other goats if you can. Just block off a corner of the pen he’s already in. Let him see and hear everyone, but just to prevent any rough housing or bullying.
Keep an eye on any open wounds and just keep flushing them. Plain old water is fine. Cold water from the hose will clean the wound and help control swelling.
As the leg is hurt you might want to put them in a small quiet pen away from any other animals for a few days while they heal, animals will walk around even when they shouldn’t. Quiet and darkness also help them process any shock. Some nice soft clean bedding. If the area looks swollen hose it off outside the pen with cold water for 15 minutes every few hours to help with inflammation and pain. Keep a close eye on it, wounds from teeth have a nasty tendency to fester beneath the skin and cause pockets of infection, they might need some antibiotics if that’s the case.
Unless its very sever we let the injured ones stay with the heard, we had a buckling that broke a leg, stayed with the heard and now you would never know he had been injured. Keep an eye to him and keep the wound as clean as you can.
Could give him some meloxicam for pain 👍🏻