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+--- Thread: HIGH Fever! (/showthread.php?tid=957)
HIGH Fever! - Nanno - 03-08-2015
Well, for now it looks like the crisis has passed, but it's been a worrisome evening and I want to write it all down in case there are further symptoms or changes and in case anyone has suggestions of more things I need to do or things to look for.
Phil and I took the boys for a walk around noon today, and part way through the walk I noticed that Sputnik seemed lethargic and he wasn't all that interested in cookies. He also had a bit of clear, watery nasal discharge. When we got home he went out to the scrub brush with the other goats but he didn't join their games and he was only sort of nibbling while everyone else was chowing down.
After chores were done, I took him to the house to get his temperature. I didn't believe it when I read 107.1. I thought the thermometer was broken so I tried it on Snickers--103.3. So maybe it was reading a little high, but not THAT high! I didn't know what to do so I called a friend of mine who is a vet and who owns goats. She recommended Nuflor so around 6:00 p.m. I gave him a dose of that. I don't have any Banamine on hand, so I gave him one aspirin tablet for his fever (which had risen to 107.3). I also gave him a dose of probiotic paste and a shot of B complex. He had some belly noises, but he was only picking at the hay I put out. He came and laid on the basement couch with us while Phil and I watched movies.
By 10:00 the fever was down to 106 and he started showing interest in his hay bag (leafy alfalfa). I gave him another aspirin. I checked him again at 11:30 and his temperature was 104.3 and he was still eating hay. He has not drunk anything all day that I could tell, and he has not peed or pooped since I locked him on the patio around 6:00. His poop looked normal this morning when he went walking with us, but I haven't seen him pee all day (doesn't mean he didn't though--he was out with the other goats for several hours this afternoon). I never saw him go near the water buckets though, and he hasn't taken a drink from the bucket I put out for him this evening. I don't think he's got UC. He hasn't peed, but he also hasn't tried to pee. No straining, stretching, or looking at his belly. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, just lethargic and not hungry.
Because he didn't drink all day, and with his fever so high, I went ahead and drenched him with about 1 cup of Gatorade water at around 10:30 so he would have some electrolytes. I was holding off on drenching in case he had UC, but as the hours passed and he never showed signs of discomfort I decided he probably didn't have a blockage and needed the hydration. I also gave him a dose of a different probiotic with several vitamins in it around that time.
So, any ideas what could cause such a high fever all of a sudden? I poked around on the internet and the only thing I could find that matched these symptoms is silent pneumonia, except he doesn't seem to have any fluid in his lungs. There has been no coughing or labored breathing. He was slightly less loud than usual when I locked him away from the other goats, but I expect that was from not feeling well. "Less loud" for Sputnik is still louder than most goats!
RE: HIGH Fever! - Dave-Trinity-Farms - 03-08-2015
Yep, pneumonia would be my guess as well. And it can hit in so many different ways. Not to mention there are two kinds. Thank God you had nuflor handy. Id complete the treatment of that and just continue on and pay close attention to him tomorrow.
RE: HIGH Fever! - Nanno - 03-09-2015
Temperature is now down to102.1. Yeah! He started chewing his cud a couple hours ago, but still no pee or poop. I just brought him in to sleep on the basement couch with me because there's no better way to make a goat pee than to bring him somewhere he's not supposed to "go".
I tried holding a piece of smouldering cardboard under his nose earlier, Dave, but it didn't have the desired effect.
RE: HIGH Fever! - Dave-Trinity-Farms - 03-09-2015
You can make a goat poop and pee by letting them smell the smoke coming off a cigarette. The pee is a for sure thing but if they dont have to go number 2, then you might have to try again in 20 min or so
Even my vet was surprised when I showed him that trick.
RE: HIGH Fever! - Taffy - 03-09-2015
Wow, that came on FAST! I'm happy to hear you had Nuflor on hand and were also able to get the temperature down quickly. Chewing his cud is an excellent sign. I'll bet Sputnik is enjoying his porch and couch time. Hugs to both you and Sputnik.
RE: HIGH Fever! - Nanno - 03-09-2015
Yeah, I don't have any cigarettes. Cuzco will usually pee when he sniffs any kind of smoke (you should see the puddle he makes when we let him stand with his head over the campfire!), but Sputnik just made faces at me when I waved the smoking cardboard under his nose.
I'm happy to report that he's doing great this morning! He spent a good part of the night curled up with me on the basement couch and we actually both got some decent rest. He kept me nice and toasty and I kept him company. He kept screaming his head off when I put him outside. He didn't pee or poop all night and I was worried about that. I finally let him off the back patio around 10:00 this morning (I'd been keeping him there so I could monitor his potty situation), and I discovered why he wasn't using the bathroom. Apparently he has a natural sense of propriety (like Cuzco) and won't do his business in the house or on the porch. As soon as I opened the gate, he stepped onto the gravel, stretched out, and peed like a racehorse. Poor little guy!
He's out there bouncing around and eating like nothing happened. I'll continue the course of Nuflor to the end, of course. After reading up on silent pneumonia, I've realized how dangerous this can be and how lucky we are that it happened during the day and that I caught it during the high fever stage. I think of pneumonia as being associated with cough and runny nose. That super-high fever was scary!
RE: HIGH Fever! - Dave-Trinity-Farms - 03-09-2015
Yep, true that and WOOT! Great to hear