Does anyone have advice for a seemingly overheated wether? It's really hot today, & even though we are just hanging out doing stuff around the yard, he started acting strange. Very restless, staggering a little bit when he gets up, not strong in the hind end, etc. I know he had water at least once today that I observed, & they have lots of shade to hang out in, but I have him in the house now to help cool him off a bit, since it's 30 degrees cooler in here than outside. I have called both of my vet's emergency contact cell numbers, but since it's sunday, I'm not holding my breath for a fast call back.
I'm doing some research on the best course of action in the meantime while I sit with him, but I figured that some of you may have had experience with this too.
First take his temperature and see if he has a fever. Normal temperature is in the 101-102 range. Is he panting? An overheated goat will be panting. Is he dehydrated? Pinch his skin and see if it sticks together or snaps back. If it sticks up where you pinched, he's dehydrated. Is he peeing and pooping normally? If he's not peeing, feel for crystals or pain around the sheath. When it comes to wethers, I always worry about urinary stones.
I suspect there is more going on than just plain overheating. Unless it is severely hot outside with no shade, he should be able to regulate his own body temperature. The weak back end and staggering have me concerned. If you have any Thiamine (vitamin B12) or vitamin B complex, this would be a good time to give it. It won't hurt if he doesn't need it, and it could save his life if it's something more serious like polio. Hopefully it's just overheating.
If your goat is hot, get a bucket of cold water and some washcloths and press them up into his armpits. You could even hose him down with cool water. I'm glad you have a call into the vet. Keep us posted!
07-09-2017, 02:33 PM (This post was last modified: 07-09-2017, 02:55 PM by MosesBrowning.)
Thanks, good advice on the B12/B. I'll give that a try. He's not dehydrated, & he wasn't panting, just breathing pretty hard like we all do when it's 105 outside. I have him in the house & got him to drink a little bit of electrolyte, & he seems to be doing better, but not running around & being playful like he normally would be. I gave him a reach-around in his nether-region, & he didn't seem bothered by it, & I didn't feel anything abnormal so I don't think it's stones or calculi.
I saw him pee earlier, but he hasn't peed since I brought him inside (good for me because that's nasty, but I'm curious to see how the urine looks). The weakness & staggering are what are bugging me too. I may give him some B12/B just to see if it helps. Calling both vets again & going to offer them a bribe to cut their weekend short in hopes that one of them will come out...
Unless it was a sudden jump in temp, not likely to be the heat. Temp is needed though. We have been in triple digits here and the goats will get bored from laying in the shade and wonder around in the dry pasture in the sun. But each goat is different. Rubbing alcohol poured over the skin cools well too.
Thanks Dave, I will keep the alcohol trick in mind. He enjoyed the afternoon in the kitchen/office with me & he cooled off pretty well. He's eating & eliminating regularly, & it rained a little & cooled down a lot, so he's back in the barnyard for the night. (I'll go back out to check on him a few times before I go to bed.) I'm still going to try & either get one of the vets out here tomorrow, or run him in to town to see one of them just to be safe in case the underlying problem is more than just the heat.
07-10-2017, 03:18 PM (This post was last modified: 07-10-2017, 03:19 PM by MosesBrowning.)
Thanks Nan! He's much better. It wasn't heat related after all. I guess I just assumed because it was scorching hot outside. When I checked on him this morning, he had string (looks like small baling twine) hanging out of his butt, so the Vet suggested mineral oil & seeing if he gets it all out without his (the doc's) invasive intervention.
He seems to have passed it all, & I'm wandering around looking all over for twine, because:
a.) we use netwrap on our bales & I've not found any random piles of twine laying around...
b.) he's the worlds fussiest eater normally, & I'm not sure why plastic string was attractive to a goat that won't eat his favorite treats if they've hit the ground, but now that I know he picked it up, I'm worried that he'll find more.
Awe yes, twine... I have actually pulled entire lengths of it outta goats mouths before. Never had it go all the way through. Scare and so greatful it came out!
Chat
