Knee joint swollen

[joecool911]

One of my guys has a front knee joint that's a bit swollen and hot. Any ideas? Hope it's not a disease, but rather a mechanical injury.

[Nanno]

How old is he? Has he been tested for CAE? An ice pack and a bit of Bute would probably help him feel better. If he's an older fella it could be the onset of arthritis (the normal kind, not the viral kind).

[joecool911]

He is two years old. He is a really big boy. He came from a CeA certified free dairy, but not tested. I will try and ice pack. Thanks.

[Nanno]

If he's a really big boy it may be that he weighs more than his joints are ready to take at this age. I've heard of this happening with horses. It could be that he's still trying to leap around like a kid but with the bulk of a mature goat. I like to keep a little Bute on hand for the horses, but it also works well for goats. 1/4-1/2 gram should do it. It really helps with inflammation. Hope he feels better soon!

[joecool911]

Pardon my ignorance. What is Bute? Supplement taken orally?

[Taffy]

Phenylbutazone (commonly called Bute) is an NSAID for for the short-term treatment of pain and fever in animals. It comes in paste and powder forms.

I'd keep him quiet if possible so he gives it a rest.

[Nanno]

I'm sorry. I've been around horses and horse people for so long I take it for granted that everyone knows what Bute is and keeps some in their medicine cabinet. You have to ask your vet. I got some that comes in a powder form that smells like apples. Everyone loves it. If you can't get the pre-flavored kind you can disguise it with Jell-O powder. I mix it together and Cuzco licks it right out of the bowl. It's a good thing to have on hand and the dry form at least keeps forever (despite what it tells you on the label).

[joecool911]

I've read that it should not be given to goats.

[TOU]

I've read that it should not be given to goats.

I have used this in paste form with good results with a goat that was growing too fast (Top goat Vet in my area recommended). It is just that you need to be careful how long as it can be hard on some goats stomachs the way aspirin can be on ours. She said a month straight is about the limit, then only on rare occasion. For mine goats issue, she recommended I leave him in his stall for the better part of a month, grass hay diet only, 1" of paste once a day for 4 weeks. It worked great & he is back with the herd & hiking...won't be packing for a while anyway though as he's younger.

YMMV etc,

TOU

[IdahoNancy]

Hobbs had a limp for several days after a long ride in the trailer. He is my 8 year old Oberhasli. He is 38" at the withers and 186 lbs. He is my slim boy who is quick on his feet and agile so it surprised me to see him limping with no swelling or obvious injury. My heavy boys took the trip fine. Buffalo Wyoming has wonderful vet service who offered to do x-rays of Hobbs knees. This was done quickly and afford-ably. He has a run of the mill arthritis. The limp did seem to get better when I took him for short walks but I wanted to know what was going on before any long hikes. Coming home he did fine, lots of padding in the trailer and longer breaks walking around on the trip.
I had never seen x-rays of goat knees. They are a complicated joint. I thought the pictures were interesting, maybe because I'm a nurse. The vet saw a narrowing of one of the joint spaces which she thinks will fuse together over time and become less bothersome. Bantamine anti-inflammatory worked well.