Chat
08-21-2014, 10:49 AM
So sorry your guy has clinical CAE. Maybe that's partly why he's so thin--he's not able to go down on his knees to eat and he's not comfortable lying down. Since there is no cure for CAE do you think it would be kinder to put him down?
Just to be clear, did the vet run a blood test for CAE, or did he just look at the knees and make a judgement on observation? I've had a couple of people tell me that because Cuzco was dam-raised and has arthritis in his toes that he must be CAE+. Well Cuzco is most certainly not CAE+, he's just old! I had a similar experience with a vet that declared Cuzco CL+ when he got a lump on his jaw last year. Turns out it was just a normal abscess from a bump, but the vet's first response was, "It's CL because all goats have CL".
Make sure you get a blood diagnosis and not one made by observation. There are other reasons for lameness. A friend of mine had a goat go severely lame last year because of copper deficiency. Unfortunately she did not catch it in time and had to put him down. Her goat suffered from the opposite problem yours does--he was severely obese, so getting up and down and walking around on those sore legs was out of the question.
As for putting on weight, I'm in the same boat you are right now with two Alpine does I just bought (although mine are not nearly as thin as your guy!). I've heard Calf Manna is good for putting on weight although I have not tried it myself. I've been feeding the girls alfalfa, starting with only one flake/day for the two of them to share and working up. I want to make sure they don't get diarrhea from too much green to fast. I've increased the ration every couple of days working up to two flakes/day apiece. They also get free choice grass hay, free choice minerals, and I've been cutting fresh oak branches for them every day (which they LOVE!). I'm going to add some pine branches as soon as I have time.
Good luck with your guy! I sincerely hope the vet was mistaken about the CAE+ diagnosis.
Just to be clear, did the vet run a blood test for CAE, or did he just look at the knees and make a judgement on observation? I've had a couple of people tell me that because Cuzco was dam-raised and has arthritis in his toes that he must be CAE+. Well Cuzco is most certainly not CAE+, he's just old! I had a similar experience with a vet that declared Cuzco CL+ when he got a lump on his jaw last year. Turns out it was just a normal abscess from a bump, but the vet's first response was, "It's CL because all goats have CL".
Make sure you get a blood diagnosis and not one made by observation. There are other reasons for lameness. A friend of mine had a goat go severely lame last year because of copper deficiency. Unfortunately she did not catch it in time and had to put him down. Her goat suffered from the opposite problem yours does--he was severely obese, so getting up and down and walking around on those sore legs was out of the question.
As for putting on weight, I'm in the same boat you are right now with two Alpine does I just bought (although mine are not nearly as thin as your guy!). I've heard Calf Manna is good for putting on weight although I have not tried it myself. I've been feeding the girls alfalfa, starting with only one flake/day for the two of them to share and working up. I want to make sure they don't get diarrhea from too much green to fast. I've increased the ration every couple of days working up to two flakes/day apiece. They also get free choice grass hay, free choice minerals, and I've been cutting fresh oak branches for them every day (which they LOVE!). I'm going to add some pine branches as soon as I have time.
Good luck with your guy! I sincerely hope the vet was mistaken about the CAE+ diagnosis.