Need Advice. Goat Down with backend problems??

[blackie's maiden]

Rockie, our previous lamancha nuby cross went down yesterday afternoon. We got him to vet today.

He had apparently hurt his back right leg, limping badly a couple days, then seemed to be making a speedy recovery. Then day before yesterday, hurt it again, this time swelling much worse and a scrape. Due to fact that last time we had vet set a leg, it came out terribly mangled. So we decided to give him a couple days again and see. Instead, yesterday, he went down and seemed unable to get up. We got him to vet today. She said he seemed to have feeling in injured leg but no feeling in hind left leg...it was as if he didn't know that leg existed. She said it was neurological. We are very confused. There was no problem with that leg until he just collapsed.yesterday.

Radiology showed no joint damage in swollen leg. She gave him a steroid shot and 2 more to give next two days. She said if no improvement in 3 days, time to put him down. Others on Goat Tips say he  needs at least 5 days steroids and more time to recover than 3 days. Tonight we did witness him raise up on both back legs for short time but couldn't get his front legs under him.

Anyone been thru something like this? What was the outcome?

[Nanno]

How weird! I've never experienced anything of this nature and I hope he can manage to pull out of it. Did they think to look at his spine by any chance?

[N5TIE]

How weird! I've never experienced anything of this nature and I hope he can manage to pull out of it. Did they think to look at his spine by any chance?

Thanks, Nan, but mute point now. Robert found him dead when we woke up. He was absolutely our best and most promising packgoat prospect. We are heartbroken.

[Charlie Horse]

What. Thats sure sad and random. Normally I have ideas about what something could be, but this makes little sense. Its like if your car's AC came on when you adjusted the rear view mirror.... I dont know where to start. If it was an infection in the spine or something it'd do more than one leg. If it was a wound, you wouldnt think it'd be fatal like that. Best guess it'd have to be a virus of some kind, or a snake bite?

[blackie's maiden]

Didn't make sense to us either. His breathing was very labored when we took him to vet and even after the steroid and antibiotic shot. Vet said his vitals and rumen looked good. But once home he did manage to pull both back legs under him and raise his back end up momentarily, then collapse Even managed to eat and drink a little so we were hopeful. Then, just dead!

[Saph]

I am so sorry Connie. You did everything you could. Sometimes nature just has other plans. :-( Sending you hugs from Idaho--Irene

[blackie's maiden]

Thank you, Irene. Sure missed seeing u guys this year with no Rendy.

[Stringinit]

So sad to hear about your buddy passing. I just heard from a friend they lost their's to the exact same symptoms as you described. Ultra sound, blood work, fecal, lungs, temperature, all vitals showed nothing was wrong. He was vaccinated and disease free.

He was a 2 year old la mancha buck who was bottle raised and for the last 9 months was feeding on 25 acres of California's finest foothill oak/brush woodland.

The veterinarian's were absolutely stumped.

[Nanno]

Oh man... I missed the outcome to this. I'm so sorry to hear you lost him. I hate these strange, undiagnosed deaths. One consolation of having an animal die is to learn something from the experience that could save others, but when you never find out what went wrong there's no comfort in it at all. I'm so sorry.