One of my lovely babies (well almost 2 years old now) started being a bit protective with her walking back in the beginning of Feb when we had The Big Freeze. We thought maybe it was dirt in her hoof that was frozen (embarrased goat owner here hadn't done their hooves for a while). We trimmed her feet right down. Then my farming friend who used to keep goats said that it might be mineral deficiency so she had a vitamin
boost course for 5 days and now is having mineral supplement inculding more calcium. But since the end of Feb she has been mostly on her knees. It's most definitely her left leg. There is no swelling, no tenderness, she eats as normal, pees and poos as normal, and will (reluctantly) get up and move with the herd when they go off browsing. She's pregnant - due in 2/3 weeks I think. My farming friend came and looked at her, checked her hooves (fine - phew), found a slight nodule above her knee that he thought might be a localised infected bramble thorn injury so he gave her an antibiotic. That was two weeks ago. She didn't improve and is walking in a laboured fashion. He came back to visit and reckoned that it's actually her shoulder as she's really throwing her leg out when she walks. He gave me the number of an animal healer as he said there's no point calling our
local vet as they're rubbish on goats - just do small domestics and 'pretend on the others' (he's a
dairy farmer).
Has anyone had a similar situation, got any ideas, anything? I'm at a complete loss how to help her but I do have Juliette
de Bairacli Levy's "Farm and Stable" winging its way to me.
