Chat
Well, for now it looks like the crisis has passed, but it's been a worrisome evening and I want to write it all down in case there are further symptoms or changes and in case anyone has suggestions of more things I need to do or things to look for.
Phil and I took the boys for a walk around noon today, and part way through the walk I noticed that Sputnik seemed lethargic and he wasn't all that interested in cookies. He also had a bit of clear, watery nasal discharge. When we got home he went out to the scrub brush with the other goats but he didn't join their games and he was only sort of nibbling while everyone else was chowing down.
After chores were done, I took him to the house to get his temperature. I didn't believe it when I read 107.1. I thought the thermometer was broken so I tried it on Snickers--103.3. So maybe it was reading a little high, but not THAT high! I didn't know what to do so I called a friend of mine who is a vet and who owns goats. She recommended Nuflor so around 6:00 p.m. I gave him a dose of that. I don't have any Banamine on hand, so I gave him one aspirin tablet for his fever (which had risen to 107.3). I also gave him a dose of probiotic paste and a shot of B complex. He had some belly noises, but he was only picking at the hay I put out. He came and laid on the basement couch with us while Phil and I watched movies.
By 10:00 the fever was down to 106 and he started showing interest in his hay bag (leafy alfalfa). I gave him another aspirin. I checked him again at 11:30 and his temperature was 104.3 and he was still eating hay. He has not drunk anything all day that I could tell, and he has not peed or pooped since I locked him on the patio around 6:00. His poop looked normal this morning when he went walking with us, but I haven't seen him pee all day (doesn't mean he didn't though--he was out with the other goats for several hours this afternoon). I never saw him go near the water buckets though, and he hasn't taken a drink from the bucket I put out for him this evening. I don't think he's got UC. He hasn't peed, but he also hasn't tried to pee. No straining, stretching, or looking at his belly. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, just lethargic and not hungry.
Because he didn't drink all day, and with his fever so high, I went ahead and drenched him with about 1 cup of Gatorade water at around 10:30 so he would have some electrolytes. I was holding off on drenching in case he had UC, but as the hours passed and he never showed signs of discomfort I decided he probably didn't have a blockage and needed the hydration. I also gave him a dose of a different probiotic with several vitamins in it around that time.
So, any ideas what could cause such a high fever all of a sudden? I poked around on the internet and the only thing I could find that matched these symptoms is silent pneumonia, except he doesn't seem to have any fluid in his lungs. There has been no coughing or labored breathing. He was slightly less loud than usual when I locked him away from the other goats, but I expect that was from not feeling well. "Less loud" for Sputnik is still louder than most goats!
Phil and I took the boys for a walk around noon today, and part way through the walk I noticed that Sputnik seemed lethargic and he wasn't all that interested in cookies. He also had a bit of clear, watery nasal discharge. When we got home he went out to the scrub brush with the other goats but he didn't join their games and he was only sort of nibbling while everyone else was chowing down.
After chores were done, I took him to the house to get his temperature. I didn't believe it when I read 107.1. I thought the thermometer was broken so I tried it on Snickers--103.3. So maybe it was reading a little high, but not THAT high! I didn't know what to do so I called a friend of mine who is a vet and who owns goats. She recommended Nuflor so around 6:00 p.m. I gave him a dose of that. I don't have any Banamine on hand, so I gave him one aspirin tablet for his fever (which had risen to 107.3). I also gave him a dose of probiotic paste and a shot of B complex. He had some belly noises, but he was only picking at the hay I put out. He came and laid on the basement couch with us while Phil and I watched movies.
By 10:00 the fever was down to 106 and he started showing interest in his hay bag (leafy alfalfa). I gave him another aspirin. I checked him again at 11:30 and his temperature was 104.3 and he was still eating hay. He has not drunk anything all day that I could tell, and he has not peed or pooped since I locked him on the patio around 6:00. His poop looked normal this morning when he went walking with us, but I haven't seen him pee all day (doesn't mean he didn't though--he was out with the other goats for several hours this afternoon). I never saw him go near the water buckets though, and he hasn't taken a drink from the bucket I put out for him this evening. I don't think he's got UC. He hasn't peed, but he also hasn't tried to pee. No straining, stretching, or looking at his belly. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, just lethargic and not hungry.
Because he didn't drink all day, and with his fever so high, I went ahead and drenched him with about 1 cup of Gatorade water at around 10:30 so he would have some electrolytes. I was holding off on drenching in case he had UC, but as the hours passed and he never showed signs of discomfort I decided he probably didn't have a blockage and needed the hydration. I also gave him a dose of a different probiotic with several vitamins in it around that time.
So, any ideas what could cause such a high fever all of a sudden? I poked around on the internet and the only thing I could find that matched these symptoms is silent pneumonia, except he doesn't seem to have any fluid in his lungs. There has been no coughing or labored breathing. He was slightly less loud than usual when I locked him away from the other goats, but I expect that was from not feeling well. "Less loud" for Sputnik is still louder than most goats!