Heat stroke, heat stress, Know the signs and act quickly
Friday June 24th: I was out of town and hubby calls to say Daisy refused dinner. She wouldn’t get up at all. It was dark when I returned home, and we needed to move her to the barn pen. I got her up, no easy task, she was weak and shook as we made our way in. Temp was good at 102.8 (I suspect as night fell, so did her temp), eye lids were deep pink, but she was visibly dehydrated. She drank a good amount of fresh electrolytes and nibbled on leaves. Gave her B complex and left her tucked in, happy with her limb. The next morning Daisy was worse, no longer drinking, her head was down. She was depressed looking and now had runny poo. I got her up and she crumbled down. Got her up again to move her to a clean area and she walked a little but was so shaky. Her temp remained normal. Eye lids stayed deep pink. I had began tubing fluids 4 times a day, all the while she ate every branch I cut for her. She was on B complex and Banamine for possible brain swelling. By day 3 Daisy was drinking on her own again and eating hay. Day four, June 29th she looks normal, healthy, pooping berries, drinking well, eating hay and branches, but still cannot get up on her own. We go out several times a day and get her up, supporting her with a towel as a sling and make her walk. She is gaining strength...but she has a long road to go.
Signs of heat/stress stoke
Panting, off feed, wont drink, weak or unable to stand, Lethargy, depressed, head down, ears may be flat. Temp can be high
normal temp is 101.5-103.5
Goats need adequate shade and fresh cool water. If you suspect heat stroke, move the goat to a shady area if she can walk, if not, it's recommended you create shade where the goat is down. Cool her down with a cool water hose on the legs, splash up with your hand to wet the neck area and arm pit area, behind the ears. Do not soak the whole goat, you want to lower body temp slowly. Offer fresh electrolytes. In mild cases, once the goat is cooled down and hydrated, she should recover in no time. In severe cases, like Daisy, they loose strength, and in that, muscle. Once you have the goat stable, you must get her up and work her legs. If the goat wont or cant drink, you will need to tube electrolytes to her or better yet, do a Lactated Ringers (sub Q fluids). Always start with small amounts when tubing or drenching. A 100 pound goat needs a min. of 1 gallon of fluid, but this needs to be given over a period of time. In Some cases IV fluids are needed. This can cause a severely dehydrated goat a lot of pain as the body absorbs this fluid. Walking, rumen massages and working the rumen help this pass more quickly. A shot of Banamine can help relax the goat and reduce pain.
Prevention is always better. But being prepared to act in an emergency can make a difference between life and death....
Stay cool...
Friday June 24th: I was out of town and hubby calls to say Daisy refused dinner. She wouldn’t get up at all. It was dark when I returned home, and we needed to move her to the barn pen. I got her up, no easy task, she was weak and shook as we made our way in. Temp was good at 102.8 (I suspect as night fell, so did her temp), eye lids were deep pink, but she was visibly dehydrated. She drank a good amount of fresh electrolytes and nibbled on leaves. Gave her B complex and left her tucked in, happy with her limb. The next morning Daisy was worse, no longer drinking, her head was down. She was depressed looking and now had runny poo. I got her up and she crumbled down. Got her up again to move her to a clean area and she walked a little but was so shaky. Her temp remained normal. Eye lids stayed deep pink. I had began tubing fluids 4 times a day, all the while she ate every branch I cut for her. She was on B complex and Banamine for possible brain swelling. By day 3 Daisy was drinking on her own again and eating hay. Day four, June 29th she looks normal, healthy, pooping berries, drinking well, eating hay and branches, but still cannot get up on her own. We go out several times a day and get her up, supporting her with a towel as a sling and make her walk. She is gaining strength...but she has a long road to go.
Signs of heat/stress stoke
Panting, off feed, wont drink, weak or unable to stand, Lethargy, depressed, head down, ears may be flat. Temp can be high
normal temp is 101.5-103.5
Goats need adequate shade and fresh cool water. If you suspect heat stroke, move the goat to a shady area if she can walk, if not, it's recommended you create shade where the goat is down. Cool her down with a cool water hose on the legs, splash up with your hand to wet the neck area and arm pit area, behind the ears. Do not soak the whole goat, you want to lower body temp slowly. Offer fresh electrolytes. In mild cases, once the goat is cooled down and hydrated, she should recover in no time. In severe cases, like Daisy, they loose strength, and in that, muscle. Once you have the goat stable, you must get her up and work her legs. If the goat wont or cant drink, you will need to tube electrolytes to her or better yet, do a Lactated Ringers (sub Q fluids). Always start with small amounts when tubing or drenching. A 100 pound goat needs a min. of 1 gallon of fluid, but this needs to be given over a period of time. In Some cases IV fluids are needed. This can cause a severely dehydrated goat a lot of pain as the body absorbs this fluid. Walking, rumen massages and working the rumen help this pass more quickly. A shot of Banamine can help relax the goat and reduce pain.
Prevention is always better. But being prepared to act in an emergency can make a difference between life and death....
Stay cool...