Well, that snap of ‘nice’ weather wasn’t so nice. Not only did it flood my horse barn and turn the driveway into a slop pile, the temperature swings are stressful for the animals. The barn took a day of chopping ice, trenching & pumping water. Unlike the spring melt, there was no where for the water to go. The ground is frozen and huge snowbanks, freshly shed from the metal roofs, block the flow. The driveway had to be carefully scraped as to preserve as much of ‘the mat’ as possible so we didn’t break through to the gravel. Even in 4wd, we were getting stuck in the slush, but scrape too much and there will be gravel everywhere it doesn’t belong.
After 5 days of overnight temperatures above freezing, December 30th was cold, single digits. That’s a heck of a temperature swing for the animals. I fed the ‘doe kid pen’ as usually at 19:00. Everyone seemed normal as I watched them eat while I filled water buckets. (Expandable hose is soooo slow, but provides a good opportunity to observe everyone). It was after their dinner I saw Sharon kind of stumble sideways. I prompted her to walk a bit more… no good! She seemed uncoordinated. As I watched her more, I noticed a slight head tilt and droop to her right ear… shit! Listeriosis (or goat polio).
I brought Sharon in the (now de-watered) horse barn and fixed a stall for her and a buddy (Fate). I’ve seen this before, it didn’t end well. I caught it earlier this time. While it could be polio, somehow I doubted it. Because goat polio (severe B1 (thiamine) deficiency) and listeria initially present the same and there isn’t time to waste trying to determine what you are dealing with, the protocol is to treat for both. Massive doses of B vitamins & penicillin every 6 hours, plus dexamethasone (dex) every 24 hours.
Listeria bacteria is everywhere. It is a cold-loving bacteria that is most common in fall/spring. It is often associated with bad feed/silage but can pop up independent of a cause. Why does it affect some and not others, who knows. With 50 goats eating the same bales (inside the barn) and food, it’s clearly not epidemic. Here is a link to the Merck Vet Manual section on listeriosis:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/generalized-conditions/listeriosis/overview-of-listeriosis
1/1/20 - At the 48 hour mark, Sharon is doing well. She can eat, that’s good, she’s lucky. Sometimes the brain stem damage caused by the Listeria bacteria leaves them unable to chew or swallow. Last time, that is how we lost. Unable to chew & swallow, there just wasn’t a way to keep her going for the amount of time required to heal. But Sharon can eat and has a good appetite. Since Sharon’s symptoms have not reversed from the B-complex she is receiving, listeriosis is the probable diagnosis. She is no better, but not worse either. I was a tad worried in the morning as she seemed a little more unstable, but by evening, she seemed to be getting along better. It’s sad, she is such a sweetie and now runs when she sees me coming. She (seemingly) drunkenly staggers to a corner, trying to hide, knowing I’m going to catch her and jab her 2 (or 3 if it’s 18:00 - when she gets a shot of dex) more times… the penicillin needle is big, 18g, necessary in pushing the thick liquid. But Sharon isn’t the only one unhappy about the treatments… how fun is it getting out of bed walking down to the barn at midnight.
1/3/20 - at the 96 hour mark, Sharon continues to do well. She continues to eat well. I am a tad worried she isn’t drinking as much as she should. I’m thinking her nose dunks in the water, as she is a tad unsteady still, and she doesn’t like it. Since she was a bottle baby, I started offering electrolyte water in a bottle (normally it is NOT advised to give anything but milk in a bottle as it can cause overconsumption). She drinks a bit from the bottle, but not a ton. I tried Gatorade too… she drank a bit more of that, but still not a lot. Maybe she’s drinking enough after all. Sharon’s coordination appears to be improving. She runs to me when I bring feed, she runs away from me when she sees the syringes. I started giving probiotics every 12 hours since she’s receiving a lot of antibiotics, as well as, dex (immune suppressing steroid).
1/5/20 - day 7. Wow! What an improvement! I don’t want to jinx it, but Sharon is moving around REALLY good now! I started a YouTube channel so I can add some videos (below)
1/8/20 - day 10. Well, I’d post a video update but it would just look like a normal goat walking. Only rarely is Sharon uncoordinated on that right front leg. I began tapering down her dex a few days ago. I am now giving penicillin twice a day and b-complex once a day. She is VERY tired of being poked! I am amazed she has recovered.
1/15/20 - on the 11th I dropped Sharon to once a day penicillin. I’m still too nervous to take her off it completely, should she relapse. I will probably stop the pen this weekend so I can closely monitor her. She has a bit of (permanent?) damage. Her head is a bit crooked and she seems a little off in the front end, but you REALLY have to look. She runs and bounces around the stall, clearly feeling good. I will continue with daily probiotics for weeks to come to undo the weeks of penicillin.