Veterinary case
A severely anemic goat hid a serious tumor
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A weak, pale old goat was hiding a rare tumor bleeding inside her belly.
What happened?
Since early May, the owners had noticed the 10-year-old goat was lethargic. A week before coming to the clinic, she had also lost weight and become weak. The local vet had already treated her with an antibiotic and a dewormer, and had felt a hard mass in her right flank.
What did the vet find?
At the clinic, the goat was very weak, unable to stand on her own, with completely pale mucous membranes indicating severe anemia. Her heart was beating very fast and she was breathing rapidly. The vet felt a large mass about 15 cm in the right flank, confirmed by ultrasound to be close to the liver. Blood tests showed severe anemia but with signs the body was trying to make new red blood cells, plus digested blood in the stool indicating internal bleeding.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
The vet placed an IV line and gave an antibiotic, cortisone, calcium and an energy supplement. Because the life-threatening anemia required urgent action, the goat received a first blood transfusion from a healthy donor, which clearly improved her temporarily. Since her blood count barely rose despite this, two more transfusions were given over the following days, along with a dewormer and electrolyte infusions.
What happened next?
Despite repeated transfusions, the red blood cell count remained very low and the goat stopped eating again and lay down. Given the poor prognosis, she was euthanized. The necropsy revealed a large bleeding tumor in the abomasum that had already spread to the mesentery.
Advice for the farmer
In an older goat with severe anemia that doesn't respond well to usual treatments, a digestive tumor should also be considered, not only parasites.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Case Report: Severe Anemia Associated With an Abomasal Fibrosarcoma in a Goat.
- Authors
- Wagener MG, Beythien G, Sterneberg M, Polifka A, Großmann T, Baumgärtner W, Ganter M.
- Year
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.3389/fvets.2022.869017
- Licence
- CC BY
