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| Sansa and her little girls Annabella and Lucy |
I love my animals and care for them the best that I can, so when the unexpected happens it takes me completely off guard.
This morning I went down to the barn and found one of my little girl goats Annabelle, dead.
There honestly is nothing that can prepare you for that, just nothing. I am no less than devastated at the moment.
This little love had been bouncing around, pooping and peeing normally. The inside of her eye lids were nice and pink as any doeling's should be. No runny nose, eyes or rear, no bloating detected.
In all regards she was a happy healthy bouncing little goat.
In all regards she was a happy healthy bouncing little goat.
I check over my goats every day. Nothing complicated, it is just part of the routine to give you the best possible opportunity to nip things in the bud before they become a problem.
In all my years, contrary to popular belief, I have found goats to be a hardy bunch, but when they go down, they can go down fast. With goats, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.
The faster you intervene in any developing issue, the more likely you will obtain a good outcome.
In all my years, contrary to popular belief, I have found goats to be a hardy bunch, but when they go down, they can go down fast. With goats, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.
The faster you intervene in any developing issue, the more likely you will obtain a good outcome.
After I got myself together this morning, with a heavy heart I went carefully over my little doeling's body for any clue as to what had gone wrong and I just couldn't find anything amiss. There was nothing to indicate what could have caused this, which in a way makes it just a little more difficult to accept. All I can fathom is some unseen damage from a butt delivered by one of the other goats. Or a possibility of entertoxemia. We have never just lost an animal like this and so I have to tell myself that indeed some days are just bad days, very bad days.
As I have gone over the events of the last few days and see nothing that would indicate a problem brewing and on reflection can not conclude what has caused the loss of my little love with any assuredness, I felt the best way I can pay homage to my little Annabelle is to share with others my routine that keeps my goats healthy as most issues are quite easily treatable in the early stages.
Signs of a healthy Goat
- Up & Active
- Eating & Drinking
- Pooping in pelleted form
- Peeing with a sufficient stream, without strain
- Chewing Cud
- The inside of their eyelids and gums are a nice healthy pink
- Belching and Farting (signs of an active rumen)
Normally one of the first things that tips me off that something is brewing, will present itself when I arrive at the barn in the morning. Number one sign is a goat that does not eagerly come to eat.
I have 10 goats in my doe (female goats) and wether corral (fixed boys) and 5 bucks (intact boy goats) in the buck side. They all readily come in a rush at feed time. If one lingers behind I feed everyone and make my way back to them.
I have 10 goats in my doe (female goats) and wether corral (fixed boys) and 5 bucks (intact boy goats) in the buck side. They all readily come in a rush at feed time. If one lingers behind I feed everyone and make my way back to them.
The first thing I check is to see if there are any obvious injuries.
If there are no signs of injuries I get the goat up, if they are down, and check for Bloat. Does the goat appear to be bloated on one side, or in worse case, all around. Normally the left side of the goat will
become tight and extend out with bloat. The left side is where their rumen is located. With bloat they are normally uncomfortable and grinding teeth.
BLOAT
If the goat appears slightly bloated, the first thing I administer is baking soda. I just scoop up a handful and try and get the goat to eat some of it. Then I get them moving and I rub their rumen area to get things active. I listen for gurgling in the throat and rumen by pressing my ear to their left side at intervals. A normal rumen churns a minimum of once every minute but normally quite a few.
Bloat is caused by a build up of gas that becomes trapped and can not be released through belching and farting. This situation can go bad very quickly and will lead to death without speedy treatment.
Bloat can be caused by too much of a good thing, as much as a bad thing.
Too much rich browse which causes frothy bloat, too much good feed causes gassy bloat, or a quick change in their diet. I have heard of many a goats who fell ill to bloat by accessing feed they should not be eating such as chicken pellets. So I am very controlling in my animals feeding regimens and my goats can not access any feed on their own.
If I do not see relief quickly with baking soda, I switch to therabloat or bloat release according to dosage on the bottle. A bloat relief agent is something every goat owner should have on hand. In a pinch you can substitute for vegetable or mineral oil. It must be administered as a drench, another item every goat owner should have on hand is a drench, but a syringe sans the needle can be substituted. Again keep the goat up, moving and rubbing that rumen.
If the goat does not appear to be bloated I move on.
ANEMIA
I then check the inside of their eyelids to see the color. It should be a nice dark rosy pink. If the color is not, it can indicate anemia and a heavy worm load, internal and external parasites. At this stage it is best to bring the goat to a vet as the animals is already in trouble and you don't have the time afforded to send out a fecal sample on your own to check on a worm load and deworming and/or vitamin mineral restoration.
TEMPERATURE
A goats temperature should be taken. Goats do not have a steady temperature so there is a range, but you want to see it in the area of 101.5-103.5. A higher temperature usually indicates infection and normally is treated with antibiotics. A lower temperature is more challenging and typically indicates something is amiss in the digestive area.
URINARY CALCULI
One of the biggest issues for male goats is urinary calculi. Boys are susceptible to stones that will block the urethra. Very early on in our goat keeping we learned this lesson the hard way, through the loss of a little wether who was being treated by an uneducated vet for bloat. I want to add right now, that you want to find yourself a good vet in the beginning of goat husbandry. There seems to be quite a deficit in regards to vets in the knowledge area of a goat's anatomy and treatment. So you may find yourself having to find a good vet who is willing to work with you in becoming adept at their anatomy. You do not want to be searching for a good vet when in the midst of an emergency.
I spent many years without a vet after a few tragic incidents by the hands of the not so good ones and far from forthright ones. Although I now have a wonderful vet, we even call her the angel, we rarely need see her because we became so self sufficient in their care ourselves that we rarely find a need
for her. With the little wether who had Urinary Calculi, by the time I discovered he wasn't peeing it was too late to treat and the Vet we had at the time did not even have the Ammonium Chloride necessary or knowledge to treat him. This was a sad lesson for us all. So I encourage you to find yourself a good vet early on and educate yourself most importantly.
If the urethra becomes blocked the goat will not be able to urinate causing a backup of urine ending in the goat's bladder bursting. To ensure the prevention of Urinary Calculi many do not feed grains to male goats, intact or neutered. I do feed my boys grain along with their hay, as they are not on pasture.
Ammonium chloride is an additive on some goat feed that is a preventative in the formation of urinary calculi so I purchase a feed that has the addition of Ammonium Chloride and I mix it in a fifty, fifty ration with purina goat chow so that I do not have to offer a special diet indivudually for the herd my does, wethers and bucks all eat the same. One must always have plenty of water available for your goats. Above all, I make sure they are drinking and peeing as this is critical.
Boys are constantly peeing so when your out feeding them pay attention when they do so to see if there is a strong stream present.
The treatment of urinary calculi is the administration of ammonium chloride in higher doses according to label, and if all else fails the removal of the pizzle at the end of their penis, or a reroute of the urethra all to be handled by a vet. If your boy is not peeing get him to a vet post hast.
PREVENTION CHECK
Every morning when I head down to the barn I do a quick check. If everyone comes, I fill bowls and then walk around and pat them and do a quick swipe over the boys bellies to make sure they are wet. The boys belly will always be wet because of their basic anatomy, urine tends to hit the belly. The potential they just rubbed it dry exists, so a dry belly means I need to hang around and watch to see if that particular goat is peeing a good stream.
If all boys have wet bellies I check over all their coats to see if they look healthy shiny and not shaggy. I am looking to see if they have external parasites and a potential mineral deficiency. I then check the inside of everyone's eyelids to make sure they are a dark rosy pink. It is honestly a small amount of time taken within the regimen of feeding time.
Make sure you pay attention while out with the goats to take note of their bodily functions.
Are they chewing cud? Are they pooping and peeing normally? Any runny noses or eyes?
This is honestly just something that should become habitual.
If anything is amiss, now is the best time to treat it, when it is a minor issue.
CARE
With my goats prevention through proper care is invaluable. My goats are fed hay, which is available at all times. I feed them a 50/50 mix of purina goat chow and noble goat which includes ammonium chloride, twice a day. They have a mineral block in the barn. I put out free choice minerals as well mixed with black oil sunflower seeds (selenium) periodically. I keep snacking at a minimum and with that perhaps apples or carrots. I never give human treats to my goats, they are not human. I also do not give scraps to my goats. My goats do browse pine needles seasonally, which I understand is a natural dewormer. This must be true as in 7 years I have never had to worm my herd.
Send out fecal samples periodically yourself or through your vet to ensure there is not a worm load. I do not just worm for good measure, we all build up immunity to medications used for good measure. If I was to use an antibiotic or a wormer, I would use it because it is needed. I try my best to care for my animals naturally if at all possible. I would worm if and when needed by presentation of a worm load. Many goat keepers worm seasonally. That is just not my personal regimen. I check for mites and lice and have found neem oil works as a nice preventative to treat lice and mites successfully. If you have a difficult case of lice or mites there is always, permethrin, pyrethrin and ivermectin at your disposal as well. You can look into that with the manufacturer. I myself have not used it, but many swear by it.
Be aware of the mineral needs of your goats such as Copper, Selenium and Niacin as you may need to diversify your feed with vitamin and mineral supplements.
Above all else, know what your goat looks like healthy, each one individually. Know their behavior and habits so you can see right away when something is off with them. Goat Keeper know your charge.
In Conclusion....With the loss of my little doeling I have to accept that even if you are diligent things can happen and you have to just accept that in animal husbandry, unfortunately, some days are just bad days.
I am going to miss my Little Annabelle, may you rest in peace precious.
become tight and extend out with bloat. The left side is where their rumen is located. With bloat they are normally uncomfortable and grinding teeth.
BLOAT
If the goat appears slightly bloated, the first thing I administer is baking soda. I just scoop up a handful and try and get the goat to eat some of it. Then I get them moving and I rub their rumen area to get things active. I listen for gurgling in the throat and rumen by pressing my ear to their left side at intervals. A normal rumen churns a minimum of once every minute but normally quite a few.
Bloat is caused by a build up of gas that becomes trapped and can not be released through belching and farting. This situation can go bad very quickly and will lead to death without speedy treatment.
Bloat can be caused by too much of a good thing, as much as a bad thing.
Too much rich browse which causes frothy bloat, too much good feed causes gassy bloat, or a quick change in their diet. I have heard of many a goats who fell ill to bloat by accessing feed they should not be eating such as chicken pellets. So I am very controlling in my animals feeding regimens and my goats can not access any feed on their own.
If I do not see relief quickly with baking soda, I switch to therabloat or bloat release according to dosage on the bottle. A bloat relief agent is something every goat owner should have on hand. In a pinch you can substitute for vegetable or mineral oil. It must be administered as a drench, another item every goat owner should have on hand is a drench, but a syringe sans the needle can be substituted. Again keep the goat up, moving and rubbing that rumen.
If the goat does not appear to be bloated I move on.
ANEMIA
I then check the inside of their eyelids to see the color. It should be a nice dark rosy pink. If the color is not, it can indicate anemia and a heavy worm load, internal and external parasites. At this stage it is best to bring the goat to a vet as the animals is already in trouble and you don't have the time afforded to send out a fecal sample on your own to check on a worm load and deworming and/or vitamin mineral restoration.
TEMPERATURE
A goats temperature should be taken. Goats do not have a steady temperature so there is a range, but you want to see it in the area of 101.5-103.5. A higher temperature usually indicates infection and normally is treated with antibiotics. A lower temperature is more challenging and typically indicates something is amiss in the digestive area.
URINARY CALCULI
One of the biggest issues for male goats is urinary calculi. Boys are susceptible to stones that will block the urethra. Very early on in our goat keeping we learned this lesson the hard way, through the loss of a little wether who was being treated by an uneducated vet for bloat. I want to add right now, that you want to find yourself a good vet in the beginning of goat husbandry. There seems to be quite a deficit in regards to vets in the knowledge area of a goat's anatomy and treatment. So you may find yourself having to find a good vet who is willing to work with you in becoming adept at their anatomy. You do not want to be searching for a good vet when in the midst of an emergency.
I spent many years without a vet after a few tragic incidents by the hands of the not so good ones and far from forthright ones. Although I now have a wonderful vet, we even call her the angel, we rarely need see her because we became so self sufficient in their care ourselves that we rarely find a need
for her. With the little wether who had Urinary Calculi, by the time I discovered he wasn't peeing it was too late to treat and the Vet we had at the time did not even have the Ammonium Chloride necessary or knowledge to treat him. This was a sad lesson for us all. So I encourage you to find yourself a good vet early on and educate yourself most importantly.
If the urethra becomes blocked the goat will not be able to urinate causing a backup of urine ending in the goat's bladder bursting. To ensure the prevention of Urinary Calculi many do not feed grains to male goats, intact or neutered. I do feed my boys grain along with their hay, as they are not on pasture.
Ammonium chloride is an additive on some goat feed that is a preventative in the formation of urinary calculi so I purchase a feed that has the addition of Ammonium Chloride and I mix it in a fifty, fifty ration with purina goat chow so that I do not have to offer a special diet indivudually for the herd my does, wethers and bucks all eat the same. One must always have plenty of water available for your goats. Above all, I make sure they are drinking and peeing as this is critical.
Boys are constantly peeing so when your out feeding them pay attention when they do so to see if there is a strong stream present.
The treatment of urinary calculi is the administration of ammonium chloride in higher doses according to label, and if all else fails the removal of the pizzle at the end of their penis, or a reroute of the urethra all to be handled by a vet. If your boy is not peeing get him to a vet post hast.
PREVENTION CHECK
Every morning when I head down to the barn I do a quick check. If everyone comes, I fill bowls and then walk around and pat them and do a quick swipe over the boys bellies to make sure they are wet. The boys belly will always be wet because of their basic anatomy, urine tends to hit the belly. The potential they just rubbed it dry exists, so a dry belly means I need to hang around and watch to see if that particular goat is peeing a good stream.
If all boys have wet bellies I check over all their coats to see if they look healthy shiny and not shaggy. I am looking to see if they have external parasites and a potential mineral deficiency. I then check the inside of everyone's eyelids to make sure they are a dark rosy pink. It is honestly a small amount of time taken within the regimen of feeding time.
Make sure you pay attention while out with the goats to take note of their bodily functions.
Are they chewing cud? Are they pooping and peeing normally? Any runny noses or eyes?
This is honestly just something that should become habitual.
If anything is amiss, now is the best time to treat it, when it is a minor issue.
CARE
With my goats prevention through proper care is invaluable. My goats are fed hay, which is available at all times. I feed them a 50/50 mix of purina goat chow and noble goat which includes ammonium chloride, twice a day. They have a mineral block in the barn. I put out free choice minerals as well mixed with black oil sunflower seeds (selenium) periodically. I keep snacking at a minimum and with that perhaps apples or carrots. I never give human treats to my goats, they are not human. I also do not give scraps to my goats. My goats do browse pine needles seasonally, which I understand is a natural dewormer. This must be true as in 7 years I have never had to worm my herd.
Send out fecal samples periodically yourself or through your vet to ensure there is not a worm load. I do not just worm for good measure, we all build up immunity to medications used for good measure. If I was to use an antibiotic or a wormer, I would use it because it is needed. I try my best to care for my animals naturally if at all possible. I would worm if and when needed by presentation of a worm load. Many goat keepers worm seasonally. That is just not my personal regimen. I check for mites and lice and have found neem oil works as a nice preventative to treat lice and mites successfully. If you have a difficult case of lice or mites there is always, permethrin, pyrethrin and ivermectin at your disposal as well. You can look into that with the manufacturer. I myself have not used it, but many swear by it.
Be aware of the mineral needs of your goats such as Copper, Selenium and Niacin as you may need to diversify your feed with vitamin and mineral supplements.
Above all else, know what your goat looks like healthy, each one individually. Know their behavior and habits so you can see right away when something is off with them. Goat Keeper know your charge.
In Conclusion....With the loss of my little doeling I have to accept that even if you are diligent things can happen and you have to just accept that in animal husbandry, unfortunately, some days are just bad days.
I am going to miss my Little Annabelle, may you rest in peace precious.
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