Sudden death!!!!?????

http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/

Vicki's new forum . It not all done yet but a start

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/lambkiddiseases.html

http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/ar...iclesMain.html

dairygoatplus

it's not up at the momment but another good reference

I looked at your post history and see that you might be from Indiana. (Sorry about snooping, but I figured you could use a link to your local info.) If so, Perdue has some resources that would be like a "local Cornell".

http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/goat/

Check out the vet med section and the vet diagnostic section. They should also be able to tell you about resources in your part of the state.

Sorry to hear about your little doe. It doesn't make a difference if your start with goats is hard learning or easy learning, losing a little one is still always painful. Our herd sends their condolences.

And folks are right, it sounds like your herd is struggling right now and maybe some calls to experts like the folks at Perdue could help get things on an even keel.

Lynda

Sometimes I have an animal that just plain fails to thrive. Just like people, goats are real individuals.

The wether that died from the other poster? Could be coccidia or, more likely? Uriniary Calculi. Kills 'em dead. They can't pass urine due to the clogging in the urethra and their bladders burst. The old timer's called it Pi** Belly. If you open them up (autopsy) the urine will RUN out of the body cavity. Yes, I had one that I autopsied and this is what it was.

Your farm could have specific bacteria common to JUST you. Or in spite of you My place is heavily wooded and I have problems with NEW animals. If it's born on the place? It will have a good chance of living and thriving. Goats that I import? Don't do well for the first year or so. And that's with selenium shots, CD&T, coccidia treatment, copper boluses, blah blah blah. You MIGHT try taking a sample of soil in to your County Extension Office to see if they can analyze it.

Were there animals there before? Within 5 years or less? What kind of plants grow on your place? You can sometimes tell hogs have been there from what grows or doesn't grow. She could have been poisoned by rat poison she 'tasted.' She could have had an embolism. The list goes on and on. DON'T GIVE UP IF YOU REALLY WANT GOATS. I discovered that Nubians (purported to be fragile health-wise) and Kinders do well on my place. OBERHASLI do NOT - they just flat fail to thrive (at least the two lineages I tried). Boers are ok on my place too.

Good luck M&H! You'll figure it out and have a head-smack moment...

*hugs*

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Radically conservatively un-biased liberal.

http://whitepinesoapworks.com/

Milk n' Honey---please don't be offended at Patty's post. I don't think she meant it as being annoyed at you for posting or anything.

I have to admit I had the same thought in the back of my mind. Why is so much going wrong? Especially since you are so caring and obviously are trying your best. It is a BIG learning curve the first year or so with goats.

You may have your finger right on the real problem---buying too many goats from bad sources and having them all together mingling their problems.

So, please don't be offended. Patty was making the best suggestions she could in light of the info we got from you. Please keep posting---we all learn from the answers everyone gets here.

Sounds like floppy kid syndrome maybe. Though when I had that a couple of times the kids were younger than yours. Look it up on the links you've been given here.

FYI, it's PURDUE, not Perdue.

Them's the chicken folk.

We are the Ag/Engineering/Technology people here at the University.

I seem to remember there being a Goat Vet south of here near where M&H is. I'll check...

Purdue doesn't see that many goats, but they do have a goat vet on staff. And one that HAS goats. Purdue sends the CL testing off to University of California Davis - I think they are the only one's in the US that do the test.

I had just problem after problem when I first started. Staff infection of the udder causing open, bleeding sores (Thanks, Vicki! The lysigin was a godsend), CL, Urinary Calculi, parasites, etc. I think when you are STARTING there is simply that painful learning curve. And the desire to save them ALL. Even the puny ones you think you can resurrect. Sometimes? You just can't...

Alternately, some goat folks just happen to get everything right. Animals, feed, injections, vaccinations, etc. Again, don't give up, M&H. Keep a log along with when it rains, what the weather conditions were like, how old the animal was when it sickened, etc. My friend had to TELL me that my beloved Oberhasli were getting sick the same time every year and with the same conditions. No ohter goats were. I coppered the Obes so much I almost killed one doe. Unfortunately, Obes are not for my farm. The almost-coppered-to-death doe (purebred of course) is doing very well at another farm.

__________________
Radically conservatively un-biased liberal.

http://whitepinesoapworks.com/

I'm not a "goat person", but have had many types of pets and livestock all my life.

First - hang in there! Keep learning all you can. I agree that, while you can't afford the $35 fee and the meds from the vet, you can't afford to lose your goats either! I'm not sure how to get around that, but you might well save more than you spend bringing the vet in more often.

Second - those people that recommended that you not get any new goats for a while have a good idea. I would say it is best to get your herd healthy before getting any more goats and, even then, making sure you have a quarantine pen and use it!

That said... I do hope to get a goat some day, maybe next year, and I am glad that people ask a lot of questions - at least by the time I get a goat or two, I'll know what to ask!

Sorry about the loss of your doeling.

~ Carol

I had a goat friend lose a kid due to a type of pnuemonia that was all but asymptomatic. Since you don't know the history of the herds you purchased from, you don't know if they were bred for hardiness or what kind of pathogens they may have come with. I would never buy from a farm that doesn't whole herd test for CAE. I spend a lot of time with breeders to know their practices and history. A fecal would be recommended just to see if any worms/cocci are present. And if you plan to dam raise kids, CAE testing as well, though I admit that can get pricey. I hope you can put the bad times behind now; you've certainly been through a lot. And I would never dissuade anyone from coming here for help. It's been a lifeline for me.

I've learned a few things from threads you've started, M n' H. When I saw the "Sudden Death !!!!" thread, and saw it was you, I thought Crap! What NOW???

I too understood Patty's post to be about pulling in outside help. I also hear you saying a lot of "I'm ashamed" type things, which is understandable, I'd blame myself too. But don't let it stop you from having someone come over to help out. Also, the reference to "posting too much" was more like "posting SO much". You have very appropriately requested help when you needed it! You have just needed a LOT of help, and this leads a person to wonder what in the heck is going on behind the scenes . . .

I agree, with my limited knowlege, with the underlying problem is purchasing goats from multiple farms/herds. It makes perfect sense that these goats are all homogenizing thier viruses, parasites, protozoa, bacteria and you are seeing who has never had/been exposed to "what".

I bought all my goats from the same old fellow. I bought too MANY of them. As we loaded the three does and their four kids into the box truck, he asked if I'd take two more does and nursing wether for an insane deal. I couldn't have found my own butt with both hands and a flashlight when it came to goats, so I said "Sure!" thinking, I'll admit it, about chickens. Whats a couple ten or fiften more chickens? What's three more goats??

They have been completely healthy. Knock on wood. So far they have had imaginary bloat and imaginary listeriosis because I started off with too darn many goats and my anxiety has been severe. There have never been animals on this property, I'm an RN and don't work outside the home. I don't have other animal parasites to wake up and infest my herd, and the veterinary stuff translates pretty straight across with nursing. Even so I can't imagine anything I've done to "cause" their healthiness, in fact far less than most who post on here.

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It may be that our sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.