Bulging eyes - cause?

southerngurl · #21 05/20/10, 11:31 PM

Um, why do I have a winking smiley? When I go to edit my message it's not there and it's above a little line???

Geiss · #22 05/20/10, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laverne

Look up Moonlight Farm, they have a pic of a bug eyed myotonic goat and mention it is a trait.

I could only find info on blue eyes, not bug eyes. :P
But here I found it:
http://www.mistirosefaintinggoats.com/
I saw it mentioned on other sites as well.

Quote:

Is your doe young and her skull has just grown to make this trait come out in the last few months? Even though she may not be myotonic, maybe she just has that skull formation to make this happen.

Yes, that is a definite possibility. She doesn't always look "off" either, and I might be just paranoid. She was born early last spring, and as she has grown into adulthood her eyes have widened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by where I want to

Re: copper boluses- the study I saw that convinced me that it was a useful thing was conducted in Sweden. That study mentioned it's use among farmers there. It is just small copper rods and I would think it would not be classified as a medicine.
The weed mentioned is not usually a problem in a pasture but in hay. Since you're in Norway, I assume you feed hay in the winter.
I have no idea whether there is this weed or something similar in European hay.
Also, since you are in a place outside of the usual for most of the posters here, you might want to post your location.

What studies of farming show doesn't necessarily compare to my goat keeping, seeing as I don't milk or slaughter them, nor do I keep a big herd or confine them, and my soil has been untouched for years on end. Deficiencies in norwegian mountain soil or commercial pens is no surprise. And by the way, Norway and Sweden are very different when you talk about soil - Norway is mostly coastal rock land.

But I digress.

Quote:

Originally Posted by southerngurl

Actually it's the iron oxide that makes the block red. Iron, in excessive amounts, ties up copper, which is why red minerals aren't usually the best. I read that they used to put the iron oxide in there so they could see when the minerals were well blended. It's really not needed.

That's just what I was told.. Anyway, I don't think it is to see the blending, because all their blocks come in different colors.

So.. Maybe she's copper deficient, maybe she's got a thyroid condition or maybe she's just bug-eyed.

Geiss · #23 05/20/10, 11:56 PM

Hey, I found a picture of a goat who looks just like my Fauna! It could seriously be her, black spots and all (what are those anyway? Both my white adult does are getting them - bug bites?)

Picture found on google:
Bulging eyes - cause? - Goats

That's what she looks like at her worst.

mpete · #24 05/21/10, 12:15 AM

I give my goats a chewable childrens vitamin

pourfolkes · #25 05/21/10, 02:28 PM

And the children's vitamin gives them enough copper? How often do you give them?

betsy h. · #26 05/21/10, 02:57 PM

Some bloodlines have bulgy eyes. That's all.

betsy h. · #27 05/21/10, 02:58 PM

Some white goats have black spots on their skin. That's all.

Pony · #28 05/21/10, 03:05 PM

If it's available, you could try using copper sulfate powder (we use it here to make Bordeaux mixture to spray our orchard trees).

I do believe there's a thread here re: dosage for the copper sulfate powder. Ah, yes, here it is:
strange gray circles around kid's eyes??

susanne · #29 05/21/10, 09:28 PM

since you are in norway, you might want to contact your vet or agriculture person and ask if you are in a copper deficient area. i hear about more and more cases of dead goats because of copper poisoning.
copper is not the cure for just all and can go very wrong if overdosed.

bulgy eyes are definitely not a sign of copper deficiency.

Geiss · #30 05/21/10, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susanne

since you are in norway, you might want to contact your vet or agriculture person and ask if you are in a copper deficient area. i hear about more and more cases of dead goats because of copper poisoning.
copper is not the cure for just all and can go very wrong if overdosed.

bulgy eyes are definitely not a sign of copper deficiency.

I worry about overdosing too. And I don't know how copper would impact the eyes. But do you people think? Does the goat in the last picture look sick or "wrong" to you at all?

susanne · #31 05/21/10, 11:34 PM

no, for me she looks normal. what kind of goat is she? are you milking her?

Geiss · #32 05/21/10, 11:40 PM

She's most likely half dwarf and half cashmere (which as you know can be anything). Her parents were both colored, as was her twin brother. The buckling she miscarried was all white after a colored sire. White is interesting stuff, seems difficult to "get rid of" once it pops up.

I am not milking her as I just keep them as pets (meaning they get a good goat life and I get to have them in my life) and don't really have a use for milk. I milked her a little to relieve her udder when she kidded/miscarried, the udder has gone down to to very little now.

Her buddies are another doe like her (same breeds, a bit smaller and eyes are not protruding) from a different place and a 75% dwarf doe. Both the other does each have a month old kid.

susanne · #33 05/22/10, 12:45 PM

if you are worry that she might not be normal ( miscarriage could also happen if a doe is iodine deficient) your vet might be able to draw blood and have a mineral/vitamin analysis done.