Paco died. ???s

Goat Freak · #1 08/12/06, 10:16 AM

Our 94% Boer Buck Paco, who we were trying to sell, just died. I have no idea why, he was getting a little skinny, so I was going to give him a little more feed, then my mom told me that he was dying, although he didn't for a long time. He was having trouble standing up, and getting down, when he laid down he just let his legs stay where ever they had fallen. Anyone have any ideas about what this could be? If so, is it contagous, we had 3 little boys in with him, which were seperated once we found out he was sick. WHat should I do? Thank you in advance for any replies/help. Bye.
-Goat Freak-

ozark_jewels · #2 08/12/06, 10:39 AM

When was he last wormed and with what?? What was he getting to eat?? How old was he??

moonspinner · #3 08/12/06, 05:29 PM

Need more info. How was his appetite, when was he wormed last, was he vaccinated for CD&T? I'm assuming no temperature taken? When did you first notice he was losing weight and was he still active and behaving normally? What age was he? So sorry you lost him.

Goat Freak · #4 08/12/06, 09:12 PM

I guess he was about 2 years old, give or take a bit. He was wormed with the rest of the goats about 2-3 months ago. He got grain and hand picked weeds and grass, the grain was about 2 scooper scoops, and he was with 4 little boys, they also got acess to the middle pasture about once or twice a week. He's never really looked good good, but he started lossing a lot of weight this last year, and we were trying to get him a little fatter, but no matter how much feed we'd give him, he would only eat a certain amount. I don't know if he got CD&T, and we didn't take his temperature, I don't know how, or what would be a normal temperature for a goat, although I could look.
-Goat Freak-

goatmarm · #5 08/12/06, 09:38 PM

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Bearfootfarm · #6 08/12/06, 10:49 PM

He never looked good, he was losing weight for a year and you dont know if hes been vaccinated....... I think you should consider NOT raising goats.

ozark_jewels · #7 08/13/06, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

He never looked good, he was losing weight for a year and you dont know if hes been vaccinated....... I think you should consider NOT raising goats.

This is the kind of comments we just don't need. If you have suggestions about how to do it better, please share them. If you just want to bash a young girl when she asks for help......please don't bother to reply. Helpful critisism is one thing.....there was nothing helpful about this post.

james dilley · #8 08/13/06, 12:14 AM

I for one Agree with Emily, Leave of the snide comments Goat freak is A young girl. and wants to learn.Please be nice .

suburbanite · #9 08/13/06, 12:35 AM

This is another thread that supports my 'vet aversion' thread in the homesteading forum. People need to demand that veterinarians or veterinary schools offer classes in basic veterinary skills for people who keep livestock.

If such classes existed, and Goat Freak had taken one, then I doubt we'd be having this conversation now.

She's also in a double bind--she may have wanted to call a veterinarian but her parents may not have allowed it. She didn't have the final say in the fate of this goat.

cmharris6002 · #10 08/13/06, 07:22 AM

Please ignore any mean comments. Many of us here have seen how compassionate you are and how much you love your goats

Did your goat have hay or just his weeds and pasture? I can't remember exactly, but there is some type of imbalance that can occur if they are fed lots of grain and not enough hay.

~Christy

moonspinner · #11 08/13/06, 07:57 AM

If you're looking at one of the major diseases, Johnes is a wasting illness.

Bearfootfarm · #12 08/13/06, 08:59 AM

Im sorry if my comment sounded "mean" But it was based on the facts given in the post. I wasnt "bashing" anyone. And there is nothing in the post to indicate her age.

All it says is she had a goat that was showing symptoms for about a year and then died.

trob1 · #13 08/13/06, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

Im sorry if my comment sounded "mean" But it was based on the facts given in the post. I wasnt "bashing" anyone. And there is nothing in the post to indicate her age.

All it says is she had a goat that was showing symptoms for about a year and then died.

Next time before you post a rude comment look at the posters profile then you will know what age poster you are helping or hurting I do that alot before I comment on someones post I am not familer with. There are alot of young people on these boards trying to learn how to care for their goats and we here on the goat boards need to lend a helping hand.

trob1 · #14 08/13/06, 09:56 AM

Goatfreak, If you are able to I would get a poop sample from one of the other goats and have it tested for worms. The wormer you used may not be working well and you may want to switch to one that is working in your area. Alot of people dont give cd&t shots and it doesnt sound like that was the case. If it had been UC he would have gotten sick fast and died fast. I would be inclined to think it was a worm problem and the goat got little of the nutrition and the worms got the rest. He also was most likley anemic from the worms. Take a look at the gums and eye lids of your remaining goats and if it isnt nice and pink and is pale or white you need to act fast and find a wormer that works in your area. Also boys don't need much grain, what they do need is hay and browse. From every thing I have read they say if you are feeding anything other than hay and browse you need to balance the grain with alfalfa. But it is much easier to just do hay and browse on boys and you can give the some grain now and then as a treat. The best thing you can do for all your goats is read all you can on the net about nutritional needs of boy goats. Also find out if your wormer is working and if not switch to a stronger one.

Goat Freak · #15 08/13/06, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatmarm

Too much grain is actually really bad for a wether or buck. It is possible he had "stones" in his urinary tract. The boys can't handle the extra calcium in the grain, and it causes urinary blockages or kidney stones. Did you notice him "dribbling" when he peed, or straining to go. Poor boy. If that is what it was, it is not contagious, but I would definitely give the other boys less grain. They do not need as much protein and minerals as the growing kids and milkers. You can also find feed (@12%protein) with ammonium chloride(?) added to it. Some folks say this helps prevent urinary blockages in males.

We've dealt with UC before, and this was not it, although it was our first guess. He was peeing just fine.

Goat Freak · #16 08/13/06, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

He never looked good, he was losing weight for a year and you dont know if hes been vaccinated....... I think you should consider NOT raising goats.

Not a year, this past year, as in 2006, and really it hasn't been that long, maybe after March, and at first it wasn't so drastic, just a little bit of weight was lost, it was the last couple weeks that it started to looke pretty bad, so we started giving him and the boys a lot of grass. I know that they all got their CD&T shots, I just don't remember when, but not likely in the last 6 months, which is why they are all getting it sometime this week.

Goat Freak · #17 08/13/06, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suburbanite

This is another thread that supports my 'vet aversion' thread in the homesteading forum. People need to demand that veterinarians or veterinary schools offer classes in basic veterinary skills for people who keep livestock.

If such classes existed, and Goat Freak had taken one, then I doubt we'd be having this conversation now.

She's also in a double bind--she may have wanted to call a veterinarian but her parents may not have allowed it. She didn't have the final say in the fate of this goat.

My dad is the one who is against vet treatment for our "mutts", he says he doesn't want to blow money on a goat that isn't worth it. He's not trying to be mean or anyting, but he just doesn't like our animals very much, but the boers he at least likes a little. I think that the idea of a vet class would be really cool, and I know my mom and dad would defintly be happy to pay for me to get some experience BEFORE vet school.

Goat Freak · #18 08/13/06, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmharris6002

Please ignore any mean comments. Many of us here have seen how compassionate you are and how much you love your goats

Did your goat have hay or just his weeds and pasture? I can't remember exactly, but there is some type of imbalance that can occur if they are fed lots of grain and not enough hay.

~Christy

Don't worry about it, I'm sure that the only reason that anyone is sounding a little mean is because they too care for goats, and don't like the fact that there was a possibility of neglegance, I think we'd all be mad were that the case, including me. We just broke into the hay when we found out that he was sick, so no, they didn't have a lot of hay, we only had one bale left, although I think that my dad is going to be getting some more soon, BTW, we get the HUGE bales of hay, the kind for cows, if that makes any difference.

Goat Freak · #19 08/13/06, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moonspinner

If you're looking at one of the major diseases, Johnes is a wasting illness.

Thank you, I'll look into that for sure. I know it occurs in sheep, but goats too? That bites.

Goat Freak · #20 08/13/06, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearfootfarm

Im sorry if my comment sounded "mean" But it was based on the facts given in the post. I wasnt "bashing" anyone. And there is nothing in the post to indicate her age.

All it says is she had a goat that was showing symptoms for about a year and then died.

That's all right! By the way, today's my birthday, so I just turned 15, YAY! I'm having a good one so far.