BLoat

[celadon]

I see alot of you talking about bloat. How does a goat get bloat and what do you look for . Also what do you do about it? Thanks.

[mygoat]

Goats get it from eating too much grain/graze that they are not used too. It is where thier stomachs fill up with air that they cannot get rid of easily. You can detect it by a large stomach (left side). It usually looks like they've swallowed a baloon, and it will sound like it too, if you tap thier side. They'll be uncomfortable (sometimes screaming in pain). They will not want to stand or move, but keep them doing both. Prop the goat up between hay bales if you must. My vet told me to give 1/2 cup dish soap and 1/2 cup veggie oil, and it seemed to help my doe who bloated. I secured her into the goat stand with her front legs up on a cinder block. then you rub, squeeze, and bounce thier stomachs to get the gas moving. They'll usually burp quite loudly, lol. They'll also fart. But my doe mostly burped.

[Terre d'Esprit]

I have a sickly doeling that seems to have chronic bloat-- any suggestions would be most appreciated! No fresh anything right now, I'm watching her closely inside the barn. She's really thin (no worms), so I am reluctant to take her off of grain completely at this point, but I am only giving her about 4T of grain a day. She is getting free choice grass hay all day long.

Anyway, my son (10 yrs old) has heard me up and down about the bloat for the past couple of weeks, and I have explained my concern and why I dote on her, etc. So today, he said to me,

"Mom, sometimes A&W Rootbeer gives me frothly bloat."

I nearly died laughing...

: )

T

[witchysharon]

If you offer free choice baking soda this will help prevent bloat. Too much grain means a more acid rumen. Acid can kill normal rumen bacteria. Baking soda is a rumen buffer that balances the Ph in the goat's rumen and prevents acidosis.

You can also offer probiotics to keep a rumen healthy. Probitoics are beneficial microorganisms (like those found in yogurt and kefir) that help the good bacteria that are naturally present in the rumen. The rumen microorganisms/bacteria manufacture ALL of the B vitamins the goat needs. Eating too much grain can cause acidosis and the healthy microorganisms that make the B vitamins may be killed off. (Thiamine, or Vitamin B1 being one of the more important B vitamins as a deficiency causes polioencephalomalacia)