Ya gotta be kidding me!

[KayJay]

So I pretty much confirmed today that my favorite goat is allergic to alfalfa... started feeding it to all of them since there's not much browse right now, her face swelled up, so I took her alfalfa away and it went away... gave her alfalfa again last night, and today she was all swollen up again. The only other hay I have or can even get around here is oat hay, but they usually just eat the grain part and leave the rest.... any ideas on what the heck I can feed this goat while browse is low?

[DocM]

I have a goat allergic to alfalfa - I give her benedryl and she can tolerate alfalfa pellets okay.

[KayJay]

Do you give her Benadryl every day? And do you have to give it for her to eat the pellets or are the pellets for some reason ok w/out the Benadryl?

[KayJay]

No one else has any ideas?

[Bearfootfarm]

Have you tried a Google search for hay in your area? There should be other types available since most people with horses or cattle dont feed alfalfa or oat hay

[KayJay]

I've tried every way of finding other hay in my area that I can think of, I can occasionally find some plain ol' pasture hay but they're out right now and the goats never ate that very well either. In this area that's pretty much what all the horses eat actually is oats or alfalfa, though some eat pasture hay or bagged feeds, a lot are fed alfalfa. Mine are pastured but eat oat hay when graze is low, but that's another story in itself.

[Carrie C]

I'd try other types of hay, like Bearfoorfarm suggested. One of my does is allergic to weeds in late-cutting grass hay, but other than that she is fine.
~Carrie C.

[Carrie C]

Whoops. You were too fast on the posting, KayJay! You already nixed my suggestion.
I know my vet gave my allergic doe a shot of something for allergies and she was able to eat the allergen-ridden hay for several days while a new cutting came in. For the life of me, I can't remember the name! Maybe a vet around you would know...

[KayJay]

Thanks for the suggestions guys... I think at this point I'm going to look into bagged feeds and see if I can find something w/out alfalfa in it.