Medicine cabinet

[Oldntimes]

Hello, there seems to have been quite some talk on other threads about what supplies that are a must to have on hand.
I was wondering if we could post a thread like a "Medicine Cabinet" and have a list of important supplies to have on hand in case of an emergency suituation. like Meds, vitamins, little tricks of the trade and what not.
so that newer and up coming breeders can have a little help in having supplies on hand that would be very helpful. Also maybe state what each supply is used for.
What do you think?
I know I sure would learn alot and make sure I had some things on hand that I don't. There are so many knowledgeable breeders here that can really contribute and really help someone out.
Thanks,
Colleen

[Terre d'Esprit]

Here are the items I purchased for my medicine cabinet to have on hand for kidding this coming spring. I have three does that will freshen. I was not able to find the Today and Tomorrow, but I have some time before that, and might just buy some from a friend.

Hay & grain feeders
Plastic water buckets with snaps/brackets (off the floor so kids can't drown)
Hoof Trimmers
Kidding jug panels or pens
Plastic laundry basket
Scissors
Infant rubber bulb ear syringe (remove excess fluid from back of kid’s throat)
Infant enema bottle
Milk bottles and a variety of nipples
Goat milk replacer
Lamb feeding tubes – a 60 cc syringe with a catheter tube attached
Rectal thermometer
Electric hair dryer
Electric heating pad
Plastic backed pads to absorb moisture
Warming box
Dog coats for cold weather
Vaginal prolapse retainer
Scales
Ear tag applicator and ear tags
Tattoo equipment and ink
Dental floss
S curve needle for prolapse
3/8” umbilical tape
Branding Paint
Colostrum or colostrum substitute
Latex gloves
OB sleeves
OB lube
Nolvasan disinfectant
Uterine boluses
Alcohol
Cotton pads or balls
Gentle iodine and 7% iodine
Towels and rags
Kid transporter
Syringes :1 cc, 3 cc, 6 cc, 12 cc & 60 cc
Needles – 20 x 1/2” or 18 x 1”
Elastrator and bands
Adhesive tape and tongue depressors
Vitamin B Complex
Thiamine (B1)
Vitamin A, D, E
Amino acid solution
Antibiotics – Pen G, LA 200, BP – 48
Hoegger’s Goat Serum
Scour medication
Cattle udder infusion (Today & Tomorrow)
Dewormers
Eye Ointment
Staples for entroption
Paper towels
Propylene glycol
Karo syrup
Goat Nutri-Drench
Electrolytes
Dehorning equipment
Gestation calendar

[Oldntimes]

I have heard a lot about Vitamin B Complex, I am not sure what the signs are if a goat is lacking it, when would I need to inject it, and what is the dose?

[mygoat]

The dose for vit. B is 3-5 cc, and it's given whenever a goat is 'off', recovering, sickly, or whenever. I keep some on hand. I need to update my goat equipment list, but here's the majority of the equip I keep : http://www.freewebs.com/short-and-sw...aboutgoats.htm

It's the second section down.

[DocM]

Originally Posted by mygoat

The dose for vit. B is 3-5 cc, and it's given whenever a goat is 'off', recovering, sickly, or whenever. I keep some on hand. I need to update my goat equipment list, but here's the majority of the equip I keep : http://www.freewebs.com/short-and-sw...aboutgoats.htm

It's the second section down.

This is for B complex, which I also dose the same as this poster, whenver my goats seem punky (no other symptoms). B complex usually, but not always, contains 12.5 mg/ml of B1. Fortified usually has 100 mg/ml of B1 and makes dosing for thiamine deficiency easier.

Thiamine, or B1 deficiency, can be characterized by "star gazing" where the goat pulls its head back and up and seems to stare into space, staggering, actually being down (usually with head pulled back against body), limp, no appetite, low temp (sub normal). The dosage of B1 depends on the strength of your thiamine and the weight of the goat. The standard dosage for deficiency is 10mG/mL per 2.2 pounds of goat weight every 6 hours for at least 24 hours.

Here is a good med list, except for the mistake in the thiamine column - thiamine is B1, not B12.

http://www.goatworld.com/health/meds/dosages.shtml

HOWEVER, as many of us have found, these are the same symptoms as listerosis, and usually a goat is treated with 5CC's of penn G twice a day for 5 days.

Some recommend steroid treatment, and banamine for pain too.

[DocM]

The above equip list (first post) is excellent. I would guess that a 'kid transport box' is probably a dog crate. The only addition I'd make is a kid box, a holding box that makes disbudding about 10,000,000 times easier than trying to hold a squirmy kid. Hoeggers sells instructions and a neck piece for building your own. In addition, one of the best goat information sites (although I am not quite as "natural" as they are) is the following site:

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/

Vaccination Schedule:

http://www.geocities.com/~whirlwindfarms/Herdmc.htm

Goat Supplies

http://www.hoeggergoatsupply.com/

Goat medicine chest:

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/he...inechest.shtml

Goat first aid and kidding supply list

http://www.goatworld.com/articles/he...aidkitrw.shtml

[DocM]

And I'll add one last comment.

The best medicine for a goat is to recognize that each is unique. Spend enough time with each of your goats, observing their "normal" behavior, so you'll be quick to tell when they aren't acting normal. Some goats are quiet, some are boisterous. If they're acting the opposite of "normal", something isn't right. 9 times out of 10, it's related to their digestion, because, lets face it, goats are pigs. They eat too much, they eat too fast, they eat stuff they shouldn't, they won't eat what they should.

[mygoat]

Alright, well I just wanted to chime in here and list some suppliers.

www.jefferslivestock.com ~ Probably the cheapest and best place to get 99% of your goat needs

www.caprinesupply.com ~ They sell at higher prices than Jeffers but they have some things that jeffers doesn't have.

www.thegoatstore.com ~ Good place for milking equipment, though they can be quite high on a lot of thier things.

www.pbsanimalhealth.com ~ This place sells the nifty blood tubes for getting your goats tested for diseases.

Any others that I've forgotten?

[fishhead]

Does anyone know why vitamin B can't be given orally instead of a shot?

I'm thinking that it gets destroyed in the rumen.

[DocM]

Because it simply works faster. Anything you give a goat orally has a long involved process of digestion. So unless it's a medication that specifically involved digestion, it's better to give it sub q or im. When I treat a goat with a suspected B1 deficiency, I give the first dose IV.

[Terre d'Esprit]

You can give fortified B complex orally. Obviously if you are dealing with a critical situation, sub-Q is the quickest way to deliver. However, if I see a goat that's just "not herself" then I will give them the fortified vit B orally, just as a preventative. I have had good luck warding off illness that way. But again, if I was dealing with a Thiamine issue or other pressing issue, definitely inject.