Straining....?!

HobbyfarmingMO · #1 12/10/06, 11:48 AM

My little wether has been acting kind of strange for about 3 days. Today I noticed that he was straining and his stomach was moving like he was trying to poop. I've heard that goats don't get constipated and actually he did have a few pebbles appear. I'm guessing he's straining to pee. Anybody know what I can do to help him? He's not eating ... at least not while I'm watching. And he's not running up to see me when I go out to feed. He does come out of his house, but not for long and no playing around. Thanks for your help. By the way, whats a normal goat temp?

mpillow · #2 12/10/06, 12:02 PM

Urinary Calculi

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/stones.htm

AllWolf · #3 12/10/06, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HobbyfarmingMO

My little wether has been acting kind of strange for about 3 days. Today I noticed that he was straining and his stomach was moving like he was trying to poop. I've heard that goats don't get constipated and actually he did have a few pebbles appear. I'm guessing he's straining to pee. Anybody know what I can do to help him? He's not eating ... at least not while I'm watching. And he's not running up to see me when I go out to feed. He does come out of his house, but not for long and no playing around. Thanks for your help. By the way, whats a normal goat temp?

By the way, whats a normal goat temp? The normal body temperature of goats is usually reported in the range of 101.5 to 103.5 F. Goats of lighter body weight are more likely to have higher temperatures than larger one when exposed to sun. To accurately assess the state of the goat, it is useful to record body temperatures in apparently normal herd mates of the same size. The temperature is taken with a rectal thermometer for approx. 3 minutes.-
Warning...A temperature of 106 F for an extended time with bucks can cause sterilization.

Of what you was saying it sounds like your wether may have UC. Urinary Calculi requires immediate medical attention. This condition will not correct itself and if left untreated, the bladder will burst and the goat will die. Symptoms of Urinary Calculi include tail twitching in males, restlessness, anxiety, and a "hunched-up" body posture as the goat tries to urinate. Sometimes the producer mis-diagnoses the problem as constipation or bloat, because of goat's behavior and body stance. The producer should closely examine any male exhibiting these symptoms. Watch for signs of urination. The producer cannot make the goat urinate; manual stimulation to induce urination does not work with goats like it does in other species.

Good Luck on your goat.

Hope he gets well soon.

**mygoat** · #4 12/10/06, 05:22 PM

Careful now... is he getting grain? Wethers need no grain, just a good quality alfalfa hay at least once daily as well as water, quality loose minerals, and baking soda, all free choice. Grain will cause Urinary Calculi, which very commmonly kills. I'd say get ahold of yor vet!

Good luck with your wether.

neehifarm · #5 12/10/06, 05:47 PM

Sorry, but goats DO get constipated. I have had to give enema's to 3 goats in the past year.

**mygoat** · #6 12/10/06, 05:54 PM

yes you're right... They do get constipated, though in wethers and bucks, UC is more common. Try giving an enema and see if the problem gets better, I don't think it can hurt. I don't know how to do this myself, so maybe someone could post with more info on how to do so?

HobbyfarmingMO · #7 12/11/06, 02:51 PM

Lost my little guy today ... in fact it did look like UC. His brother is missing him terribly ... hope to find another companion for him.

Thanks for all your insights! I love this site!

moonspinner · #8 12/11/06, 05:20 PM

So sorry you lost the little guy. What were you feeding him? Was he getting ammonium chloride?

neehifarm · #9 12/11/06, 07:36 PM

For future reference, on getting them pooping: Get a needless syringe, dish soap, mineral oil and warm water.

First step is to give an ORAL dose of mineral oil (We use 8-12 cc's for pygmy goats, about 60 lbs).
Combine a drop or two of dish soap with the warm water, and stir it up until sudsy. Take about 6 cc's (for goats mentioned above), of this mix, thenTake your syringe and gently 'press' it against their anus. You DON'T need to insert it IN the anus, just make sure it is firmly against it. SLOWLY depress the mix into their rectum...it should all go in, if not, you're not holding it firm enough. Then wait about 30 seconds to 5 minutes, to see if any fecal impaction comes out. SOMETIMES that's all they need.
If after the time elapses, nothing somes out, then take 6 cc's of mineral oil and repeat procedure, rectally.
Quite often they will poop immediately after this.....if not, wait a couple hours for the ORAL mineral to work it's way to the back end....it will soften itself up and things will start to happen.
We had two instances this year (first time in 6 years!) where we had to give an enema.
The first was two baby goats, where the mom flat out REFUSED to clean their hindends. Their yellow tarry poop, that she refused to lick (can't hardly blame her!) became cement and backed them up. On my vet's advice we did the enema as stated above and they were pooping immediately.
The second was a 2 year old doe that was showing signs of polio at my friends house. She had'nt pooped all day, but was straining. Did the procedure with her too, and she was pooping freely within an hour, and she felt much better after.

Sweet Goats · #10 12/11/06, 08:33 PM

I am so sorry to hear that you lost him. Do you have any other goats besides his brother? If not, I would try to get another one soon.

fishhead · #11 12/12/06, 08:58 AM

If it was UC you may want to change your feeding for the other wether.

HobbyfarmingMO · #12 12/12/06, 03:58 PM

I was feeding them an 18% goat ration ... I'm reading the label and it doesn't have any ammonium chloride in it. I'm surprised! Do I need to buy it separate?
I bought alfalfa hay for the first time - how much should I give them. They always have grass hay available - I'm worried about feeding them too much alfalfa. I've heard good and bad about alfalfa so I'm a little paranoid!

Orville has been having a fit without his brother. I located a breeder online in my area ... came home with another wether and a little girl.

She had a very impressive farm ... makes me want to buy a herd of them.

Thanks to all of you for your condolences!

Blessings to all!

neehifarm · #13 12/12/06, 04:07 PM

That's a PRETTY high amount of protein for a wether. The less with wethers and bucks, the better.