Friend's goats- 6 of 8 young stock dead!

[Jcran]

My girlfriend called today to ask if I had albon she could borrow; she said that 2 days ago, her young stock, all in the 6-8 month range, had come down with terrible diarrhea. She said it was very dark. Today 6 of the 8 were dead. Can coccidia kill this quickly? None of the adults in the pasture are sick (yet?). She says they are all up to date on vaccinations and that she gave corid mid summer as a preventative. I don't know a whole lot else. She hadn't taken temps. I told her that the two who are still alive need their temps taken and that a subclinical temp might indicate entero? She vaccinated with CDtet, not covexin8 because of the abcesses she got from the covexin. Any thought out there?

[Goat Servant]

Sure hope someone has good info soon I want to learn too.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Recommending an article about coccidia:
http://dairygoatinfo.com/index.php/topic,12.0.html

I have not experienced this with my goats, but I'm a good researcher, and that website is a good source of information.

[julieq]

Tell her to get a vet's help immediately and also check the feed for problems. The only case we had of coccidiosis in a group of freshly weaned kids was light yellow diarrhea and we lost one before seeking vet care.

On a side note, we have had sterile abscesses with Covexin, so we've quit using it. Best of luck to your friend.

[powderhooves]

Last spring I had a mom and a kid with it and got them to the vet ASAP. They had the dark tar runny poo and tested positive. We treated them aggressively and the rest of the herd was treated. None of the others got it. I'm heartsick for your friend. I hope help is on the way.

[goatkid]

While coccidia can kill goats, it doesn't usually affect that many kids in that age range and kill that many that fast. It sounds more like something they ate, such as too much grain, moldy feed or toxic plants. Were these kids penned separately from the other goats? Older goats usually are not affected by coccidia. It sounds like the remaining kids should see the vet and a fecal should be done. If poisoning is suspected, activated charcoal should be given ASAP.

[moonspinner]

Usually goats at that age are beyond the critical age for cocci. A fecal on the others may reveal something. I would want a necrospy done if the cause can't be found, as that's a wicked loss. How awful for your friend.

[Jcran]

She saved one carcass for a necropsy; one thought was poisoning. The only thing out in the pasture that may have been a cause was mushrooms. They are coming up all over, and the neighbor who owns the pasture they were on said there were a bunch of beautiful mushrooms but then they were gone. Young stock together might sample? I feel so awful for her! She is working two jobs and I think didn't get a jump on the initial presentation of scours as the goats were so perky when she first saw the diarrhea. I'm going to call her this morning and see how the rest of the goats are doing.

[okiemom]

Pneumonia can kill that quickly. Coccidia can be the underlying cause. I have never had any of our kid that have had coccidia have bloody stools. If the levels are high enough cocci can weaken the imune system enough for other dieases to take over.

Pneumonia can kill w/in 24 hrs and w/o many signs. nuflor can help.

We too lost a whole kid crop one year and it is so frustrating. I t took several hundreds of dollars to find out what the problems were. The vets around here are not goat savy so it was almost useless.

If you are having problems w. cocci try sweetlix minerals w/ rumensin. The rumensin helps keep the levels low enough to not harm the kids. If your adults are not having problems it is probably cocci. But they might actually be dieing of a secondary infection. Sorry this is happening. Check stocking levels. If there is overcrowding it can spread like wildfire.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

You could have her call me if you like. I hate doing third party stuff, you just never get good information. My phone number is always on my website. Vicki

[powderhooves]

Any updates? This story has been on my heart since I first read it.