miscarriages

[deetu]

Unfortunately, I noticed one of my doe's tails sticky. Looking closer, I saw blood. The next day I looked again, as if that would change what I saw, right? Then I looked and saw two, possible three more does with sticky tails (I even took pictures to ask you guys, hoping I wasn't seeing what I was seeing)
About a week later, the two first does were acting in heat so I put the buck in with them (I usually sell the buck after breeding but kept this one for some reason) Six out of the eight bred went to him with tails waggin.
What could have happened? I can see one but six!
Two things happened.
1. Squirrels kept chewing through my containers to get at the BOSS. I didn't think it was a problem of more then losing seeds until I got to the bottom of the feed and saw that they had been using the container as a toilet too (what animals pees on what it's eating??)
2. I notices chunks of moss in the bottom of my feeding station from the hay.
Could either of these have caused the miscarriages? If it was the feed, it's gone but the hay will be a problem to replace but not impossible if necessary.
Thank you in advance for any help.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Abortion storms are nearly always caused by sexualy transmitted diseases or poisons (meds, wormers, insecticides, wormwood, anything toxic at all) before and during the 11 days + to implantation of the fetus-s into the uterus.

If this is sexually transmitted than the only saving grace is that if they are now rebred to the same buck, all the does who aborted and are now being rebred are immune to the previous problem if it's chalmydia....not so if it's mycoplasma or toxo..

The same questions always apply.

Did they have anything given to them even on accidient the first few weeks of pregnancy?

Did you have pinkeye late summer?

Did you have a litter of kittens born and raised in the barn or does your hay dealer keep cats around that have kittens?

What is different about the other two does that didn't abort? Are you sure they are bred? Did they come bred? Have they had kids before and perhaps are already immune to the problem? Are they due later, bred last to this buck?

What you will find with goats is that most of it is a guessing game, a mystery to be solved...I am not good at any of these types of things, don't have the temperment for it...I would blood test a doe for abortive disease, treat the buck and blood test the remaining does who did not abort to make sure they are indeed bred.

If you look at this logically.....early abortion like this is not normal. You don't really know the two of the 8 are bred. You could have something as simple as a dud buck breeding your does. Vicki

[sadie6447]

Originally Posted by Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians

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If this is sexually transmitted than the only saving grace is that if they are now rebred to the same buck, all the does who aborted and are now being rebred are immune to the previous problem if it's chalmydia....not so if it's mycoplasma or toxo... Vicki

If the goat has chalmydia will they be immune next go round really? After late term abortion how long does it take before they will breed again??

[deetu]

I keep going back to the idea that something from the squirrels caused this.

You are right that the last two could have been bred later and it still may happen for them. All of them were born here and have kidded before.

I called the person I bought the buck from and am waiting to hear back from her. She was 4H for years and had a clean herd. She sold everything for retirement. She kept this buck to breed to neighbor's goats so unless those goats were clean, he could have picked up something from them.

One kid had pinkeye in one eye during the summer.

Hay guy delivered wagon to me. It did rest under his eaves for a week but there was no reason for kittens to be in there with the regular barns available.
Again, I keep finding moss in the hay.

Just like everyone else, there are no goat vets around here. I rely on this forum for most of my answers...sigh... What should I do to treat the buck? I will call my dog vet to see if she can do the blood test for doe....sigh...

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

The abortion has nothing to do with them breeding back or not, it's about season in dairy goats. Aborting early enough in the year they recycle naturally in around 6 to 8 weeks here, which gives you plenty of time to treat the herd and the buck.

But yes they only abort once from some of the abortive disease because their body develops immunity to it. It's one of the problems with testing new goats for abortive disease, if positive it can not only mean they have it and will abort but it can also mean they have had it and now are just positive because they have immunity. Worse is that some are carriers!

All my bucks who outside breed does and new does coming in are always put on tetracylcine. Shots for the bucks when they are done for the year and a bag of crumbles are purchased and they are used on them and new purchases until the bag is gone, or at least a few months.

Everyone will get bit by abortive disease eventually, so treating abortions seriously, one is not big deal..the second one test the doe and any material you can find after the abortion. Treat while you wait for tests to come back.

In large dairy situations it's common for the whole herd to be put on crumbles during the dry period, when any probems occur during kidding season. Vicki

[deetu]

I have Bio-Mycin. Can everyone get a shot now, even being back with the buck?