My baby is sick... Any Advice?

[Prettychica13]

Hello. This is my first post here. I am new to this website.

my girl goat seems sick. she lost some weight about a month and a half ago when she had diarrhea. she got over the diarrhea and now she cant seem to gain the weight back. she chews slowly then loses interest in the food. we thought she wasn't eating because the male goats were pushing her aside so we separated her along with her sister. we tried buying her feed infused with corn and she will eat it but lose interest and walk away. for the last week i noticed a couple of times that she foams a little at the mouth. it's usually in the morning. last night when i went to bed she was by herself standing in a corner. this morning when i woke up she was standing in the same spot. i recognized as a sign that she is sick but i can't figure out what is wrong with her. she will gobble up bread and tortillas. i am at a loss. can someone please give me some advice? i would really appreciate it.

[prairiedog]

Take her temp and other vital signs. Need more info! When was she wormed last and with what? What is her diet? Does she have minerals? Also how old is she? Were the males intact? is she bred?

[thaiblue12]

First off when she had diaherrea ( sp?) was it from parasites? Did you treat her for it? You are in Texas so I know that parasites can be bad out there.

Have you given her any baking soda? Besides trying to give her corn have you changed feed suddenly? I would not give her much of treats like bread of tortillas, she could be having acidosis from eating too much of the breads or sudden feed changes.

I would treat her for parasites, give her baking soda, lots of fresh water and some good hay and see if that helps.

[Prettychica13]

Well I Went To The Feed Store An They Gave Me A Pill For Parasites. They Told Me To Give Her Half Now And The Other Half In Two Weeks. The Diet Consisted At The Beginning Of Alfalfa But We Switched Them To Hay And Corn. Well My Dad Took The Corn Away Because He Was Afraid That The Heat And Water Would Swell Them. So We Stuck With Hay And We Let Them Out To Eat Some Leaves At Least Once A Week. So When I Went To The Feed Store For Some Hay They Gave Me Feed Because She Seemeed Underweight. She Is Just One Year Old This Month. She Hasn't Been Bred Yet Because She Runs From Males Whenever They Try. Her Sister Does The Same. How Do I Do The Baking Soda Thing?

[thaiblue12]

You can put it in a bowl and see if she eats it. If she won't eat it make a paste of it and roll it into a small ball and force her to eat it. Either way leave the bowl of baking soda out there so she can it eat if her stomach is upset.

What was the pill called? She might have coccidia so that would be one med or she might have worms and that would be a different med.

[Prettychica13]

Thank You So Much. I Will Try The Baking Soda. I Can't Recall The Name But I Believe It Started With A T. Sounds Like Teramycin. Do You Know At About What Age They Start Breeding? Just So We Can Prepare Ourselves To Become Grandmas... Lol

[waygr00vy]

Well first off, Terramycin is not for parasites if that is what they gave you. She needs to be dewormed, as do your other goats probably. I would think cydectin would be best for you, which may be easier to get the quest gel for horses. I do not know the dosage off the top of my head for the gel but someone else probably does.

Second, I would separate her from the boys until she is putting on weight and in better health. If she is bred now when she is sickly and in poor weight you are just asking for problems with her and the kids down the line. Goats can breed at several months of age but it doesn't mean it is a good idea to do so! You want to start with a healthy goat, then you are more likely to get healthy kids!

When you give here the grain make sure you start a little bit at a time and gradually increase it. This could be why she is frothing, maybe bloating from getting too much too quick? She does need grain though as I think you will have a hard time putting on weight with hay only (I am guessing it is a grass hay?)

[thaiblue12]

Terramycin I thought was for pnuemonia and is an antibiotic. Maybe someone else will know. Personally I would get a drug for Coccidia, I use Corid, others uses Sulmet. Maybe also a regular wormer. I have to use horse paste like Ivermectin. Two times their weight is the doseage if it is 1.87 % paste.

They can be bred at a very young age but if she has parasites I would wait till she is better and has put on weight to breed her.

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

If he gave you a tramisol sheep oblet that means 1/2 treat 25 pounds...if she weighs 25 pounds and is a year old you have alot more going wrong than just worms.

You need to worm her correctly. What part of Texas are you in? Perhaps I can find you someone local who can help you.

Corn and grass hay is not an adequte diet, now grass hay only it's no wonder she has lost weight.

Alot of the hay (prairie and bahai) is cow hay and has very little nutrition in it. Add that in Texas round bales are kept outside, and it's some really awful hay for small ruminants.

She will run from bucks when she is not in heat, and they are only in heat about 6 hours, so she is likely bred. You need to start taking better care of her now. Go back to the alfalfa, and slowly start giving her something besides corn. Most feed stores have meat goat pellets you can use, and loose minerals. Make sure your hay is up off the ground. And worm your goats. Vicki

[Prettychica13]

Thank Ya'll. We Do Keep Their Grass Off The Ground Because Believe It Or Not They Won't Eat It Off The Ground. I Have Her Separated Just With Her Sister. They Cry A Lot If They Are Separated From Each Other. I Will Go Back And Ask For The Meds And In The Mean Time Try The Baking Soda. I'll Switch Her Back To Her Alfafa And Is There A Certain Type Of Minerals I Should Be Asking For? My Feed Store Doesnt Seem To Have A Lot Of Answers For Me. I Appreciate All Of Your Answers

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

Do you have a tractor supply in your area? What brands of feed
do your stores carry? Vicki