Weird behavior, snotty nose... I'm at a loss..

[LoneStrChic23]

Sabrina, my Alpine doe had a snotty nose this morning.

This evening she had A LOT of whitish, thick snot all over her muzzle.

It has been dusty, windy & hot.....so at first I thought maybe the dust was causing it, but the other goats are fine.

She also been acting weird...shaking her head a lot, and not her normal self....she's been very flighty, stomping her feet...... I wish I knew how to described it, but she's usually very mellow, dignified & the past two days she's been very off.

The foot stomping is odd....she'll stomp, stomp, jerk & then take off running....almost like she's afraid.... I thought maybe ants, but I've only seen a few (really had to look for them) & the other goats are fine.

Flies have been bad lately despite daily barn & most frequented areas raking, & weekly pen raking. Bought a fly spray for horses, sprayed lightly on legs and put some on a sponge to do their backs, belly & neck. I only use it once a week & use it in everyone (once again all the others are fine)

Checked her temp & its normal......Normal stools, but she is due for another round of copper bolus.

Tested CAE negative through biotracking recently..

Tried checking her ears for mites but couldn't see anything, though she wouldn't tolerate an in depth inspection.

I know this post sound silly, but something is definately wrong...... I'm worried & can't put my finger on what's causing this

Had a fecal done after her last deworming 3 weeks ago & all was clear...eyelid color is good.

I just have this awful feeling......called the vet, he thought I was over reacting, but she is so, so far from herself with no way to explain the drastic changes..... I know SOMETHING is wrong, but I can't think of what or where to start looking for a solution.

Any input, advice, things I should try.....pep talk telling me I'm not crazy.... Anything would be appreciated. I hate this horrible feeling of dread Sabrina is my baby, my herd queen, my favorite goat....

[Alice In TX/MO]

I wonder if she has a piece of grain or something up her nose?

The stomping sounds like flies.

[ozark_jewels]

Anytime a goat is "off", but no sure signs of a problem to "fix", I go heavy with the supportives. Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Probiotics or live active-culture yogurt.

[LoneStrChic23]

Why just her though? Why not the others?

Why the frantic dash across the pen multiple times for no obvious reason?

For the flies what else should I do?? I've even taken to using the kitty litter scoop in the barn to get what the rake leaves behind. Use Sweet PDZ too.... The fly sprays says its for various flies, gnats & mosquitos... I didn't want to go overboard with it, hence the once a week application. I'm torn between using more frequently or not using at all to see if it helps...

The grain thing could be possible though!.... I will check in the morning...she usually burries her nose in her grain.

[LoneStrChic23]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Anytime a goat is "off", but no sure signs of a problem to "fix", I go heavy with the supportives. Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Probiotics or live active-culture yogurt.

I have everything but the Probiotics....will start those in the morning. I have goat milk keifer....could I offer that instead of yogurt (if she'll try the stuff). It's made with her milk.

[ozark_jewels]

I like QuikBayt better than sprays because its just a pellet that sits there and draws flies to itself and kills them when they eat. Its *very* effective. Farm stores carry it. I hang a container up high in the barn with QuikBayt in it. Clean the flies out every evening. Doesn't matter how good your barn hygene is, with all the rain and now this sudden heat. Fly population has exploded.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by LoneStrChic23

I have everything but the Probiotics....will start those in the morning. I have goat milk keifer....could I offer that instead of yogurt (if she'll try the stuff). It's made with her milk.

Sure! That will work.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I'm doing the fly predators and QuikBayt.

Some goats are more sensitive and jittery about flies than others. It's a goat personality thing.

[LoneStrChic23]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

I'm doing the fly predators and QuikBayt.

Some goats are more sensitive and jittery about flies than others. It's a goat personality thing.

LOL! I do hope that is it! She is so calm, so mellow & its scary to see to such a drastic change without an explanation. My husband says I'm paranoid.... I sat out there for over an hour after milking to watch her & the longer I watched the more worked up I got.

I'll go hit her with all the good stuff in the morning & call around to see who has Quickbatye.

I tried fly predators last year for my rabbit room & I think the fire ants killed them. So I hope the Quickbayte will work for me. I'm looking into ant killers I can use safely in the pen just in case..Thinking I'll have to setup a temporary pen to safely treat for ants though....

Why, oh why do goats have to go to such lengths to drive us crazy & worry us so much???

[thaiblue12]

It is like when your car makes a noise and you try to get someone else to hear it and they don't. Since I drive in my car everyday I notice an off noise right away.
Go with your gut.

If you have one of those snot suckers ( I forget the right name** lol) see if you can suck the snot out for relief and if there is anything in there you may get it out. Vitamin C can't hurt either. I have also given them when horribly windy and they get a runny nose, some kids mucus relief, they like it and it helps.

I used Cylence this year and so far it seems to be keeping the flies off them. I am hoping it keeps the mosquitoes away as well. The ants got to the fly predators last year


** Nasal bulb syrigine, woot I finally remembered the name for it it was on the tip of me brain making me nuts.

[Laverne]

http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=8757.0 Sounds like a pasturella overgrowth being white. Windy weather can bring on a runny nose but I'd watch it and monitor temperatures with the white color snot.

[motdaugrnds]

Since she buries her nose into her grain, I would suspect something up her nose.

As for flies, I have used "fly predators" for years and would not do without it. We have had few flies since starting this.

[CarolT]

White snot means irritation, like allergies or grain, not infection. If you've ever got something up your nose, think how it tickles... She can't do anything about the tickle, so tries to run away from it. Be careful you don't push it on into her sinuses with the bulb. Is she sneezing? Look up her nose and see if you see a blade of grass or seed? JMHO

[Laverne]

Here's a good thread on white snot. http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=7309.0

[LoneStrChic23]

So... I've assaulted Sabrina with a bit of everything....

Gave Bo-Se.
Dewormed with Ivermectin Plus
Probiotics in the form of goat's milk kefir
Vitamin C
B Vitamin Complex
Benadryl

Still no temp, so I'm leary of giving antibiotics without a temp....

I the midst of this dosing spree, she sneezed all over me.....snot is now clear, though very dusty.....and as gross as it sounds, it's salty That will teach me to hold a mouth full of syringes while in the face of a snotty goat!

[Backfourty,MI.]

I don't like to give antibiotics either unless I know for sure they need them.

I too like the Cylence for flies, etc. If you don't have that my sister & I were just talking about Listerine for mosquito repellant. I know I use something else from TSC but some folks said if your milking your does' not to use the stuff I mentioned.
Wonder if Listerine with a little water sprayed on the goats would take care of mosquitos & flies & also may be cheaper.

The stomping & running does sound like flies, mosquitos or something like that is bothering her.
If her runny nose still continues & no fever, I'd try liquid Dimetapp or Benedry on her & see if that doesn't clear it up. Like for allergies.

[LoneStrChic23]

I made her a "cocktail" this evening.....One packet of "Airborne", 12oz of water & her dose of childrens benadryl....My gosh she was in hog heaven!!. Slurped it all up & licked the bowl clean.

Sprayed her legs/belly down well with the Bronco fly/gnat/mosquito spray & the stomping isn't as bad...

Listerine mix doesn't work. I use the Bronco spray but I cover her udder with a folded towel when I spray, I spray after milking or mid day, not directly before milking, and prior to milking I use a sprat bottle to drench her udder until dripping & dry with a clean towel....Not worried about the bug spray, but until the bugs go down, I will need to use it more often than I have been.

Bought some Quickbayte & am going to clean the barn tomorrow morning & have huuby help me hang it up high.....hopefully it helps. I love the idea of Fly Predators, but with our ants it's a waste of money. Tried them last year & had no luck what so ever....My friend had the same luck with them in her horse barn too so it's not something that works for us.....stupid fire ants!

I wish I could set my chickens loose...... the boys are in a smaller pen, the chickens run their pen, but flutes are barely noticeable there....Hopefully once we finish fencing the chickens may help out in the girls area too.

[Alice In TX/MO]

QuikBayt comes in several forms, and I had to try several before I settled on one. Well, actually, two.

The pink granules that you sprinkle out are WONDERFUL! You can put them where the flies congregate, like on the step into the milk house, and watch the flies die while you milk. The stuff is *almost* instantaneous! Then, I sprinkle a bit around where the goats lounge.

Some folks put an empty feed sack, flattened, in an out of the way place in the milk house or feed room, let it get covered with little fly carcasses, and then toss it out every few days.

The white powder that you mix and put in a spray bottle is fine for spraying on concrete, etc., but I found in humid climates that the spots where I sprayed it on walls got MILDEW! YUK!

The little hanging up packets work, but they aren't as entertaining, and I think that's the most expensive form of the product.

[southerngurl]

I use Equisect fly spray. It's natural so I can use as needed and it works quite well. I just love that stuff. It kills flies on contact which is soooo satisfying. You can also use it on your dogs/cats etc. And I use it on myself too for ticks.

I'm thinking I can probably dilute it by half and add a little peppermint oil to save some money. I haven't tried it yet.

We use fly predators but this year has been so wet they aren't keeping up with them entirely. I can only imagine what they would be like without the predators! Now that "drought's on" as my dad said, we'll probably be just about fly free in a couple more weeks.

[julieq]

We had an Alpine doe that was acting weird, frothing at the mouth, spitting up food and gagging. Finally had to take her to the vet, who put her under general and did a thorough examination of her mouth and throat. Yep, she had a piece of chaff stuck down in her gum line and that's all it was.

We live next to a mega feed lot type cow dairy, so nothing seems to work for the flies. It's been colder this spring than usual so we haven't got them too bad yet. Our horses stomp and run with biting flies. We've been told to hang box fans in the horse stalls and barn, and let them blow right on the animals and that will help keep the flies away. Hope it works and gives them a place to have some relief. The box fans really won't be that expensive as compared to all the fly spray and ointment we usually purchase each year.