Intro & a few questions

heatherette · #1 07/29/11, 10:36 PM

Hi! I'm Heather. I'm somewhat new to caring for our goats. I lived here with them for 4 years, and then moved away for a few. My friend passed away in April and so I moved back. We've been muddling through. We have 2 and while I've known them a long time, I was never responsible for them, I just helped out and pet them a lot. I am interested in getting Sazzle pregnant for milk, and because her buddy Suzie isn't feeling so hot these days and I don't want to end up with out a pal for Sazzle. They are fainters. I'm pretty sure I can find someone local to breed with, can anyone direct me to a list of stuff to ask about? or a good book on dairy goats? All the ones I've found were about meat goats. I imagine fainters aren't the top pick for milking but Sazzle is so easy going and I'm not worried about how much milk I'll get.

On to Suzie - She has a lump on the side of her neck that is new and has grown pretty fast. It doesn't make her flinch or pull away when I feel around. It is making her snuffley sounding, like a pig. She had a fever in May, but it was gone after about a day. I didn't feel a lump then. She is also lame, her front leg looks like it's out of socket, but it got that way gradually after she turned 6 months old. Any ideas of what to do for her? There aren't any vets around that have a clue, and I also haven't got much budget. Both my girls are about 7 years old.

I've been wanting to post for awhile, I hope to enjoy chatting with you all.

Oh, and I have 2 human babies, Harriet 11, and Crispin 9, a Fiance Tom, 9 chickens that are a few months old, and a great mouser Beauregard who just showed up a few weeks after we moved in. He follows Tom around like a dog would.

Backfourty,MI. · #2 07/29/11, 11:04 PM

I don't want to scare you but have you read the stickey at the top of the goat forum about CL & CAE? I would definately have the liquid in Suzie's lump tested before I brought any new goat onto the property.

I know you said you don't have the funds right now but really not a good idea to get new goats if your not sure what's going on with the 2 you have right now. You would be taking a cjance on infecting any new animals you get as well.

I do want to welcome you to the forum too, We love having our goats. They are alot of fun & can't imagine life without them.
Lots of great folks here & always someone willing to help with everything.
I hope your girls don't have CL &/or CAE but withour testing it would be hard to tell.
Might be better to start with a couple tested & healthy new goats.

Donna1982 · #3 07/30/11, 12:52 AM

Wanted to say welcome to the forum and to goats owning you.

Also just wanted to add not many breeders (unless you buy a buck from them and not talk about your girl having a lump) would be willing to breed to her with the lump she has. So go have it checked out and make sure your girl is healthy before breeding her.

heatherette · #4 07/30/11, 11:37 AM

Sazzle is the one I wanted to breed, Suzie has the lump. I looked at pictures of the CL & CAE and it doesn't look at all like that. It's much more rounded, feels like a fatty lump on a dog.

Your point makes sense though. I've really been going back and forth about just putting her down... I'll see if I can get in touch with someone local who can just come look at her and see what they say.

heatherette · #5 07/30/11, 12:02 PM

Ok, I went and read through that sticky which was much more informative on the diseases themselves. That Onion site had some good explanations on different sorts of abscesses. This is much more solid feeling, lump vs abscess. it looks like it would either be lymph area or thyroid. But with her leg the way it is, I'm thinking the CAE fits the picture, except she walks on her knees half the time.

Matt kept their stall very clean until the last year when he was too sick and was relying on his friend. I didn't realize how incapacitated he'd been until we moved back up here. There were dogs here at one time and a pheasant and chickens. He took in anything that needed a home if he could afford to feed it.

I'm realizing how limited his knowledge was. He over fed these goats, oh my gosh I have never seen such fat goats! So I weaned them off the grain and daytime hay, they get a handful at night just to keep them in a schedule I guess?? but they are grazing now, whereas before the weeds were pretty out of control in the back yard.
Anyhow, I'll see if I can get in touch with someone and keep you posted.

Alice In TX/MO · #6 07/30/11, 12:12 PM

If you will post your location, maybe one of us is close.

heatherette · #7 07/30/11, 04:03 PM

I'm in Michigan, between Ludington and Muskegon

Backfourty,MI. · #8 07/30/11, 10:04 PM

Welcome fellow Michigander to the forum, although were on opposite sides of the state!

I didn't want to scare you but CL & CAE were the first things that I thought of when I read your post. There has to be someone close to you with some goat experience that would be willing to come look at your goats I hope, I wish I were closer but I don't have any experience with CL or CAE either. Although I sure hope they don't have either it's best to make sure before bringing any new stock home.

heatherette · #9 08/02/11, 09:56 AM

I talked to a local lady, and she suggested euthanizing her right away, cutting her open to look at her lungs and liver for lumps, and then burning her. Makes me want to cry. After that she said she would come over and help me do a blood draw on Sazzle so we can send it to a lab in California to test for CL.

Oat Bucket Farm · #10 08/02/11, 10:21 AM

I'm so sorry. Sometimes it is best, but it sure is heart breaking. However, before I put her down and cut her open, I would have the vet out to collect some of the gunk from the lump and have that tested, just to be sure.

Backfourty,MI. · #11 08/02/11, 09:02 PM

Oat Bucket farm is right, I would have a vet test the stuff from the lump before you put her down.
CL & CAE are nothing to fool with & you want to make sure you don't contaminate your soil or make any other livestock sick!
I am so sorry, it has to be heart breaking because I'm sure you love those little goats.

KrisD · #12 08/02/11, 09:16 PM

Welcome to the forum! Please do not put her down without doing the blood work, it isn't expensive to do (shipping is a different story though) and what if all she needed was some TLC or and antibiotic. Yes it could absolutely be CL or CAE but without blood work you won't know. If you euthanize her and then have her cut open only to find out she is fine you will feel terrible and she will be dead. If she is fine and is just lame or something then at least your other goat will have a friend. BOTH goats need testing first then you can go from there. Once you have your testing under way then you can look into breeding Sazzle.