Aaarrgghhh! The Lost Copper Boluses

[nehimama]

A few weeks back, someone asked me to post photos of Tall Tale and Hershey's Kiss, the two lovely LaMancha does I'd gotten from Oat Bucket Farm back in June.

I was way too embarrassed to do that, because Hershey looks like CARP! I noticed her coat getting orangey earlier this summer, and so administered a copper bolus. Usually get results in about two weeks.

A month later, she STILL looked like she'd had a bad perm and lots of orange in her once-lovely black coat. So. I administered another bolus. Still no results.

On Sep 10, I gave her yet ANOTHER bolus. On Sep 20, I found that spit-out bolus under the milkstand! Re-administered it right then & there, and WATCHED this time to make sure she truly swallowed it! I am POSITIVE it went down this time.

This morning, I found a different copper bolus under the milkstand. Must've been July's bolus, or August's bolus.

No wonder Hershey looks so awful!

I'll post photos soon as she starts showing results from the Sept 20 bolus.

*sigh* Goats, huh?

[Alice In TX/MO]

Shove a peanut butter cracker in their mouths right after the bolus. SOMETIMES that helps.

[nehimama]

I shoved the bolus down BEFORE letting her at the grain on the milkstand. It worked!

[pookshollow]

I have a dosing syringe full of water ready when I copper bolus. Shove the bolus down, then follow up with the water! Seems to work fairly well.

Mine don't like peanut butter, and it's hard to hide a bolus in a banana peel.

[southerngurl]

I finally figured out how far to cram that dang bolus gun back there and it is just about the whole lenght of the gun. If you get it where it's supposed to be, they don't get them back up.

[Oat Bucket Farm]

LOL, that's funny because when they were here, it was Tally who was the master spitter outer. Hershey does need a little more copper it seemed than Tally did. I can't wait to see pics of them.

[Donna1982]

I am fixing to dose mine. Scared yo death to do it. Has anyone had one get stuck in their throat?

[eclipchic]

I've had really good luck with marshmallows hiding the bolus so far. I just start her off with a few to get her really interested and she practically inhales the copper filled ones

[Pony]

Once I figured out that they wouldn't choke to death if I got the boluser in the right place, it's pretty much a cake walk. Takes practice.

And raisins. Once they're eating the raisins, I know the bolus made it down.

We just did the copper thing this past Saturday. It was "spa day" and also vaccs, bo-se, bolus, the whole kit and caboodle.

I thank God for a husband who is willing to trim hooves. He does an incredible job - far better than I was doing - and he is just so good with the animals. AND he holds them while I inject and bolus.

[francismilker]

I ended up opening my boluses up and pouring them on to some feed wet with molasses. It mixed in pretty well and they ate it without knowing it. Of course, the molasses flavored milk wasn't very pleasant the next day, but they got the copper.

[Heritagefarm]

Why not just give her a haircut? I've found that sometimes it's just the old hair that doesn't really want to get good-looking. Of course, with the cold weather, some fluff is good.