Buck not eating

[Cashewnut]

I've searched this goat forum before and again now, but I am having a difficult time getting any information on this problem. I hesitate to post this but I do not know what else to do.

I have a 2 year old Boer buck who has slowly decreased his eating. He was doing fine, is confined to a roomy run, gets free feed coastal and a cup of mix alfalfa pellets and goat pellets. I also get hackberry browse for everyone and he was eating it until 10 days ago. I have 3 other males (1 buck and 2 wethers) confined in the pen next to his and they eat exactly the same as he.

He is getting thinner now, eating only a little alfalfa hay.

I have already gone through this with another goat and she died after spending a lot of money for two vet visits and two totes worth of supplies, not counting the time, effort and worry.

I have read up on Fiasco, Tenn Meat goats and this forum and there isn't any answers I can find that relates to a loss of appetite specifically.

He has been wormed, BoSe, CD&T, B12, hooves trimmed and checked.
He doesn't have a temp and drinks water fine, pees fine, but I haven't seen his poo in a few days. He hasn't scoured. Eyes are fine too.

I need to find more reading to see what else I can do before I try and haul him to the vets (who doesn't seem to know other than the basics about goats). Information on what else I need to look for or check or give in the way of medicines, tests, etc.

I have had him over 10 months and he has never had any problems before, he is in rut now, but I am fairly sure that isn't the problem. He's not wild but he isn't tame either, so I need to do every thing to him at the same time if possible.

Any comments and information would be greatly welcomed and appreciated.
He is a beautiful Boer buck from registered enobled parents, weights over 200 or he used to be and I really do not want to lose another expensive goat.

Thank you for reading.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Fecal test to make sure your dewormer worked and to be sure he doesn't have coccidia.

Is he going bonkers flirting with the girls? Some bucks do forget to eat during the rut.

[Cashewnut]

Will try to find some fresh poo pellets and get them to the vets today if possible. Thank you.

[Backfourty,MI.]

Also what did you worm him with & how much?
I know in rut & at his size it's hard but a temperature would be helpful too, might tell if there's any infection or pneumonia(doesn't have to have snotty nose) maybe. Just thinking in rut when they are acting a little crazy & not eating as good that he may become run down & therefore pick something up.

I would also be giving him a big glob of probios paste daily & keep up on the vitamin B complex daily if you can as well.

Does he have access to loose minerals & baking soda?

[momagoat61]

I'm with Alice on this one... If you are where you can't get a fecal I would give him a cocktail wormer three's days straight and I would start coccida treatment and continue that for five to 8 days.The coccida treatment isn't going to hurt him one bit and could possibly save his life if thats the problem and its a very good possibility that is the problem. Cydectin, Valbazen, quest are great wormers but the best wormer I have found in the past year, year and 1/2 is Prohibit. I have seen amazing rults with it and I have owned and tended to goats daily for the last 20 years and I have used ever wormer there is and Prohibit WORKS.. I have to control Barber Pole Worms, thats just a fact in the south as I said i have had goats for 20 years and my goats have to graze and do graze because after 20 years I have no browsing left, none. But I have to worm reg and I have been using capsure bolous for years and that also helps.. I bolous 4 times ayear, minerals out 24/7 with 2400ppm of copper the highest I can find here in middle tenn. I currently have 7 goats and when these 7 are gone I'm DONE, FINISHED out of the goat business for ever. I could retire 2 to 3 years earlier for what I have spend on goats in the last 20 years.. I never intended to make a dime on them, raised them as pets only and pets for life is what they have been.. Its been the most enjoyable, happiest, and the sadest adventure of my life... Cashewnut remember to treat adgressive don't skip treatments, Coccidia kills just as many older goats as it does young kids and Barber Pole Worms are killers and I see it over and over on the forum.

[ozark_jewels]

No real symptoms, just very diminished appetite, I always suspect walking pnuemonia. Especially this time of year. They do NOT have to have coughs, snotty discharge or even a temperature. If he were mine I'd likely try a three-day round of Nuflor(6 ccs per hundred lbs) and Banamine(1-2 ccs per hundred lbs). With supportives of course, vitamin b, vitamin c, probiotics, etc.
Worms are not unlikely either. Hard to say without being there.

[Cashewnut]

I have been spending the past hour or so reading up on coccidiosis. How depressing this seems. I am going to the vets in the morning with the fecal sample so I will have the information needed to try and treat.

I treated him with 20 cc of Valbazen for the wormer and will get a different wormer if he still has worms. All the goats have Right Now Onyx for the loose mineral; however, the girls will go down to the barn to sample the protein tub and loose mineral I feed the cows, but not everyday.
Looks like I need to have Nuflur on hand and will try and that tomorrow too.
On hand is dimethox 12.5% liquid and dry form and will get some Sulmet, if available, from either from the vets or TSC. I will ask the vet about the Prohibit to have that on hand for future use.

The goats in three sections at this time. The Boer buck is in a run with some shelter; a buckling, a yearling buck and two wethers are in the other part of the run; lastly the girls and kids have a fenced in 5 acres to roam with forays out in the pasture for browse most days. The 2 LGD's are with the girls. All are adjoining with only a fence between all of them.

If I treat them all, there are 20, do I treat them all at the same time?
Can I put the dimethox in the water with the dogs? I could not find any information about that anywhere about that.

We live in northcentral Texas in the heart of mesquite range land and have so many extremes, I am surprised my goats haven't had more problems.
My first year with goats went much easier than the second is turning out to be. Losing my first goat was much harder than I thought it would be.

The buck will be treated with the dimethox first thing in the morning along with the vit shots and will try and get a bolus of copper in him. Will ask about the walking pneumonia and see if he can be treated for both conditions if he tests positive for coccidia.

Thank you Alice, Emily, mamagoat and backforty for your replies.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I do not like to treat for coccidosis in their water. You never know how much they get or if they are even getting enough.
I would give him the Di-Methox liquid orally but since your taking a fecal in today wait & see what the vet says first.
Nuflor is a RX only from the vet so might want to ask for that since you'll be there to have on hand & do a 3 day round of treatment like Emily said. Especially if his fecal shows no excess of worms load.
I would still keep up on the Fortified Vitamin B & Probios paste too.
Let us know what the vet says.

[Goat Servant]

Yes big globs of probious & continue B complex. My boy was looking pretty run down too. He wasnt even in rut. Records showed he hadnt been wormed in almost a year. If he had it wasnt written down.
Had vet out, there was no poop whre he usually hangs out.
She tubed him with electrolytes & a mixture of something I cant remember. She thumped rumen & it was sloshy. She feared rupture. Insertion of needle , no fluid only air. Got banamine.
My fear was pneumonia (have never dealt with it)
Fecal showed moderate strongyles. He also had snotty nose & wasnt eating or drinking much.
He also got a few days of thiamine.
Hope your boy improves!

[ozark_jewels]

Banamine is an RX also and important to have around. Should always be given when treating pnuemonia to keep scarring of the lungs from happening. Very important to achieve full recovery. If you don't have any, might pick some up while you are at the vets. Good luck!

[Cashewnut]

Just got back from the vets a few minutes ago. He was negative for coccidia AND worms (asked about barberpole specifically). So I asked the vet about the buck having pneumonia, he asked if the buck was coughing, wheezing, snotty nose, temp etc, I said no, there aren't any of those symptoms. His temp was 102.7 and the vet said he didn't think it was pneumonia and said that I would need to bring him in before he would give me any stronger antibiotics. The vet said if I wanted to treat the buck with antibiotics, then give him the long acting pen g and dose him with probios for a week or so.

Thank you Backfourty,Goat Servant, and ozark_jewels for your suggestions.

I have banamine so will give him a shot of that for 3 days, a vit b complex and thiamine shot for 7 days, pen g for 7 days, probios in 2 forms for 10 days and I will see if he will drink a mix of orange gatorade with some probios in that too. The vet suggested that I do not treat any of the goats for coccidia, sooo... will read again on prevention and go from there.

Thanks again everyone and keeping my fingers crossed that he will get better.


As a side note, I still smell so bad after holding the buck yesterday and today that I can't hardly stand it even after two showers and scrubbing... has anyone a remedy to remove bucky odors? It seems like the odor permeates into the skin and the smell oozes out of all my pores and my exhaled breaths. Geezz

[Goat Servant]

Well that sounds like decent news! I drenched with electrolytes for a couple of days.
My guy had normal amount of cocci. Im thinking it was cause he just hadnt eaten much hay or drank much water for a few days. I had just weaned him off what little grain (with coccistat) he had been getting all winter.
Goat soap supposedly takes out buck aroma. Can pm you info if you want.