Help! Scours!

[glasshousegoats]

One of our 9 month old boer bucklings has had scours for the past 3 weeks. When we first noticed it we treated the whole herd with Corid in their drinking water for 5 days and dewormed any goats that were pale or showing signs of worms.

He started to dry up a little bit but then got muddy again. We separated him from his herd and started keeping him in a stall in our sick bay area. He hadn't been eating the week prior to us bringing him up but he was grazing.

Now we are going on week 4. His eyes are about a 3 or 4 if you use the anemia color chart, he is eating chow, grazing, and drinking. But his butt is still wet. We have seen him poop and it is straight liquid.

Here is everything we've tried in the past 4 weeks:
Day 1: dewormed with Cydectin and Valbazen and given 5 day corid water
Day 7: Hay, Purina noble goat & alfalfa pellets with diotomaceaus earth
Week 2: dewormed again with cydectin and valbazen, same feeding regimen as above.
Week 3: Hit with kaopectate for 3 days, probios, normal feed regimen
Day 26: Dewormed again, feed ration normal with added dry oats
Day 29(today): normal feed ration with sweet feed, beet pulp, and oats.

He is out grazing, drinking, and eating feed. We just don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

Has anyone ever had this happen to them?

Please help!

[CaliannG]

Dose Corid directly, via syringe, into them. If you put it in water, the goats just drink less water until the active ingredients in the Corid have outgassed from their drinking water.

Goats can NEVER be trusted to self-medicate on wormers or coccidiastats, because the stuff tastes nasty to them. They will go thirsty and drink the bare minimum (which is NOT enough to treat the problem) until their water tastes better to them.

Dose him directly, via syringe, with your Corid for a full 5 day program.

Or better yet, get Baycox (Toltrazuril) and give them all a single dose, which will take care of coccidia.

For the future, remember that no one told the *goats*, in a way that they can understand, that the nasty-tasting water/pellets/granules/whatever medication is being used, is for their own good and that they should take their medicine so that they can grow up big and strong. Therefore, why should they drink/eat the yucky stuff? When it comes to medicine, like toddlers, we have to force it down them, else they will not get it.

I hope this helps some.

[Dreamgoat Annie]

That's a long time to be scoured.

Our small animal vet recommends Marquis (ponazuril) for cocci prevention. We've been using it 3 years. I was dubious at first since it was actually developed to treat EPM in horses and he's not a very good sheep/goat vet, but it's fantastic stuff. One dose does the trick and we aren't pushing Albon tablets down their throats day after day, which sure saves lacerated fingers. Works well for both kids and lambs.

Hope your little guy gets better soon.

Sue

[Backfourty,MI.]

I agree with caliann & Dreamgoat Annie & treat him for a full 5 days for Cocci. If Corid is what you have then I'd use that but make sure you get an accurate weight or go a little high on dosage so you know your giving enough.