Cato

petaddict · #1 10/29/13, 07:08 AM

I'll try to make this as short as I can. Two or three weeks ago I went to buy a 5 month buckling that I'd only seen pictures of (and pictures of his dam's and granddams udders) and was met by a tiny pitiful little guy (looks 2 months old, not 5) who was not in great health. I should have walked away but, being the sucker I am, I brought him home anyway. I'm not new to goats so I know better but had a weak moment.

Anyway, he's had a snotty nose and cough since he came here. I put Vicks vapo-rub on him for a week, hoping it was just a cold. No change. I tried penicillin for 4 days. When I saw no change I took him to the vet. I suspected he had pneumonia, which it was not. He has swollen glands in his neck and when you press on his neck he coughs. The vet gave him Nuflor which also seemed to have no affect. His temperature is normal, as is his pee and poop. He also has a good appetite.

Yesterday I gave him a dose of Bovi Sera and will give him another today. He just can't shake the "cold" symptoms and is not thriving. Even though he eats well he's not gaining weight that I can see. His eyes are bright pink so I don't suspect parasites, nor did the vet.

Any ideas?

Karen

myheaven · #2 10/29/13, 08:52 AM

Get aloe Vera pellets. It will boost his immune system. The organic farmers around here use them with great success. I started to use aloe caps for my family and I have noticed they work great.

Minelson · #3 10/29/13, 09:05 AM

Just throwing this out there...Has he ever been treated for lung worms? Only certain dewormers address those.

**mygoat** · #4 10/29/13, 09:10 AM

This is a nubian, correct? G6S history?

May be time for a culture. Is there a chest rattle? How are his poops? Some mycoplasmas cause symptoms similar. Infections don't *always* have a temp if they are more a chronic type infection. Snotty noses can also be from the animal going septic or if the infection has spread to different tissues. I'd begin monitoring temps to see if it's cycling in temp.

http://www.goatwisdom.com/ch8diseases/mycoplasma.html

petaddict · #5 10/29/13, 09:34 AM

Mygoat, G6S is very high on my list of suspicions. That is the next thing to test for. I hate drawing blood plus he's so tiny I hope I can see his vein. I should have had the vet do it while he was there.
Minelson, lungworm is very rare in my neck of the woods.
Snotty nose is gone today and I heard no coughing so maybe the Bovi Sera is helping that issue anyway.

**mygoat** · #6 10/29/13, 10:29 AM

Lungworm may be rare on your property but you can't speak for other properties. Since he's new, he could be carrying parasites that aren't usually found on your property.

You could always run a fecal.

Minelson · #7 10/29/13, 10:31 AM

My understanding is that lungworm won't show up in a fecal...is that true or false?

**mygoat** · #8 10/29/13, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minelson

My understanding is that lungworm won't show up in a fecal...is that true or false?

It can be hard to get out on a fecal and some processes are better than others... Sheep and Goat Medicine talks about it. A diagnostic center should be able to perform the different methods.

petaddict · #9 10/29/13, 01:16 PM

I didn't mean on my property. I meant in this part of VA. I've heard many vets at VA Tech speak on the subject of lungworms and parasites in general. They said it's rare to see lungworms here. I'm not saying it's not possible, just not common.

wintrrwolf · #10 10/29/13, 06:24 PM

It can be done with a fecal sample BUT you have to process it differently then the way you normally would, since lungworms does not show up doing a normal fecal test.

Mygoat is correct the 2 vet clinics I worked at we never performed fecal's for lungworm...not saying that a farm vet wouldn't know, though its the tech or assistant that runs the tests and vet reads the results....a diagnostic center would be best bet if you don't have the equipment.
BUT (i do like buts dont i) in fecal samples generally anything over 12 hours old you have less chance of seeing anything viable on slide, unless you can pack it to keep it cold during shipping.