Hardware disease?

shorty'smom · #1 02/28/05, 02:59 PM

If a goat swallows an object will it stay in their rumen like it will if a cow swallows it. I know that pieces of metal nails, wires, etc... will stay in a the stomachs of cattle and give them "hardware disease." Does this happen to goats? Uhmmmmmm What if a baby goat loosened the stone in my diamond ring and swallowed it?

shorty'smom · #2 02/28/05, 03:07 PM

Those little teeth are just like chisels, aren't they?

That baby was hungry! He wanted his bottle NOW!

Hey, I get a gallon of milk in one milking now. I got Rodeo Queen Saana to stand (shes greedy for that food). She gives a lot, but I don't take it all. Her babies are almost weaned, but not yet. Snowflake and I have worked through the mastitis. she's lots better. Dang, I had a time with that ToDay. Snowflakes arerture is NOT quite large enough for that tube to fit, for real! I must have gotten it in there though, I didn't see it anywhere else,and she got better. Harriet gives me about a quart in the morning and a cup in the evening. Honey still gives me just squirts. We are still endeavoring to persevere. Harriet gave just squirts at first. I have a little "mutt" doe who kidded and she has lots of milk, but I'm not sure how much. I left some for the kid. I've about concluded she may be mostly Togg. I don't know. I need to put up a pic comeplace and maybe somebody can tell me. I call her Pipi because her ears stick straight out like Pipi Longstocking's braids.

Jen H · #3 02/28/05, 03:42 PM

LOL, now I'm glad I have just a gold band!

Diamonds are just highly compressed carbon, so they're pretty inert. What might cause problems is if the diamond is really pointy - that could cause bleeding. When my goats have swallowed odd things they end up coming up with the cud and being spit out. There's one other normal way for that rock to come out, so you might watch the berries you're sweeping up for the next couple of days. Diamonds aren't cheap!

mpillow · #4 02/28/05, 06:01 PM

You'll definately have the richest compost/manure pile known to man or goat!

I dont wear my rings for this very reason...during chores/heavy work

shorty'smom · #5 02/28/05, 07:25 PM

I was just wondering if a vet could maybe put a tube down and get it. It isn't really that big a diamond, but it is marquis cut, so it could be sharp on the ends. Surely it will probably come out ok in the end (pun intended :-)

I couldn't do the little fellow in for it. I guess he can have it if he wants it so bad. You'd never believe how many baby chicks, baby people and whatnot , have chewed on that ring over the years. I'll just replace the stone. It is a pretty little sparklie (anniversary ring) that my finger sort of grew around, if you know what I mean. It was tough, but I finally got it off and put away. I dug out my little gold band and put it back into service.

billygoatridge · #6 02/28/05, 07:38 PM

You don't hear as much about hardware disease in goats as cows but I believe it does occur. We have had goats loose weight. If they continue to loose weight rapidly despite worming with a couple of wormers We give them a rumen magnet. A couple have improved right away after doing this. Although If it was just the diamond it ate, the magnet probably wouldn't work. That's what I would call an expensive goat,lol.

shorty'smom · #7 02/28/05, 08:01 PM

Expensive and a pain in the rear. I'm talking about Shorty. He thinks I'm his. He is about to be weaned from me but he's driving me bananas, always underfoot. He cries so pitifully when he has to stay in the barn with all the other goats and not be with me. It's not the loud "feed ne now" cry. It's just a low whimper type thing. It pulls at the heart, but he's still driving me bananas. His mother is half boer, half saanen and he is 75% boer. He's really muscled and formed nicely, growing out well. I've had to buy milk replacer for him most exclusively (the other babies get milk from other does) so he's been expensive to raise. His coloration is just a tad light, but stilltypical boer coloration. I'm going to try to sell him as a herd sire for somebody who wants him for meat production. I pity the person though. He's a bit too tame. I can't imagine he and I when he weighs 250 pounds.

Jen H · #8 02/28/05, 08:33 PM

The problem with getting the diamond out through a tube is I don't think diamonds stick to anything. I think they'd have to suck everything out and sort through it to find the stone.

It'd be a whole lot easier if he was into washers or nickels or something. But no, he's a goat, he has a reputation to maintain.

shorty'smom · #9 03/01/05, 11:17 AM

I'll buy that.