Homesteading Forum banner

EMERGENCY QUESTION!How long does it take for Azalea poisening to show symptoms?

11K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  Goat Freak 
#1 ·
2 days ago our goats got into the azalea bushes, how long would it be before they started to show symptoms, one of our little ones is now sick. I know you are supposed to give charcoal, but what kind, not the kind for the grill right, and how do I give it to her, just force her to eat it? Please Help. Bye.
 
#2 ·
You give activated charcoal. It comes in a tube like Probios does. You administer it the same way, according to the instructions on the tube. You buy it at the feed store or get it from the vet. If a goat gets into azaleas, I wouldn't wait for symptoms to occur. By then, damage can be done. I'd treat all the goats who got into the plants ASAP. Good luck with the goats.
 
#3 ·
For poisoning, give activated charcoal. You can buy it in a tube like probias or I buy it in by the lb. from the bulk herb company, mix it with enough mineral oil to make a liquid that I can suck up into a syringe, and syringe it to them. Its much cheaper this way. Its something I always keep on hand.
 
#5 ·
You can also get activated charcoal at the grocery or drug store. I have a poison treatment kit which includes the charcoal and ipecac syrup. I found it in with the first-aid stuff. I keep it on hand for my human kids.

Good luck... I have my fingers crossed for you...

Jennifer
 
#6 ·
If this was 2 days ago, I doubt if they ate enough leaves to be toxic. Signs of poisoning usually occur within hours. They would have shown signs of poisoning rather quickly. To be on the safe side, I'd still give activated charcoal (it won't hurt) and ALWAYS keep some on hand.....particularly if you don't plan on getting rid of the azaleas. However, digging them up and disposing of them and any other poisonous shrubs you have is what I would recommend, because if your goats get out again, they may eat enough of the bushes the next time to be fatal. JMO
 
#8 ·
Thank you all, we got an antidote fomula from another thread, and we have been giving it to her since we made it. She is now doing much better, the jerking is gone, as is the constant baaing, she is very weak, but I am practiclly positive that unless something else happens, she's going to make it. The azaelas are now dug up and with my grandmother, who has no goats. Thanks again, bye.
 
#13 ·
Goat Freak: I'm sorry for your loss. You tried your best. I'm glad you gave your azaleas to your grandmother, far away from the goats. I have 2 azaleas we got before we got our goats, and now I know I'm going to give them away, too. I learned a lesson through your experience. I'm just sorry you had to go through it.
- Kathy
 
#15 ·
So sorry for your loss. I had wanted azaleas for years and finally got 4 plants to grow. I had them in my yard for about 3 years and they were beautiful. I was sure it was safe because my goats do not come into my yard. Somehow, :shrug: , one of the goats managed to open the gate to the yard. (Never say never) I was cooking supper, looked out the window and there were 9 goats in my yard munching on all of my flowers and there was one over at the azaleas just eating like crazy. Just by looking at the plant it didn't look like she had nibbled but just a few leaves so I hussled them out of the yard and the next morning, she was very sick, weak, wouldn't eat, ears flopped down, and was frothing at the mouth. She did pull through with treatment, but needless to say those plants were dug up and carried to a neighbor who has no animals.
 
#16 ·
Glad to hear that your girl ended up ok. Ours would have made it, but she was just a kid, and she was so weak after the treatment that she just didn't make it. Glad to hear that your azaleas are gone, now I check if something can hurt our goats before I plant anything, my mom's done planting so I don't have to worry about that at least. See ya, bye.
 
#19 ·
My son and dh often bring home cedar brush for the goats from landscaping jobs they perform. One day I came home and there was a pile of azalea branches in the driveway and on the truck!

I quickly questioned them to find out if they had given some to the goats. Thankfully, they hadn't! I tried very hard to get across to them to check with me before giving the goats ANYTHING!

I am so sorry your little one didn't make it, Goat Freak! You are having a rough time of it, aren't you?
 
#20 ·
I would assume that the activated charcoal sold in pet stores (possibly in larger convenience stores too) is also suitable for poison treatment.
 
#22 ·
Have you checked with a vet? if I was experiencing anything of a recurring nature I would make sure my herd was tested for CAE/Johnes? I know the azalea thing was a case of bad luck but I noticed that you lost a buckling who was just doing poorly. That's the kind of thing that I would want to look into closely if I were you. If your animals are already tested Neg, then I'd have some fecals done to see if there is something there bringing their condition down so they succomb to illness.

Good luck to you.

Lynn in Mesa County, CO
 
#24 ·
I think CAE/Johnnes is a blood test. You can call a large animal vet and ask them what kind of tubes to collect the blood in, then do the blood draw yourself. You can get tubes from any small animal vet. The only tricky part is the courier to get the blood to the lab. The tests are a bit pricey for just one goat. CAE here is around $30 for the first goat, and only around $7 or so for any more goats. Johnnes, I think, is comparable.

Your problems don't sound much like CAE, though. Especially the buck sound a lot more like worms (and fecals have been covered pretty thoroughly in other posts) or Johnnes, or quite possibly a mineral deficiency causing general lack of vigor and susceptibility to disease in your herd. I guess I'd get the results on the fecals before spending the money on the Johnnes testing. The Johnnes tests seem to be a little unreliable, too, from what I've heard.

Are you feeding a good mineral? Can you call a large animal vet and see whether, for example, animals in your area seem to be a little copper deficient? Trouble is, unless it's a specialized and knowledgeable goat vet (and all goat vets are NOT knowledgeable), they won't know what copper deficiency in goats looks like. Here's a very good page with information on copper deficiency. http://www.saanendoah.com/copper1.html . I hope you can get this figured out. It's got to be tough to keep losing animals you love. Take care.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top