[chris30523]

I have a doe who was due aug 15 or there about. I thought she had diarrhea for the last couple of days but turns out it was a miscarriage.Or can diarrhea cause miscarriage??I found the little buckling he was 3 or 4 weeks early. Don't know why she miscarried he looked fine and weighed about 6 lbs. He would have been registered boer.When I say looked fine He was well formed but all white with blue eyes?? Can goats have a lethal white gene like horses?? If they do I am just wondering if I should breed her to the same buck again. She has minimal color a red ear and red eye patch the buck is a traditional.

 

[Jim S.]

Yes, stuff that causes diarrhea can cause a miscarriage. Lots of stuff. Chlamidia is one organism. So is camphyobacter. Each has diarrhea as a symptom. (I think I spelled them right, you might esearch them on the Net.) It happens in cows, too. She may have been so sick she couldn't go to term, her body had to get rid of the kid to survive. I have seen that in a neighbor's herd. That doe delivered close enough for them to be viable. My SIL took one of those kids as a bottle baby, but the mama and the other kid wound up dying.

Sounds like it was either genetic or an illness. I'd think about antibiotics in this case for the doe. The only way to know if it was a one-off deal is to breed her back again to the same buck. You may or may not want to take that roll of the dice.

If it is infectious, it can cause a bloom in the herd. It does in cattle, too. So keep your eyes peeled.

 

[Jim S.]

Nope, I didn't spell 'em right...but I found this for ya:

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

 

[chris30523]

great web site Jim .I hadn't seen that one. I think by the description we may have campylobacter.I knew what you were spelling but I am glad you gave the link.(microbiology was my major) I have seperated her from the herd. She was the only one pregnant in that pasture. Have you ever seen a solid white Boer?? with blue eyes ? It may have been genetic also. I have found quite alot on goat color genetics but nothing on abnormal coloring. He would have been an unusual looking goat.

 

[QueenB04]

I have to agree with Jim in saying most likely campylobacter. Isolation and vaccination are key right now. Sorry you lost the kid. I have not seen a white boer before, but dilution can occur in any animal. We mainly worked with two local angora herds, so can't tell you genetic specifics on boers.

Jim: That is a great site.

 

[Jim S.]

Yep, I have seen a white boer, and the blue eyes could be double-recessive genes from non-boer stock. It is possible to have papered animals that are not all boer, depending on breed association, and both conditions could result from that.

There are bizarre possible genetic things that happen with goats that there is just too little research to understand. One woman I read about, her boers were dropping healthy, alive kids with no legs that they had to euthanize. Could have been environment or genetics, either one.

 

[Milk n' Honey]

Oh Jim....no legs?? That just about made me lose my supper. I know they consider blue eyes to be a flaw, if you are showing. It is the same with the solid white. If these are fullbloods and colored, I'd say that is very weird. I'm sure Jim is probably right about the double-recessive genes. I thought I'd mention, be very careful about handling aborted fetuses. Chlamydia is contagious to humans and other goats through aborted tissue and exude. The discharge will be contagious for a couple of weeks so keep her contained. Clean up and burn everything that has her body fluids on it, just in case it is that. I don't know much about camphylobacter. I'd probably breed her again and see what happens. If she has something contagious, your buck has already gotten it from her or she could have gotten it from him. Either way, it won't matter to breed her with him again. There is a salve you can use to wash the buck's penis. I think it is Nolvosan...yep, found it. I think Vicki is the one who told me about this. She uses it on her buck before he breeds anyone. Here is what the sales ad says about it.....

Nolvasan Disinfectant

Nolvasan (chlorhexidine diacetate), the only EPA-registered chlorhexidine disinfectant, works against at least 60 different bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and viruses. Nolvasan is non-corrosive, has minimal to no skin irritation, and retains antimicrobial activity in the presence of organic matter. Nolvasan’s unique binding to skin proteins provides residual activity for as long as 2 days. SCENTED

I think she said she uses it on a new buck or before he breeds a new doe. You actually have to pull back the skin to apply it. Yuck, I know!! I haven't tried this. It is probably a good idea if you've had problems though. Sorry you lost the kid.

 

[Lizzieag]

We had a solid white boer female and when bred last time (to a standard boer) one of her kids was white, with the faintest cream color across the forehead and blue eyes. He looked almost creepy. Perfectly formed and really healthy. The mama didn't like him, but did like her two normally colored kids. So weird.

Anyway, I am sorry about your little buckling. My guess it that it was illness and not genetics. It would be extremely unlikely for the doe to have diarrhea preceding a miscarriage if genetics is the reason. Genetic miscarriages typically have no real signs or symptoms. They just suddenly happen.

So I would say treat your doe and then give her another chance with that buck. Has she had kids before?

 

[chris30523]

No this was her first.I let the vet have the kid. He was going to send it to the local vet school and will let me know what they find. He said it won't cost me cause they don't get much wierd goat stuff to work on there.Most people treat there own or won't spend the money. So we will see. All other goats from this buck delivered fine. This girl is also a 3rd. generation to this farm so I don't know where she would have gotten something .I did bring in 2 new girls last year but the ydelivered fine.

 

[chris30523]

On the blue eyes.The buck is DNA tested SA (not to say there might not be blue eyes in the SA woodpile) the dam is an American Boer.She is 100% her sire was red and dam was chocolate brown but she came out mostly white with a red ear and eye spot.Dam though is the one who"faints" when you try to trim her hooves.Hmmmm

 

[Jim S.]

...the dam is an American Boer.

Case of the blue eyes now closed. ABGA will paper percentages! Is she an American Purebred, or a Percentage? Both are less than 100%.

 

[chris30523]

According to that color genetics web site two brown eyed goats cannot have a blue eyed goat. I would have to beg to differ with them on that. I will be interested to see what UGA says.

 

[Jim S.]

Ahem, two brown-eyed people can have a blue-eyed kid. Blue is a recessive. See Example 4:

http://www.athro.com/evo/gen/eyecols.html

 

[midkiffsjoy]

I dont remember the name of the bacteria but I was told by an A&M prof at the international goat research center that kittens carry a bacteria that can cause does to abort.

Just one more reason I choose chickens and ducks over cats for my mouse/insect/rat/snake control on the farm!!!!

I'm sorry you lost your kid!!! I lost one this spring. Stomped to death by a doe who had lost one of hers (mom's doe). heck if I wasnt ticked. pout.