Need Advice my goat has a runny nose and cough

15786 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Pony, Apr 20, 2010

GreenWillowGal

Discussion Starter · Apr 20, 2010

Hi im a newbie here on homesteading, my hubby and I bought a 20 acre farm back in january so we could raise our kids on the farm just like we both grew up, we have been slowly adding animals and we picked up a bred nanny goat at an auction in march, shes supposed to be due in April here and last week she started acting funny hiding in the barn not wanting anyone to be around her and shes usually right there at the gate talking your ear off or following us around the yard like a dog. She has been so stand offish and we thought it was becaise it was getting close to her time, we put her in a seperate kidding pen with her pasture buddy a jacobs sheep ewe whos also due this month and keeps an eye out for her. Now today i went out to check on her and I noticed she has clear snot coming out from her nose, I tried checking her ligaments and noticed when i put my arm around her chest that she started coughing sounds like a dry flemy cough. She also seemed a bit warm and was panting earlier, i moved her in the shade and gave her some water. Its my first time with goats my husbands parents used to raise them years ago, his mom said its probably a cold, but Im wondering is there any antibiotic or vitamin/supplement I can treat with at home, im worried to stress her out with her being so close to kidding. any advice would be greatly apprieciated.

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AuntKitty

· #2 · Apr 20, 2010

I'm still kinda new to this goat thing too, but I'll answer to bump your question up until some of the more experienced people have a chance to post.

Is there fresh straw in the pen? Sometimes if the weather is wet and the straw isn't changed alot there will be an ammonia build up that causes lung problems. Lean down near the straw and take a good sniff. If it bothers you it is probably bothering them. What is her temp? You can take the temp with a regular digital thermometer. Normal temp for goats is 102.5 to 104. If she has a temp, then you might have something else going on like pneumonia. If she has a temp and no one else has posted yet - post again. With the doe being so close to kidding I don't feel safe telling you what would be safe to treat her with. There is a wealth of good info on dairygoatinfo.com and fiascofarm.com if you haven't visited those sites yet.

Good luck with your doe!

Kitty

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AuntKitty

· #3 · Apr 20, 2010

Oh and if her temp is normal, then did you worm her when you brought her to your farm? If not, you should probably have a fecal done at your vet (mine charges $12) and then worm her with Cydectin or whatever is recommended for your area. With the coughing, if it were my doe, I would worm with Ivermectin in case she has lung worms. Ivermectin still works in my area - don't know about yours.

I know all these things like pneumonia and lung worms can freak you out, but if she is eating, drinking and pooping you still have time to treat her before it becomes a dire emergency. Also make sure she is getting lots of calcium at this point in her pregnancy from alfalfa hay or pellets and you should gradually build her up to 1 lb. of grain a day if she isn't already eating grain - I use oats.

Kitty

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Pony

· #4 · Apr 20, 2010

What's her temp? What has she been eating?

Is she coughing all the time? Goats do cough a bit to clear their lungs.

What breed is she? My Nubian doe often gets a runny nose but there's nothing wrong with her. (Heck, on cool mornings, I get a runny nose, too.

)

Is she eating/drinking normally? Excreta look okay? Urinating?

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