Medical Tips
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Gestation
Normal gestation for a goat is 150 days. However, pregnancies may vary from 147 - 155 days. Below is a gestation calculator that will help you estimate your kidding date.
Acidosis
Acidosis is most commonly caused by a drastic change in feed and possibly
too much corn in the goat's diet. When goats eat high concentrate rations,
not only do the starches produce more acid, but the lack of roughage causes
a decreased amount of saliva. Symptoms of acidosis include: Bloat, rapid
breathing and/or lethargic behavior (staring out into "space").
If your goat is diagnosed with Acidosis, you should treat him or her immediately.
Acidosis is potentially fatal, and if it does not kill your goat, it can
burn the rumen and kill good bacteria leading to other diseases. Allow
the animal to drink lots of water, use antacid preparations like milk
of magnesia, oral tetracycline to prevent bacterial overgrowth, probiocin
or rumen contents from a healthy ruminant and thiamine or B-complex vitamins.
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Enterotoxemia (Over-eating disease)
Enterotoxemia, also known as "over-eating disease", is caused
by the bacterium Clostridium perfringins. This bacterium is a normal inhabitant
of the intestinal tract of goats and normally, is not a problem. However,
there are certain conditions which trigger excessive bacterial growth
in which lethal amounts of toxin are produced, resulting in death of the
animal. Enterotoxemia can have no symptoms or symptoms such as diarrhea
that are commonly confused with other diseases, so prevention is a MUST.
Vaccinate kids once a month from the time they are 1 month old until they
are 5-6 months old. Be sure to use a vivalent C&D vaccine. Treatment
for the disease can be unrewarding, if your goat has already been diagnosed.
Recoveries are rare, but affected goats can be treated with Clostridium
antitoxin, pencillin and flunixen.
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Lice
Goats have both biting and sucking lice. Many sprays are effective but
resistance can occur to any of them. It is best twice 10-14 days apart
to remove young lice before they mature. Cylence is effective and also
works well for flies. The avermectins and moxidectins also help kill lice.
Mange can be treated the same way but also treat topically with Prolate
(hog spray) or a Permethrin product. Treat every 5 days till the hair
starts to grow back (mange) or you see no sign of lice. Slick shearing
a goat will also help kill the lice population. Be sure to treat or remove
bedding in sheds and pens.
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Pinkeye
This disease is usually caused by Chlamydia or Mycoplasma in goats, and
is not related to Moraxella bovis, which causes pinkeye in cattle. It
is contagious, but species specific. Pinkeye can be brought on by stress.
Early signs of Pinkeye include runny, red, and swollen eyes. The dark
part of the eye (cornea) becomes hazy and then turns opaque (clouds over).
The goat begins to lose its sight. If left untreated, blindness can occur.
Most goats recover without any treatment however, so be certain the treatment
you choose does not cause any harm. If the eye looks like it is going
to rupture, a conjunctivial or third eyelid flap should be used to protect
the eyeball. If your goat has been diagnosed with pinkeye, there are a
few means of treatment. If the eye has not ulcerated, apply tetracycline
(Terramycin) ophthalmic ointment three or four times a day (minimum twice
a day) , using disposable gloves to prevent spread of the infection. Powders
and aerosols are not recommended because they can be more irritating especially
if the eye is ulcerated. In severe cases of Pinkeye, injectable oxytetracycline
(LA200 or equivalent) may be used in addition to topical eye ointments.
If the goat is pregnant, however, remember that oxytetracycline is known
to interfere with bone and teeth formation in the unborn kid.
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Soremouth
Soremouth is spread by a parapoxvirus that is highly contagious. It is
more commonly found in sheep than goats, however goats are still susceptible.
It affects primarily the lips and noses of young animals. If they are
nursing off dams which have not previously had the disease or been vaccinated,
the dams will also display identical sores on the teats and udder where
it may cause mastitis. The sores start as small red spots which form blisters
that burst to form ulcers. These are followed by characteristic grayish-brown
cauliflower-like scabs. There will be spontaneous healing and the scabs
will fall off in about three weeks. The skin at the corona of the hooves
can also be affected. To prevent the disease, there is a soremouth vaccine
that is available, but because it is a live virus vaccine, many farmers
have mixed feelings whether the vaccine helps or hurts. We suggest you
speak with your vet to see if the vaccine would be beneficial to your
goat or flock. If your goat has been diagnosed with soremouth, immediately
isolate him or her from the rest of the herd. You can apply antibotical
cream to the infected area to prevent secondary diseases. (Antibiotics
WILL NOT kill a virus, they only work on bacteria.)
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Coccidiosis
Coccidiosis is characterized by a foul smelling diarrhea and along with
diarrhea comes dehydration and fever. The organism which causes Coccidiosis
is an intestinal parasite named Coccidiosis and the oocysts are present
to some degree in all goats. Babies are particularly susceptible to the
diease because their immune systems are not developed. It is passed through
fecal-to-oral contact, usually as babies first begin to eat solid foods.
If your goat has been diagnosed with Coccidiosis, Banamine (prescription
required) should be administered intramuscularly (IM) at a rate of 1 cc
per 100 pounds of body weight. Banamine should not be used but once every
36-72 hours, because it causes stomach ulcers if used too frequently.
A severely dehydrated goat should receive Re-Sorb electrolytes, both in
an oral drench and in the water bucket.
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