I have a dry 4 year old doe with a persistant milky white discharge from the vagina. Thinking it was yeast related I have been putting Probios in her water but that is not helping. She is in otherwise perfect health. I want to breed her this month so I need to get this problem resolved but I don't know what it is and cannot afford vetrinary service. Has anyone run across this?

-- Tiffani Cappello (cappello@alltel.net), October 15, 2000

Answers

if she still has the discharge, you should hurry and take her to a buck to get bred. Chances are she's in heat, and probios won't help. Has she had kids before? And when you apply pressure to her rump, does she tuck her tail in and run off, or stand like a statue and wag her tail? If the latter is the case, she is definitely in heat!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), October 15, 2000.

How long have you noticed this discharge for? If its been a long time then its probably something else other than a heat. it sounds as if she may be in heat. I have run across this when my does are in heat. They also blat a lot more and are fidigity, and don't eat as well or milk as much (not always the case with all but with most). The key to telling heat is their tail. If they are wagging their tail and then stand straight when you tickle their rump then this is an indication of a heat. A standing heat it is called. I'd find a good buck for her or if too late then wait 21-28 days and she'll come into heat again.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), October 15, 2000.

I don't want to beat you up here, but if you can't afford a vet and can't tell if she is in heat or has a discharge, maybe you need to get a little education before you expose someone's buck to a possible infection. Get a good book on goat husbandry, find folks who can show you what an in season doe acts like, and generally inform yourself. Waiting a month won't make that much difference, and might save you heartache down the road.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), October 15, 2000.

I don't want to seem like the grinch here, but this is not the first time someone has said that "They cannot afford veterinary service..." I believe "Don't breed/keep what you can't feed,doctor or have time for", applies to people/children as well as pets/livestock. However, you can save a lot of money by getting the "Merck Veterinary Manual" from your local library and reading/ studying it in every spare moment, a medical dictionary is necessary to understand it at times, but it's available at the library also. Tons of information in there, and a lot can be applied to people doctoring too !

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), October 15, 2000.

Tiffani, I help with herd management, lots of folks can't afford vets. This is mostly caused by not having a relationship with a vet in your area before sickness hits. Next time you have 20$, go have an office visit with your vet of choice and get to know them. If this discharge is more than just a little bit, and every 21 days or so (a doe in heat will have a clear, than milky, than thick white mucousy dischare the longer she is in heat, but I have to admit only during AI when I am in them do I ever see much discharge) than yes she probably does have an infection. Guessing what this could be would be pretty tough. Has she kidded before? Is the mucous smelly? If you do think it is yeast then yes you could "cure" it with Mysolex or another one of the yeast cream vaginal cures they have for us gals, over the counter. Make sure and get the cream kind that go into the vagina, the bolus she would just squat out. You may want to add some aqarium tubing to the end of the syringe to thread cleanly of course, into the vagina and try to deposit higher up into the vagina, rather than the smallish syringe that will come with the creme. At the same time you could put her on a round of antibiotics. Perhaps Tylan 200 3cc per 50 pounds given under the skin for 5 days, or Bio Myacin at 5cc per 100 pounds given for 3 days under the skin. Thats' my best guess, remember if this is chlamydia instead of yeast, all of this will do no good and you will infect the buck who breeds her this year, and also the does he breeds after her. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), October 16, 2000.

Tiffani, Gee, I hope the doe is in heat, it sure is the right time of year for it. You really need to get a book on the basics of raising goats if you do not already have one. If she is sick, she should have other symptoms, like an elevated temp and the discharge should have a foul odor. I have had bad experiences with vets, most of them around here would rather treat a dead skunk than a sick goat. It is supposed to be getting better but the vet schools don't teach much about treating goats. Check out the ADGA membership book and call a goat raiser in the area or call your friendly county extension agent and ask him/her who raises goats and talk to a few of them and they will help you. All the goat people I know(including me) would love to spend time talking to you about your doe and will come over and look at her too. Good luck and hang in there. karen

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), October 17, 2000.

If this has been going on for some time, it can't be a heat. They don't last that long. Vicki's advice is great, and the Merck manual or a good goat raising book are integral, as well.

On the vet side of things, my niece is engaged to a young man who is crazy about goats and he is going to vet school!!!When I visited he and I sat and talked about it quite extensively. I sure hope he gets through all of the schooling! It would be really nice to have some more vets that are interested in goats.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@yahoo.com), October 18, 2000.

A few years ago we had the same problem with our doe. It wasn't consistant, but at times very obvious. I finally got the vet over when it was evident. Incredibly, and later confirmed, one of our part-time farm hands had been actually having intercourse with her and the discharge was from him needless to say. I hope this isn't what you're experiencing also but you may want to make sure if everything else has been ruled out.

-- April Tobias (atobias@yahoo.com), June 02, 2001.