Got back from vacation to sick animals !!!!!! 6 month old vaccinated goat .She is laying down with what maybe "foam " from her mouth .Ears are down .I gave her tylan and baking soda .I thiught of listeriousis but that doesnt fit .Poisonous plants ? I am using the same fields as last year .I will call the vet in the am as they do not have night hours .Thanks for your thoughts.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), November 29, 2001

Answers

I'm sorry I don't know more about goats specifically, but I sure hope that she is OK and it is nothing serious! Good luck and take care. Love to the goat, XO, Lesl

-- Leslie (leslie@ntrealdu2trlls.com), November 29, 2001.

Patty, Good luck with with your doe. Jack

-- Jack Murdock (jrm@salemnet.com), November 29, 2001.

You should really try to get your vet in to see your goats,,as it can many things. Good luck!

-- Bergere (aututmnhaus@aol.com), November 29, 2001.

I think I stated I was calling the vet , thanks .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), November 29, 2001.

With you being gone Patty, any chance they were overfed? I would definetly stick with the baking soda, and perhaps some probios to reinocculate there guts, it does come in a dispersable form or you can paste everyone :( also Diamond V Yeast is great because they love it and you can put it over their grain, which I wouldn't be feeding any of right now. Lots of good grass hay. With no temp I would think rumen acidosis, from to much grain.

I know the guy who works for us set up a trap for his wife once, when he was working all week in town he was fairly certain she wasn't feeding the calves, he put bird seed in the scoop, sure enough the same bird seed was there when he got home. Perhaps someone knowing you were coming home, poured out the whole sack of feed they knew you would know should be gone. My wonderful daughters who always (I thought:) took such good care of my stock when I went away, now that they are older have started telling those horrid stories of all the nasty things they did to me and the goats when I was gone! :) I always told them I loved the goats more then them, just confirms it with some of their tales! Hope you turn the goats around! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 29, 2001.

Patty our neighbor lost his doe a couple months ago after she ate some poisonous plants that she had been around about 2 years and never bothered before. So... if there was something in the field that hasn't caused trouble before doesn't mean she didn't eat it this time. Vicki seems to be THE goat expert so I would listen to her. Good luck1

-- Lou Ann in KY (homes_cool@msn.com), November 29, 2001.

vicky, I don't know if this will help, just seen your post, when our goats got in the mountain laual we gave them a pint of milk with lard, about half and half. heat this together, give warm. The lard coats their stomach so they don't absorb the poison. If you catch them in time it will help. We came home on christmas with about 100 down with poison. lexi

-- Lexi Green (whitestone11@hotmail.com), November 29, 2001.

Foaming at the mouth is the first symptom of bloat. I would give bicarbonate of soda and a good dose of oil(1/4 to 1/2 of a cup with a drench syringe. Keep the animal walking. Take it's temperature and make sure it doesn't have pnemonia. It should not be above 102-103 degrees. If fever has set in give the appropriate dose of LA200. Massage the stomach once the oil is down. You should see results. None of these remedies will hurt the animal even if it is poison that is causing the problem. If things are real bad get the critter to stand up and insert a tube into it's stomach to relieve the gas. Listen and feel the end of the tube to be sure you didn't insert it into the lungs. If the animal gets loose bowls give pepto bismal after your sure you have diagnosed the problem as bloat. Do not give any grain or rich hay. Grass hay is fine. Hope this helps.

-- oxman (singingfalls@tymewyse.com), November 29, 2001.

Agree with the possible over load of grain or it could be moldy feed. Both need probis for the rumin AND A SHOT OF THIAMINE (B1). The foaming of the mouth is almost aways a problem with a B1 deficiency. While probis helps, it cannot get into the blood stream quick enough. Many times the animal dies within 24 hours but may live several weeks if not treated quickly and properly. When have seen this quite a few times with wether show goats that are over fed or given moldy feed. Again, give good grass hay, probis, and thiamine (B1) shot. B1 usually needs to come from a vet. But if you can not get to one quick enough, use B-complex injectable vitamines and we usually double the dose. B- Complex does have thiamine (B1) in it. Good Luck.

-- Joe Bishop (bishopranch@the-i.net), November 30, 2001.