My goat started having a semi-clear goopy vaginal discharge today. What does this mean?

This is the goat that miscarried a baby about 6 weeks ago and the vet thought she was still pregnant with one kid but the general feeling here was that she probably wasn't still pregnant. She doesn't look pregnant but then again she never came into heat after the miscarriage. Besides the discharge she acts like her normal happy self. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

-- Anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), December 22, 2001

Answers

Anita, put your hand into a ziplock baggie, using it as a glove, get some of the discharge. Keep it in the fridge until you take it to the vet. Your doe is either in the end stages of heat, or has an infection. It won't hurt her to be treated for infection. Do not let this go, the only time I have ever became ill while doing anything with goats was delivering the decomposing bodies, from the rotting uterus of a doe with a massive infection. We lost her kids and her, and I puked my guts out from the smell. She showed no signs of this infection until she went into labor. She also had a really bad birthing the season before, with some retained placenta problems that "went away" on there own. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), December 22, 2001.