# Golf ball size lump in my goats neck



## byardbabe (Jan 14, 2010)

Hi everybody, 
My 6 year old Nubian has developed a golf ball size lump onn her neck. It is located to the left side just about where the thyroid is located. It is hard and doesn't feel like an abcess, actually both sides are a little enlarged. I started feeding alfalfa pellets to my girls after they kidded, because they always look a little rough.(ie thin) They loved them and devoured them in seconds. After about 6 weeks I noticed 2 of them look as though their thyroids were enlarged, not a great lot but a little. Then almost over night the one developed a golf ball size lump an the one side. So I stopped giving the alfalfa pellets. It has been almost 2 months and there has been no change in the size ect. She acts fine, no temp, is eating well, although a little thinner than I would like. I had a fecal done on her and she was wormey, also had cocci. She has been treated for both, but still has the lump. Any ideas on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
I will try to post some pictures, actually I don"t know how to post pictures


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

You could offer her kelp. If she likes it, let her eat as much as she wants and maybe give her some other form of iodine supplement.
That looks a little low for a goiter to me...?


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## byardbabe (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks Milkmaid, I do give them free choice kelp. That is why I am puzzled. One other thing I have done different this year is to put raw apple cider vinegar in their water. So I don't know if that is the problem. My first consern was thyroid cancer.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree with Milkmaid, that's not milk goiter. There might be a splinter in there. What I did when a doe got a lump on her lower neck was shave it. We could see a small entry wound.
A friend helped me get an exudate sample to send off to WADDL in the remote event it was CL.
What the test did show was staph, e coli & something else I dont remember.
When it was ripe I seperated her. This was before lab results came back.
I injected a weak betadine solution into it & squeezed remaining gunk for a few days. Meantime she was on Pen G for about a week.
What you want is that wound to remain open, irrigating it daily for awhile with weak betadine, making sure it heals from the insiide out.
You can even pack some Pen directly into the hole without the needle in addition to her injections. :wink: 
It will feel like forever.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Or...she may have food lodged in her throat ...is she coughing or choking at all?

To do pics maybe these links may help....I'd like to see a pic....

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10124&p=128243&hilit=resizing+pictures#p128243

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=73


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I just went thru this with my nubians.. The lump developed overnight. In fact 4 of my goats got it in a 24 hour period. So.. If u have iodine from kidding and dipping the navels. Paint the iodine on their hairless part of their tail. If in 24 hrs it disappears your girls are deficient. Then if u can get the kelp it is a good choice. Mine went thru 10 lbs fast. The goiter should go.down in a couple of days. Now one of mine did develope an abscess that we just had lance d and tested at the Vets. It was a staph infection. Thankfully! Oh if u dont get the kelp paint the tailweb for a week. Commercial feed doesn't have iodized salt in it which is why the deficiencies.

After I wrote this I saw u are offering kelp. It does look like thyroid to me but...


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good advice it is a good place to start....with the iodine...you will know quickly if that is it.... :hug:


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## byardbabe (Jan 14, 2010)

Thank all for the good advice. I was giving pumpkin seeds, she also loved these, and did think maybe one got lodged in her throat. Although she is not coughing ect. We also have a hornets nest out by their shelter, along with wasps ect. We have lots on stinging insects this year. I am going to try the iodine on the tail, and gererally keep a close eye on her. Actually I keep a close eye on all of them...They are my babies. Also I forgot to mention I was adding apple cider vinegar to their water for about a year. After a little research I found out that long term use of apple cider vinegar may cause iodine depletion. So back to plain water for the girls.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

If she was stung... you can give her antihistamine..... :hug:


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Just another thought 'just in case'. I just had a doe that had a knot on the neck, to the side more to the jaw and could not figure out what it was, well till it blew up, it was a rattle snake bite. If it ends up being that (you never know), when it does blow up put tomorrow on it, will dry and heal.


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