# wheezing goat



## GotMyGoats (May 31, 2011)

Hi!!! My name is Kari and I am new to goats...

After wanting to get one (or several) a decade ago, I finally got a goat!!! My husband said yes, and we went to the small animal auction that night (best place for a first goat, I know, but since youth, I've wanted to 'save' one from somebody's stew pot from there....) found a lovely pygmy? And she is doing lovely...

My problem, is her companion that we bought her the next morning... she was very people timid and had zero interest in the horses, so we bought "Bess Goat" a recently weaned pygmy/nubian Buckling (plans to be cut) from the local feed lot (aged goats, probably never had a trim, 100 to a pen, just making babies)he was fairly difficult to catch, but gave no struggle when I picked him up...

Since I brought him home, he has like a smoker's cough occasionally and wheezes when he breathes... I gave .5 probios yesterday, along with 1/2 tube goat electrolyte, using the other 1/2 this morning, .5 more probios and just under 15cc goat drench... he was a lot more active this PM than the last few days, but I'm at a loss... still wheezing, but will run around the stall when you come in... total lap goat when you have him...

I originally just thought it was stress related (I just HAD to trim those toenails day 1) so, having similar horse exp, wanted to try over the counter vs the equine vet, who is due out toward the end of this week.

Other notes, he only eats when Bess eats, and its more of a picking, compared to Bess, with a face full of hay; 103.1 temp; eyes not watery; stool looks good; hacking cough lasts between 3-10ish coughs, followed by wheezing... wheezing is not 100% of time, just frequent enough to make me worry.

Thank you!!!!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Welcome... glad you are here... :thumb: 

May have lungsworms.... is it mostly after he runs?


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## GotMyGoats (May 31, 2011)

*Thank you!!!*

It is more common after a trip or two around a 12x12 stall, but I've been grooming just outside the stall for the last couple hours and have heard the wheezing about four different times for anywhere from a minute to 5 and have heard very minimal action... when he was on my lap (I know its called 'cushed' with llamas, when legs are bent underneath him), it lasted about 20 minutes...

He is almost always standing this afternoon, when I peak in (yesterday and this AM, he was down and mopey, but would get up to get away)

What kind of wormer would work, and do you know can I get some? The feed lot gave me 1# of some goat wormer pellet for each goat, but they refused to eat it.(it was the only thing I offered them beside hay that night)

He has been slow to want to eat goat pellets the last two days, but pigged out when my husband offered some from him hand.

Any kind of worm from there really would not surprise me... most people cringe at the name of said feed lot...

Thank you, I REALLY appreciate the help.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Welcome :wave: If I hadn't said hello before. 
I am sorry to hear of the issue with this little guy and wish I had a suggestion. Glad you saved them both and hope he gets better soon.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Do you know how old he is?
I believe that ivermectin will get rid of lungworms as well as a few other types...Most only use the injectible Ivomec orally for 3 doses spaced 7-10 days apart, when needed I use the 1.87% Ivermectin horse paste.

Also, if this feedlot is that bad, he may have had a bout with pneumonia which caused some scarring in his lungs. Check his eyelids too...pale membranes usually indicate anemia and the most common cause is a parasite load.


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## GotMyGoats (May 31, 2011)

Thank you, FSF AND Liz 

Liz, under eyelids look to be a medium pink, he is supposed to be about 4 months... he is maybe 35-40#, nubian pygmy cross... floppy ears, short legs...

Ballards is a feed store/feed lot... maybe 15 arces, about 30 horses, 200 goats there now, just supposedly sold 150 earlier this month...

I am in the goat stall now, he has been trying to rest, but there is frequent wheezing, even before I came in... I picked him up to check his eyelid, and when i let him go, he started coughing... he also has a runny nose... he had to blow it, I guess that bad congested... is there anything, from Walmart maybe I can give him? He looks miserable again :-( more hacking-coughing-wheezing, non stop since I stopped to write this


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## GotMyGoats (May 31, 2011)

I have a tube of Jeffers horse Ivermectin, its an Anthelmintic Boticide... would that work? Do goats need to worry about bots or would the Boticide hurt him?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

What color is his runny nose? That could be a sign of a respiratory infection, in which case...an injectible antibiotic will be needed. I've only ever used Pen G from Tractor Supply but others have used LA200 for respiratory infection. Sorry...but I don't think theres anything at Walmart that will help him.
With him not having a fever it's really hard to say wether or not there is infection present.

You can try a little Vicks on his nose, it works similar to VetRx and has the same menthol and eucalyptus in it, this might help with the breathing.

The pink color is good...if they were white then I'd say he likely has a parasite problem.

The wormer you have won't hurt him and if the weight you have is estimated it would be best to get an avccurate one by standing on a bathroom scale then picking him up and subtracting your weight to get his...IF he is at 40# the paste wormer dose would be that of a 120# pony...so he would get a little more than 1/2cc (use a needleless syringe and push the paste into it) every 7-10 days for a total of 3 doses.


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## GotMyGoats (May 31, 2011)

Mucous appears clear, around the nostrils, there is a light build up of dried mucous


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## GotMyGoats (May 31, 2011)

*wheezing goat no more *

Just wanted to thank you all for helping educate me in the ways of healthy goating!!! He is now a frisky kid!!! Today was the first day that he wanted to leave the barn and play!!! He has made a few laps around the barn and front yard at full goat speed, and has been exploring everything to jump on and hide under, and has yet to lay down in the last 3 hours


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## cdtrum (Aug 25, 2008)

This is a little late, but you can give benydral (sp) also for runny noses and coughing.....it's not a cure, but helps a lot with symptoms! One of my guys came to me at 12 weeks old with bad case of pnuemonia, I gave him benydral along with his antibiotics and it really helped.......I probably gave it to him on bad days for a year because of the damage to his lungs and he had days that he still coughed......he just turned 3yrs old.


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Glad to hear he is now a happy playful goat! :thumb:


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