# Is this fishtail?



## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

I've had my first two Nigerian dwarf doelings for about a week now. The white doeling (Navi) has super pink eyelid membranes, but the tan doeling, Peach, has way a lighter pink on the FAMACHA card. I'm waiting for the fecal results to come in from meadow mist lab, but until then I've been giving her Land of Havilah double dose of herbal wormer each day, red cell and yesterday I tried to give them vitamin b injections (and failed horrendously - those YouTube videos make injections seem insanely easy. I ended up poking my husband with the needle and squirting vitamin b everywhere but inside the skin of a goat... sigh.) Anyway, I was looking at Peach today and her tail looks kind of fish tail-y to me. I'm totally new to goats so is that what I'm seeing here? Should I give a copper bolus? Anything else I should be doing while waiting on fecals?


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## DaGoatandPugLady (Nov 19, 2018)

I would just like to say you are doing a GREAT job as a new goat owner! Especially one week in! You go girl. Giving SubQ injections is much easier on the videos than in person. I'm an RN and its definitely way easier on people than a goat.  It looks a little fish taily to me but I will let the experts weigh in. Good assessment skills on your babies and she is SO CUTE!!!!!!


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

The best way to give a sub q injection is go right behind the front leg by the armpit and pinch up a tent of skin Looking at your needle the Long side goes next to the goat body and the bevel side with the hole goes towards the skin and you. Just push the needle in and inject after pulling back on the plunger to make sure it's clear of blood. If there's blood don't withdraw it all the way just halfway and adjust the angle and you're good to go.
I would say no that's not a fishtail it looks fine for a doeling.
A fish tail looks like a crescent moon shape in the middle with long outsides..like a mermaids tail.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with the above.

It kinda does look like fishtail.
Check the tail tip, is it bald?

Is her hair coarse feeling?
It looks soft.

Use your best judgment.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

EnglishAcres said:


> I've had my first two Nigerian dwarf doelings for about a week now. The white doeling (Navi) has super pink eyelid membranes, but the tan doeling, Peach, has way a lighter pink on the FAMACHA card. I'm waiting for the fecal results to come in from meadow mist lab, but until then I've been giving her Land of Havilah double dose of herbal wormer each day, red cell and yesterday I tried to give them vitamin b injections (and failed horrendously - those YouTube videos make injections seem insanely easy. I ended up poking my husband with the needle and squirting vitamin b everywhere but inside the skin of a goat... sigh.) Anyway, I was looking at Peach today and her tail looks kind of fish tail-y to me. I'm totally new to goats so is that what I'm seeing here? Should I give a copper bolus? Anything else I should be doing while waiting on fecals?
> 
> View attachment 169309
> View attachment 169311


It looks like she is just starting the fishy there. I would do copper with my goats but it is up to you on yours. . Her coat looks soft but not smooth even winter woolies..... but different coats look different also. She has a tinny bit of rusty on her but i cannot tell if that is just her normal coloring either with all those pretty colors in there. Look at the roots and see if it is very different from the edges.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

she's a doll!!! Injections can be hard. Arm pit area and where the neck meets the body in that little dip are two of my fav choices to give meds Sub Q. B complex is a great way to learn since its a no sting medication. When I first was learning to draw blood, I stabbed my finger NOT FUN. I got better with it though. Don't give up..giving shots is a MUST KNOW chore. Ill post a shot location picture I have. This is my Saanen Doe, Vixxen as a model.








I see little nibble marks that may indicate she has lice. The nibble at the fur leaving that wet push back spot. Check her close. Lice can cause anemia as well in large numbers.


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

They have been itching quite a bit since we’ve had them but with nothing to compare it to, I wasn’t sure if that was normal (or because of the collars that they aren’t used to.) 

Can I use DE on them? I’m iffy on it because of the whole inhalation into the lungs thing. Any other better methods?

I think I’ll copper bolus them just to be on the safe side. And I’ll definitely keep trying with the injections. In the meantime I gave them vitamin B orally. They hated it but at least they got it in them. We’re adding two more doelings later this month, so I’m going to ask for some guidance from the breeder, maybe she’ll be able to help.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

DE is not very effective IMO and very drying. Cylence works well for me and safe for young ones. 1 cc per 25# down the top line, booster in 3 weeks. Clean bedding as well. I also feed fresh raw garlic which helps in prevention


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Cylence for sure if you suspect lice. It is that time of year. If it was my goat I'd do copper. For my goats, that is a fish tail.


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

I looked over the goats and I did see a little black bug crawling around on one of them, but I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. I'm picking up Cylence today and will treat them both. Down here we never get a good freeze to kill anything, so battling bugs is basically our whole life, haha!

I also dosed both babies with copper yesterday. I have these "kid" copasure capsules - 2 grams per 25 pounds, and the goats are each about 10 pounds. Actually Navi is only about 8 pounds. I just weighed out 1 gram per goat and snuck it in a fig newton. I hope I didn't give them too much.










You can see in the last picture of the babies that I've accidentally turned my white goat a nice shade of yellow from trying to inject the vitamin B! (It looked much worse yesterday, thankfully it's fading.) I'm having the hardest time getting their skin away from their body to even make a tent to inject into. If they ever make a pour on vitamin B supplement, I'm already well versed in the application process. Yellow stained goats for the win?

Also don't mind the random trenches, my husband is finishing up the water lines to the barn and pasture.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

How old are the doelings?


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

SalteyLove said:


> How old are the doelings?


They're both 9 weeks old.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I wouldn't give them any more copper bolus until they are at least 4 months old. 

Are they still on bottles?


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

SalteyLove said:


> I wouldn't give them any more copper bolus until they are at least 4 months old.
> 
> Are they still on bottles?


No, they were both weaned before we got them. They're on peanut hay and pasture browse, plus grain in the mornings.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

@Goats Rock - are these normal weights for 9 week old Nigies?


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

I thought they were quite small for 8 weeks (a week ago when we picked them up) but since this is our first time with goats, I honestly have no idea what is "normal." If they're underweight, is there anything I can feed them to help them to gain weight more quickly? I will take out the vet scale and weigh them again here in a minute. 

Navi (white goat) was born 11/13/19 and weighed 7.7 pounds as of last week.
Peach (tan goat) was born 11/18/19 and weighed 10.7 pounds as of last week.

Any advice would be great!


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

Just got their weights as of today.

Navi - 8.3 pounds 
Peach - 10.8 pounds


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

Also, is this lice?


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## MuldrowBeeandGoatFarm (Oct 25, 2019)

@SalteyLove @Sfgwife


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

EnglishAcres said:


> Just got their weights as of today.
> 
> Navi - 8.3 pounds
> Peach - 10.8 pounds
> ...


They are very cute!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

EnglishAcres said:


> Also, is this lice?
> 
> View attachment 169381


Yes


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

I just put Cylence on both of them - 0.5cc each, so hopefully they'll get some relief from the lice soon. I'll follow up with another dose in 3 weeks.


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## Michaela Van Mecl (Sep 3, 2018)

EnglishAcres said:


> Also, is this lice?
> 
> View attachment 169381


Yep it looks like lice!


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## Michaela Van Mecl (Sep 3, 2018)

EnglishAcres said:


> Just got their weights as of today.
> 
> Navi - 8.3 pounds
> Peach - 10.8 pounds
> ...


 By the way you have a great setup!!! You are extremely prepared. The little ones are lucky to have come to your farm!


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

Michaela Van Mecl said:


> By the way you have a great setup!!! You are extremely prepared. The little ones are lucky to have come to your farm!


Thanks! I've been working towards my goal of goat ownership for about two years, and have been researching everything that I could find for months... and for some reason I still feel incredibly inadequate now that the goats are here, lol!

If I'm going to do something, I always say do it well, or not at all. (I literally bought a 10 acre piece of land so my chickens could free range. :haha: We previously lived in a neighborhood across the street from our property.) So I try to do what's best for every animal/pet on our hobby farm. That being said, I'm still learning!


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

EnglishAcres said:


> Just got their weights as of today.
> 
> Navi - 8.3 pounds
> Peach - 10.8 pounds
> ...


Did you have a fecal done and it included coccidia? The weights seem light for a nine week old nigi to me. But! Were they trips or quads?


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

Sfgwife said:


> Did you have a fecal done and it included coccidia? The weights seem light for a nine week old nigi to me. But! Were they trips or quads?


Yes, I'm hoping to have their fecal results back soon. I overnighted the samples on Monday to Meadow Mist and their website says they process within a day or two, so I'm hoping maybe I'll get an email today or tomorrow.

Navi was a triplet, I believe Peach was a single birth.


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## NigerianDwarfOwner707 (May 17, 2018)

I’d suspect coccidia. Way too light. The lice can cause the FAMACHA score to be paler. Keep doing the LOH wormer!


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

NigerianDwarfOwner707 said:


> I'd suspect coccidia. Way too light. The lice can cause the FAMACHA score to be paler. Keep doing the LOH wormer!


Should I continue to do the LOH daily until her FAMACHA is better?

Navi's FAMACHA is great, even with the lice, so I'm a little more worried about Peach. She's put on less weight in the week that she's been here than Navi has.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Do you know if they had any coccidia treatment or prevention at the breeder's? Were they dam raised or bottle raised?


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

SalteyLove said:


> Do you know if they had any coccidia treatment or prevention at the breeder's? Were they dam raised or bottle raised?


I'll have to ask the breeders. They came from two different farms. They were both dam raised.


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## Mike at Capra Vista (Nov 30, 2017)

happybleats said:


> Ill post a shot location picture I have.


Thanks so much for that. So much clearer than endless verbal descriptions.


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## EnglishAcres (Nov 4, 2019)

Okay so I just got the fecal results back. Best treatment for coccidia?

I was surprised at the worm results!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Toltrazuril from horse race meds website


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## Cjern46 (Dec 23, 2018)

happybleats said:


> she's a doll!!! Injections can be hard. Arm pit area and where the neck meets the body in that little dip are two of my fav choices to give meds Sub Q. B complex is a great way to learn since its a no sting medication. When I first was learning to draw blood, I stabbed my finger NOT FUN. I got better with it though. Don't give up..giving shots is a MUST KNOW chore. Ill post a shot location picture I have. This is my Saanen Doe, Vixxen as a model.
> 
> beautiful goat


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