# What to expect when banding a goat?



## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

My seven week old nigerian dwarf buckling soon to be wether was banded yesterday. I was wanting to know what should I expect while I wait for them to fall off? Yesterday he was a little sore but today is back to normal and I want to know what is normal through the process of waiting for them to fall off. What should they look like? What should make me worry? How long should it take for his to fall off?. Picture for attention.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)




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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

So cute. 

It may take 1 month or so for it to dry up and drop off.

Watch for infection, swelling, redness, pus, bad smell. Spray bluecote on it from time to time. And if flies are out, be sure to get a fly repellent to keep them off of it or you can get fly strike, which is bad.
Tetanus antitoxin should be given if no vaccine has been given long prior.


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

He might walk stiffly for a week or so.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

Thank yall!! When will it start looking I guess you would say drying up?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Mazie said:


> Thank yall!! When will it start looking I guess you would say drying up?


Maybe a few days to a week? I can believe I don't remember more clearly lol. First it's cold and soft and then slowly hardens and dries up starting at the very bottom.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yeah, it varies.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

Thank yall so much!


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

You've gotten good answers to your thoughtful questions. I have nothing to add to that. Be certain you give him enough calcium in his diet, and also AC, as he was wethered quite young. He's a real cutie pie.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

Thank yall. I know this isn't necessarily related to this but it is the same goat and I was wanting to know when should I stop using milk replacer on him and pellets? Also if those could be tearing his stomach up? He is still eating roughage because I let him out to graze. He still wants water. But he has diarrhea. Could it be that the milk or grain is too rich and is messing it up?


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

How long has he been scouring? and what color is it? Does he have a fever?

Hopefully it is his milk replacer, many don't do well on it. But he could be sick from the stress of the banding.

Stop the pellets and the milk. Give him Pepto Bismal and water with electrolytes, and hay. Make certain he stays warm, and get back to us with the answers to the above questions. We'll do our best to help that cutie pie.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Also, feel free to make a new thread asking for help for a kid with scours. You'll probably get more attention that way. Poor little guy!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Please try to keep all the info about one goat in one thread. It makes things much less confusing.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

My fault. I told her to because it was a different issue. I'm sorry.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Get a fecal for worms and cocci.

How much milk replacer, how often?

How old is the kid?


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

He is around 8 weeks. Should I stop the milk completely? The breeder did not tell me at all I should stop and that is what I think is messing with him is the milk being too rich. Other than the poops he is acting normal. He was getting about half of the big goat/cattle bottles a day with grain. This was me following his orders.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

It definitely could be the milk replacer. At 8 months old my Nigerian kids are getting 2 (12 oz) bottles a day of either goat milk or whole cow's milk right from the grocery. By 9 to 10 weeks I have them down to 1 bottle per day if they are growing well.

If he were mine, I would take him off the replacer and put him on milk. You can switch him over by mixing the milk and replacer together for a couple of days and slowly increasing the milk until that's all he is getting.

However, diarrhea can also be caused by coccidia, too much rich grass (usually also tints the diarrhea a dark green color), or e-coli. If he doesn't firm up fairly quickly after you start switching to milk, I would give him Spectoguard for 3-5 days. The dose for a goat is TWICE whatever it says on the label. It tastes great, so you can just squirt it in his mouth or even (oh so easy!) add it to his bottles.

You may also want to consider doing a fecal for coccidia so you can treat accordingly if he has that.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

I will try that thank you! Can any vet do the test? The one that used to do goats around here retired. My grandpa used to use corid and I can get that from our tractor supply. Would that help? Should I get some? As far as the grass ours isn't supper rich or green cause it is dying from winter. The breeder's pasture was super green because they live close to the coast here. He just started having these at no later than Sunday night.


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## kathy_ (Mar 10, 2017)

Corid is not forgiving on dosing you need their exact weight and dose accordingly. Most people prefer ivermectin plus or valbazen and Di-meth for coccidia. You may want to give him some B Complex and it's so many things he needs and you can find most of the info here on The Goat Spot. Read read read there is a lot of web sights about goats.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

Thank you! He was given the ivermectin before I got him. Could all this because he needs a new dose of that along with the milk messing with him? I weighed him and he hasn't lost any from the time I weighed last week.


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## mariarose (Oct 23, 2014)

Don't give him any poisons at this point, water with electrolytes, Probios, Pepto (or Scourcheck) and hay. No replacer, no milk, no pellets.

Ivomec Plus and Valbazen are not coccidiostats. I think Kathy is just a little confused (and who wouldn't be with all these names of drugs flying around?) Corid is, but it isn't great. All are poisons that should not be given "just because" at this point. He is not in dire straits, so give his little tummy a chance for a day or two.

Don't give a parasiticide without a fecal to know for sure what you are fighting. Once you get that fecal, come back to us with what the vet said, and we'll help sort out if the vet is right. (sometimes they are wrong about goats, can't be helped)


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## kathy_ (Mar 10, 2017)

Maria rose I think you need to go back and read mazie’s and my conversation we were speaking about corid for worming an I said ivermectin plus and valbazen is better than corid and Di-meth is used for coccidosis. Now I hope Mazie didn’t misunderstand what I was saying and I will bet you she didn’t. She sound like a very smart lady but if I need to break it down more let me know.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

kathy_ said:


> we were speaking about corid for worming and I said ivermectin plus and valbazen is better than corid and Di-meth is used for coccidosis.


Corid is for coccidia. Ivomec and Valbazen are not. In this sentence you are comparing Corid to Ivomec and Valbazen along with saying only DiMethox is for coccidia.


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## kathy_ (Mar 10, 2017)

You are absolutely right, sorry.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All had great advice and glad some critical info was pointed out and corrected.


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## Mazie (Nov 21, 2017)

Hey guys sorry I have been busy with him and finishing up this semester of college. I took him to the vet and he said it was a mixture of the milk and then what yall said he had. As of today he is back to having regular poops. Thank yall for giving me suggestions


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