# Help! First goat!



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y318/beckajean101/butters_zps14c71d49.jpg

So there are some pics I took of my girl Butters that I just got last night at a livestock auction. She was for sale for meat but I wanted her as a pet. SO she is really skiddish, but i think with time i can tame her down.....But thats not what is worrying me. Her belly is huge and hard, i can feel her hip bones if i press in but she seems rather stocky. The skin inside her eyes is bright red as you can see in the top right picture. I have no idea how old she is......do you guys think she could be pregnant? I wormed her with safeguard just in case. Her teats are not swollen but she is eating constantly (though i hear all goats do this). Any ideas what could be up with her? pregnant or no? and how old do you guys think she is?


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

She looks fairly young. I would say she's either bloated or has a worm load. She's quite a cutie. 
I would try to give her a bath and clean her up a bit, and if she calms down enough clip her so you can see everything. She needs some TLC, thats for sure.


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

How's her poop? She has a coccidia look to me. I would check for lice and watch her very closely. She'll need a fecal float so you know what de-wormer to use. Give her ALL the hay she wants and slowly introduce grain. I would give her probios.

Best of luck!! :hug:


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

AWWW, what a sweet thing she is. He eyes are so caring and loving. 

Maybe she is eating so much because you are feeding her? No they do not eat all the time either.

I would have to say worms as well but the best thing to do is get a fecal into the vet and let them see if that is the problem or not. I never deworm without doing a fecal. Waste of money if it is not needed as well as not real good for the goats. 

She looks to be about 3-4 months old is all. 

Does she have another goat buddy?


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I will be following along her progress, also


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

She does not have lice/fleas as I already brushed her out once to check. If she did have them they must be very few of them.....because i checked her coat good. Her poo is hard and in tiny balls.I gave her a small bucket of grain and plenty hay and water. Do you think she might be bloated? I have no idea what she might have ate before I got her. I am glad no one thinks she is pregnant, she is much too young looking....

And she will be getting a goat buddy in 1-2 weeks ^_^

She has been eating some of the goat feed but mostly hay.

At the moment I have no way to get her to the vet, I had to have someone haul her here for me. If it is an emergency I will borrow someones vehicle. But otherwise I would like to try to treat her at home if possible. Thanks for all the kind words guys!


----------



## serenityfarmnm (Jan 6, 2013)

I wonder if she is "just fat" over fed for extra sale weight....

All goats do not eat constantly... is she chewing her cud? Do you know how old she is?


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

serenityfarmnm said:


> I wonder if she is "just fat" over fed for extra sale weight....
> 
> All goats do not eat constantly... is she chewing her cud? Do you know how old she is?


I have a goat who is fat, she doesn't look like that. This goat appears to have other things wrong, her coat is a little odd, and she's all hunched up. Like I said I would think worms, first.

To the OP..
Make sure to collect some poo, and take it to a vet for a test to see what she might be dealing with.


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

No idea how old she is, yeah she is chewing her cud a lot. Burping and chewing it over and over. I hope she is just fat <3 And I have no idea of her age, she was sold as a nanny kid *shrug*


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

Her fur actually seems really healthy, I curry combed her and very little came out. It is really curly....like poodle curly and really really soft....unlike any goats i have petted before :/


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I would put baking soda out for her to eat at will.

I also keep saying that I have a Sweet Lix Bloat guard block. It is for cattle but it is fine for goats. They will eat it when they are getting a little bloated. It is a real life saver for sure.


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

If she is burping she could have bloat. I really don't think she's just fat. You can try giving her some baking soda mixed with water, then put it in a syringe and douse her with it.. But I would wait for the more experienced members to chime in


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

She does look wormy, I'd have a fecal run as soon as possible. 

I wouldn't give her a whole bucket of grain -- fresh, green grass hay is better. You need to introduce grain very slowly and carefully.

Rub the left side of her tummy, get her to burp as much as possible.


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

Can she die from bloat? I am worried about my little gal. And regular baking soda? Like the kind in the yellow box at walmart? she is having a lot of gut sounds, burrping and rumling a lot.....what causes bloat? am I already giving her too much grain? I fed her about an inch in one of those round ice cream buckets....


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

She seems to have no interest in grass, she will only eat when i have her closed in the small lot....when she is outside she seems terrified...


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I would only give her 1/4 to 1/2 cup of grain once a day, then after a week move that up to twice a day, then you can add on from there.

And yes, just regular baking soda. If left untreated, bloat can kill.. But hopefully you caught it fast enough :hug:


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Too much grain or a sudden change of diet can cause bloat ... yep, the regular baking soda. You can add enough water to suck it up in a syringe and shoot a bit in her mouth


----------



## OwnedByTheGoats (Mar 7, 2013)

That is what my first goat looked like when I got her. She had that hunched look and was always yelling. She also ate all she could. We dewormed her and everything went back to normal.

FYI, she looks like she is all Boer and about 4-6 months old. 

Congrats!!!


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Also, make sure to pick up a bag of goat minerals.... They have to be specifically for goats otherwise there is missing minerals that other animals (like sheep) can't have, but goats need. Get a couple of those plastic feeders that you hang on the wall, and put baking soda in one, and minerals in the other.

Right now it would be best to leave her in the little pen... Just till she get's used to you and her new house


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

My hubby is picking her up some baking soda on his way home from work ^_^ And I have wormed her with safeguard. She has a mineral lick, is that good enough or does it need to be like the baking soda?


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Saveguard may not work, which is why a fecal float is important. The vet will be able to tell you what worm your doe has, which saveguard may not work on 

Mineral licks are not ideal for goats, they need a loose mineral.


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I have read and found loose minerals work best


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

I took her goat feed and gave her some grass in its place (she was not happy about it). She is moving around fine and burping/farting a lot XD Hopefuly by tomorrow i can give her some baking soda and her tummy will feel better. I think she is a boer goat but I am not sure, she has a personality though ^_^ she hates having her head touched but will cock her leg like a dog if you scratch her belly XD


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

I will be getting her some loose minerals soon.


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Have any nice grass hay? I'm glad she's getting the air out, haha! That's a good sign.


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

she looks to be 4-5 months old boer....even though her eyes are bright red in color, tape and cocci will give a bloat look.When I bring home a new goat, I worm them..even if they look good...stress can offer opportunity for worms to take over.....for her I would use Valbazen and sulmet or Albon for cocci...( I prefer baycox but you have to order it.)Introduce grain very slowly..too much too fast will cause the runs..
I would also give her a CD&T shot and then booster in 21 days...


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

OH! And don't use too much wormer right away, if she's heavily infested, all of the worms letting go at once can kill her -- they will leave little holes in the intestine.


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

Ok, at the moment I can not get her to a vet. I would need to borrow someones vehicle, which I may do if she does not improve. In the meantime I have wormed her with goat wormer, i am getting baking soda and minerals, and I am cutting back on her goat feed and giving her grass/hay instead. If I had not bought her she was going to go as a meat goat...so I don't think i made the wrong decision in getting her. I have been trying to look up the types of worms goats in my area KY can get but I am not having much luck......thanks for all the help guys. I have about 100 I can spend on anything else she might need right now....so what do you guys think is most important to get?


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

ThreeHavens said:


> OH! And don't use too much wormer right away, if she's heavily infested, all of the worms letting go at once can kill her -- they will leave little holes in the intestine.


I only gave her the dosage on the bottle, 1.2 ml....do you think it was too much? she weighs 47 pounds....


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I think most important would take a fecal to the vet... It's about $10-$20, then go from there


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Sounds like you are giving her a very nice chance at a good life..she has a sweet face

to get started

cd antitoxin
tylan 200
Penicillin
b complex
probios 
18 and 20 G needles...1/2 
syringes


----------



## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Good job in taking her in. 

just get a little container and scoop up some poop for the vet, you probably don't need to take the goat itself.


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

oh so i can take her poo to a vet to test it for worms instead of the whole goat? that i could manage XD i guess i need to call my vet and make sure they will let me bring it. Thanks for all the help everyone!


----------



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

yep you can just collect a fresh sample for the vet. 

to me she looks like she has coccidiosis which is why the pot belly, I would just treat her regardless, I like Baycox. 

Lots of hay and a cup or two of grain each day and she will look great in no time. Her coat does look good.


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

is there a cheap alternative to Baycox? Because I can not afford that :/


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

http://horseprerace.com/toltrazuril...edient-of-Baycox®)/toltrazuril-for-epm-200ml/


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Sulmet or albon...I wouldn't use Corid....Baycox is worth its weight in gold...but I understand money can be a factor....


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

Ok, so I gave her a little bit of bakind soda mixed with water and squirted it in her mouth. SHe hates baking soda now, but she is burping quite a lot.....is this normal?


----------



## inkbound (May 7, 2013)

Her stomach is somewhat smaller today, i can actually see the dents where her hips are now instead of having to press down to feel them. I think she is going to be alright ^_^ I think she was bloated, or the worm medicine worked.


----------



## cathy (Apr 7, 2013)

You can do a fecal by mail for $5. Www.midamericaagresearch.net this place is great. Like everyone else she looks young. If you get her diet consistent she should lose that bloat.


----------



## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Safeguard shold be given at 1cc per 15lbs for now and then at 1cc per 10lbs in 7-10 days. I would go on and get either sulmet or dimethox... Both would be in the chicken area of a farm store to treat them for coccidia. I agree, she does look like she has coccidiousis. Yes, after giving baking soda burping is normal. She should burp and chewing their cud is good and normal too.


----------



## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

She looks 3-5months old


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

inkbound said:


> Her stomach is somewhat smaller today, i can actually see the dents where her hips are now instead of having to press down to feel them. I think she is going to be alright ^_^ I think she was bloated, or the worm medicine worked.


That's great! I bet she is starting to feel a lot better 

Keep up the good work, and make sure to keep us posted with pictures


----------



## cathy (Apr 7, 2013)

Baycox is great but dimethox is s cheaper alternative for coccidiosis. Safe guard wont help it is a wormer. Corid isnt very effective in goats. This is just from past experience, I am no expert.


----------



## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Corid is a thiamine inhibitor and if you use too much it can hinder thiamine production which can cause polio. That's why I won't use it


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

glad she is doing better : ) I know all the info can be over whelming..just go one thing at a time..baking soda is done...keep some free choice out for her..just pour it dry in a dish..goats will naturally take some when needed...now tackle her cocci issue..like everyone said Sulmet or Dimethox is a better over the counter choice...walk away from corid  best wishes..and please keep us posted...she is a doll...so happy she got a caring home...now all you need is a buddy for her


----------



## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

cathy said:


> You can do a fecal by mail for $5. Www.midamericaagresearch.net this place is great. Like everyone else she looks young. If you get her diet consistent she should lose that bloat.


 Wow! This is great!


----------



## ILuvGoats123 (May 2, 2013)

What a sweet looking girl . . . do you have other goats, too? If not, you should get her a companion. Goats don't do well without another goat.
I'm glad her belly is looking better! Congrats on your first goat!


----------



## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

How is she doing?


----------

