# doe with lots of nasal mucus



## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Starlight, my 4.5 yr. old Nigerian dwarf doe, is really hard to figure out. Her history...I got her 2.5 years ago, and she had an occasional cough then. That has never changed, really. Sometimes worse, sometimes better, but not significantly so. She has also occasionally had a snotty nose with no other symptoms and not acting ill. This past winter/spring, when she was heavily pregnant, the nasal mucus got much worse. She was very stuffy and snotty, like a two year old with a cold. Think of when a two year old with a cold sneezes...that kind of snot. Just white to slightly yellow. However, she freshened with healthy triplets, good weights, nursed them all very well, and gave a quart every morning at 6 weeks fresh. She was much less congested and snotty through the summer.
Well, she's gotten terribly snotty again. Same as at the end of her pregnancy. She sneezes and flings off or licks off lots of snot. I can sometimes hear it when she breathes, especially in the A.M. Sometimes I can see that her breathing is a bit labored by looking at her sides. It's better during the day and in the evening. She is otherwise healthy. Not loosing production any more than the others, or more than normal. No fever. Eating normally. Not loosing condition. Poop normal. Normal activity level. Coat shiny and normal.
She comes from a herd tested negative for CAE, Johnees, and CL (as did all my goats). Also, she has never passed any of this on to any of the other goats, even though they live, eat and drink together.
My does are going into their first strong fall heats right now. Two were bred today, and Starlight could go into heat any time now. I feel like I need to make a decision about her condition. I have to decide if I need to take a trip to the vet with her before breeding her again (three hour drive one way) or just continue on with her thinking she must have an allergy or something. Any thoughts from others are appreciated, even though I know I'm the one who has to decide in the end.
She kidded in March, and this is her in June. She's at the front right. The second photo is her and triplets the day after kidding.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Oops! I guess you have to click on the link to see the second photo. For some reason it isn't showing up.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Allergies??? Is it extra dusty where she is and more so at certain times of year?


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

I don't think so about the dust. I do wonder if damp weather makes it worse. It sometimes seems to me that damp weather and weather changes do make it worse.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

Does she have a fever?


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

No fever, and I've checked it numerous times and different times of day.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

kccjer said:


> Allergies??? Is it extra dusty where she is and more so at certain times of year?


SO, are you saying that you do think it could be allergies? Or that you don't? Because that's the direction I've been leaning...but I don't want to ignore something important.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

I'm thinking it could be allergies. If no one else is getting sick and it doesn't seem to affect her health otherwise....I would lean to allergies being the culprit. We've had a couple horses that had allergies. One was allergic to alfalfa so during the winter she coughed and hacked til grass season cause alfalfa was what I had for feed since we raised our own. We also had a mustang that seemed to have major dust allergies and lost her in the middle of a really bad heat spell.


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

If it was allergies, shouldn't the snot be clear? The colored snot makes me think something else.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Thanks for the input.  I sure hate the thought of not being able to do anything about this to make her more comfortable. Maybe I'll start trying some herbal products that are supposed to help with allergies...


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Scottyhorse said:


> If it was allergies, shouldn't the snot be clear? The colored snot makes me think something else.


Well, it is for the most part clear to white and sometimes only very slightly yellowish tinged. Never truly "yellow".

I have thought of running a course of antibiotics (Naxcel), and a broad spectrum dewormer, just in case...but I hate to do it if there's no reason to.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Like us, allergies left unchecked can turn into sinus infection..since sheis well other wise try giving Benadryl daily for a week and see how she does..if the snot continues to be yellow might consider running her through a round of antibiotics... Nuflor is a good choice..its RX if you can get Nuflor then Tylan 200 is OTC...but tryt he Benadril first. DOse is the same as a human dose per weight..


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## Scottyhorse (Feb 11, 2013)

I would start with treating allergies. Maybe with the herbal stuff, because I don't think that would hurt.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Okay, thanks for the input.  Keep it coming if you think of anything else. I am definitely going to actively treat it like an allergy for a while. Not sure yet if I'll go herbal first or benadryl first. Has anyone used benadryl for their goat? Does it make then drowsy, or otherwise change their behavior in any way I should know about? Thanks!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

benedryl never made my goats feel sleepy or have any ill effect. I have an older doe who stays with dry snot if she doesnt haveher daily dose..she does well on it : )


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Thank you.


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## enchantedgoats (Jun 2, 2013)

give her some benedryl and see if it clears it up. there is alot of corn,goldenrod,etc causing alot of people allergies . we have one thats like that every year.


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## sandraH (Mar 1, 2013)

Mine had this too and I tried antibiotics to no avail. I used robatussin and vet RX and she got better. Try those. Mine is prego now and due next month
Has had on and off your same symptoms. Just make sure she doesn't go off feed or have fever then you may need antibiotics but try this first.


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## Patricia-Meyer (Nov 4, 2012)

Update: I tried the benadryl four times, AM and PM, but I didn't like what it did. It seemed only to thicken everything up and make it harder to deal with. I'm not going to use that anymore, but have ordered this: http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/xcart/Nose-and-Sinus-Homeopathic.html We'll see.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Hum..thats weird...I hope the new the stuff you ordered helps : )


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