# Cobalt Bolus



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Does anyone give their goats the cobalt bolus's from Santa Cruz Biotech? They are bolus's that supposedly last for up to 3 years in the rumen of a goat. I am just curious if anyone has used them.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

I haven't but I'm following...


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I haven't. I had done some research on them and was tempted. Then I finally decided to have a liver analysis done for minerals on a goat we butchered (that had lived at our farm for at least 2 years so was representative of our management) and the cobalt levels were very good. That is for my area (Connecticut), on local grass hay with free choice Sweetlix minerals, copper bolusing, and Standlee alfalfa pellets.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I don't see how it could last in the rumen for 3 years. My cobalt block works just fine and my goats lick it on a regular basis.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I don't see how it can either but they also claim that the copper rods last for a year and that is soooo not the case here!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Do you want the health version of why it's a bad idea or the conspiracy theory version of why it's a bad idea?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

How about the real one?


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

goathiker said:


> Do you want the health version of why it's a bad idea or the conspiracy theory version of why it's a bad idea?


The truth please...


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, both have great merit actually. 

Once it's in there how are you going to get out if something in your management changes? Say you do the bolus and your mineral supplier changes formulations or your next load of hay has more cobalt. It would just give you one more thing to have to worry about not ODing your goats on. The blocks work well and allow the animal to choose how much they need, the blocks also supply iodine.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

According to the website's instructions: " if adverse reactions occur, discontinue use and consult a veterinarian." Uh, how do you discontinue if the bolus is already in the goat? 

I was just curious if anyone had tried them. They sound a bit scary!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

In playing devil's advocate:

But the cobalt & iodine blocks are hard to come by in some areas of the country and very heavy/expensive to ship! Plus they are a secondary source of salt which may reduce the rate at which the herd uses the loose minerals! The cobalt bolus negates these two issues.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Actually I have not found a reduction in eating loose mineral with having a cobalt block.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I find that you are correct saltey. Even though my goats are not these big mineral eaters to start with, when they go crazy over the cobalt (seems to come in waves) they will not touch those minerals and usually a small bowel will last a week but it will sit there for a month. Same thing happens when they attack the selenium block as well. I think it's just the fact that they can only have so much salt.
BUT Jill does bring up a good point. How will you get it out 'if'. If they came in rods, like the copper I would just use a kid as a 'test rat' but it's one big pill like thing. So you can't even pop them open and give them less to be on the safe side.


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## Binski5080 (Aug 2, 2013)

I have two older does who, after much research, I decided to try the above mentioned cobalt boluses on. 
With very low worm loads and free choice good mineral they still maintained very pale eyelids and one doe is staying in poor condition. 
I just bolused today and will check eyelids weekly as well as report on condition. I have not had any biopsies done, and I don't plan on it in the near future unless one of these does passes. 
I'll try to remember to post results here but if I forget feel free to remind me!


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Binski5080 said:


> I have two older does who, after much research, I decided to try the above mentioned cobalt boluses on.
> 
> With very low worm loads and free choice good mineral they still maintained very pale eyelids and one doe is staying in poor condition.
> 
> ...


A Colbalt bolus is great, but it isn't for treating parasites... Ivomec + or valbalzen are good broad spectrum wormers.... You do need to do it 3 times 10 days apart... You wouldn't get a biopsy done, you would get a fecal count done through a vet, so you know what parasites you need to treat... It's really a good idea... You just take a stool sample in and they run the fecals.... Shouldn't be too expensive...


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

They said low egg count, they are trying the bolus for the pale eye lids.
I was going to try the boluses but the only place I could buy them that I found was Santa cruise and I've read bad things about them and their products so i passed. I just went with the blocks which are hard to get my hands on at times but since they are only $10 I bought 5 and have the other 4 stashed out for back up lol curious to see how you're does though and also wondering if you ordered from a different place.


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## janeen128 (Dec 31, 2012)

Oh, oops.... Just sounded that they didn't run a fecal....., I mis read that... Sorry...


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## Binski5080 (Aug 2, 2013)

No problem! Yes we live in Texas and I have to be very aggressive about my deworming in the spring/ wet summers, so fecals run by my vet are a must. With a combination of Prohibit, Valbazen and cydectin (yes I know it's horrible, but I lost a great buck last year so this year I tried everything till I found what worked) my vet finally told me fecal egg count was in the low- acceptable range. How ever my does just weren't bouncing back from spring worms. I tried red cell for a email, lots of probiotics, Replamin Gel (made their coats gorgeous but didn't help eyes) and others. Cobalt blocks are not offered at any local feed stores- I even tried to have some ordered. And yes I was also worried about the extra salt in the block making them eat less loose mineral. So I took the plunge on the cobalt boluses. I read a lot trials of sheep people using them with great success under similar conditions to mine, but couldn't find goat studies. I'll keep everyone up to date on how they do. If the boluses work well on the two test subjects i will be doing the whole herd. 
And they swallowed those huge pills like they were the smaller copper boluses.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I wondered how they would swallow them. I am very interested in how they work out for you.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Yeah see that was another thing I was kinda unsure of. I thought, for some reason it was like the copper boluses and you could just break them down but no it's basically like a little rock in that pill (correct? I had to really squint my eyes to see the catalog) 
But on another note lol your pale eye lids, when I had a anemic goat, she was super bad white lies and bottle jaw, I did a lot of reading and came across some site that said high protein helps. I was giving iron shots and when she was done being a pin cushion went to red cell but nothing was really getting her better. Bought some kind of show goat feed and calf manna which are both high in protein and I saw a faster result with that. This year I had a cocci issue and had a good handful of kids with very pale lids. Treated them and that was it since the hay I'm feeding tested just below dairy quality and that was roughly 2 months ago and now with weaning and being able to really get my hands on them I'm checking and nice pink lids. So just a thought maybe some good protein for them as well might help you out (not at all saying your feeding junk or anything )


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## Binski5080 (Aug 2, 2013)

On day 3 after administering horse sized cobalt boluses and does have not OD'd and are acting alert and normal. Of course no eyelid changes yet but I checked anyway.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

I got a jar of them 2 years ago. They are slow release, just like the rods, so the chance of overdosing is low. They are a regular gel cased bolus with a lump of cobalt inside. I used a balling gun to shove it down their throat. The boluses were the same size as the goat sized copper boluses, as I bought the goat cobalt boluses, not the cattle ones.

You cannot get cobalt blocks in my area, no one sells them. They can't even order them, not sure why. Cobalt is said to help the rumen flora thrive and maintain the Vit B level. I was all for that.

I bolused my entire herd 2 years ago and had no side effects, no problems at all. Not really sure if it did any good or not, because my herd is basically very healthy, but I just wanted to give it a try just in case. That's how I found out that cocci prevention and copper blousing was a much needed thing in my area.


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## Binski5080 (Aug 2, 2013)

*Cobalt results 1 week*

Will try to attach pictures. I am calling this a success. After only 1 week after cobalt bolusing, my two older does have EYELID COLOR!!!! Doe 1 had no eyelid color (read- death on the famancha card) for over 4 months. Doe 2 had no eyelid color for around 2 months. Upon inspection today doe 1 has a hint of color and doe two is nearing the healthy range!!!! After only one week!!!
And please note these does both had acceptable fecals.

I cannot get pics to post from my phone but "after" eyelid pics can be seen on my FB page, five eighths farm.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is great!


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

Awesome! I love it when an experiment works out for the better!


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