# New here and just lost my goats



## Ez2bbad64

Hello. I am new here. I just recently lost almost all my beloved goats and wanted to share their story in case it helps someone else or if anyone knows of something like this happening to them?. I had a small herd of dairy goats. My herd consisted of 5 does ( a alpine, Nubian, toggenburg, a alpine mix and a saanen oberhalsi mix. That we running with a blue roan Nubian buck I am sure they were about a month preggers. There were two dairy breed wethers who had taken championships at the local fair and were trained to pull a cart. All goats presented with stiff legs and heads curled back foam around the mouth. The only one recovered alive was one sheep. For three days we tried to save her we used thiamin and penacillian shots. She was stiff as a board her muscles trembled her head curled back in that same position foam dripping from her mouth. No fever her eyes would follow you. She was trapped in her own body. We had her put down and tested she came back perfect except for high levels of copper the official report says she died from excesive levels of copper. All animals symptoms were the exact same. Only thing they had access to was a 37% Range block And hay. They were also fed a little corn and oats mix at night but i know it wasent my grain or hay that did this. The block It was mode by stockade and sold by fleet farm under the sprout label. The original label said do not give to sheep and made no mention of goats, the sprout label they relabeled it with said for goats and sheep. I am heart broken and am left with our pet fainting goat one one sheep left.


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## ksalvagno

I'm so sorry for your loss. 

Did the goats have high levels of copper too? I guess I'm not sure what a range block is. Is that supposed to be a mineral block?


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## KarmakeeFarm

:mecry:So very sorry for your loss-I do hope that you contacted Fleet Farm and let them know-I know TSC also sells this and I will tell the manager
Hugs:hugs:


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## HerdQueen

Sorry for your loss. I coldn't imagine how you must feel.


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## JaLyn

Oh wow, I am so sorry you had to go through this big hugs to you...We are here for you if you need us.


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## mmiller

Oh no thats just awful. Its always hard just losing one but to lose that many in such a short time. With that label thing why cant ppl be more careful but I guess not everyone knows that copper levels for goats will kill sheep. I think you for letting us know I will be super careful in the future when it comes to the labels everyone does make mistakes. Thank You again for sharing an very sorry for your loss.


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## sweetgoats

I too am so sorry for you loss. That is horrible.

 Now the Sheep can over dose on Copper. They can NOT have the cooper that a goat HAS TO HAVE.

 With the foaming at the mouth and things, I was thinking they got into something that is poisonous, but if the vet said copper. Like Karen said were the goats the same? Were they tested?


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## clearwtrbeach

I'm so sorry for your loss, it's just horrible. To tag onto what sweet goats said, with the foaming. Did these animals all have this happen very close in time?? If so I would also wonder more about poison. I wouldn't think they would all go right away from copper (w/o it being a bolus or something extra) since I never know for sure how much any one goat eats their minerals. Not to discount your vet, just thinking out loud.
Again I'm so sorry you have to go through this!


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## Trickyroo

:hug: Im so sorry for your loss  

What kind of corn were they fed ? 
Just curious if something could have been wrong with the oats or maybe the corn...The frothy mouth makes me think of bloat too.
But im sure the vet would have said that...


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## ThreeHavens

I did think of bloat ... frothy bloat sounds a lot like that, and is a killer. Corn isn't very healthy for goats, something we found out the hard way.

I'm so sorry for such loss :hug:


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## ktm5665

Im so very sorry to hear what happened to your babies.


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## Texas.girl

:grouphug: Sorry about your loss. My heart goes out to you. I do find it strange that all the goats had a copper overdose. I would want to have the block and/or other feed tested for copper levels.



Woodhavenfarm said:


> Corn isn't very healthy for goats, something we found out the hard way.


My first goat just showed up one Friday evening. I led her into my vegetable garden so she would be safe and start cleaning it out. An elderly friend who use to have goats told me it would only take her a day or two to clean the garden out (it actually took a month). Saturday morning I had to go into town and told several friends what had showed up the night before. I was afraid she would run out of food in the garden before I found her owner, which never surfaced. One casual friend said, "calm down, go over to the grocery store and buy a bag of deer corn for her". I am so glad I did not take his advice, but instead drove over to the feed store and asked them for advice. They sent me home with a bag of goat pellets.


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## Ez2bbad64

Sorry couldent reply sooner. I don't have a computer just a smart phone with Internet and was having issues replying!. The foam from their mouths the vet said was from them struggling to breathe as they were basically paralyzed. The corn they ate was the same corn my cows, horses and poultry all ate and my remaining goat and sheep are eating it and they have all been fine. t's been heck dealing with this. Stockade wants to know what the animals were worth and I don't know what to say. I know what I paid for them two had special training as harness goats. 5 were expecting.


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## ThreeHavens

I wouldn't think it would be copper ... what kind of copper is in their diet? Goats usually need a lot of copper, and foam does sound like bloat or poisoning. Any chance of them getting into poison?

I'm so sorry for your loss :hug:


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## kristinatucker

Oh wow that is awful!! Im so very sorry!! I know goats can get overdosed on copper but it would have to be a LOT! Most areas are copper deficient so i would not think a mineral block would be a enough to do them all in and then if this all happened at the same time.. something seems really wrong! I hope you can find the reasoning for this! Please keep us posted and again I am so sorry!


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## Ez2bbad64

No chance of them getting into anything. Vet did a complete tox screen only thing found was massive amounts of copper and from the looks of it it was not a long term overdose. Only thing they had that contained copper was that block. That mislabeled range block. I truly belive there must have been a "glob" of something that didint get mixed right in there.


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## fd123

Id say by them asking the value of your lost livestock could only mean one thing...>> That they are aware of a potential problem that couldve been caused from their product..
Im very sorry for your loss....And HOPE if the cause of this tragic event was from the block, that they will do the "RIGHT THING" and compensate you accordingly! And most importantly >> REMOVE/RECALL all of the blocks in question so this doesnt happen to anyone else..
Prayers Sent..


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## milkmaid

I am so very sorry! How horrible for you and the goats. 
I too find it strange that it would be copper poisoning. I am pretty well read on copper and have quite a bit of experience with it. Those are not the usual symptoms of copper poisoning. It would have to be a lot of copper - more than they could possibly have gotten from a block! I suppose anything is possible though.


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## FussBudget

Aww honey, I am so sorry


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## _nigeriandwarf

I am very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine. :hugs:


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## toth boer goats

How devastating, I am so sorry.


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## Stephoo

The corn was shared among the cows, horses, goat, sheep and chickens. Only that pen was affected. The vet said the froth was from them struggling to breathe


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## Stephoo

I don't know what happened I just registered and it put my name on the above post but I Diddnt post it !!


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## goathiker

Many range blocks contain Urea also. That could have done something to make the copper stay in the bloodstream. Urea should not be labled for goats at all.

To give you a baseline on your trained goats an adult trained pack wether is worth around $300.


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## milkmaid

I just got to thinking, maybe the company could have mixed the mineral batch wrong. Again, I am so very sorry.  That is devastating.


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## StaceyRosado

old thread people


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## goatgirl132

Stephoo said:


> I don't know what happened I just registered and it put my name on the above post but I Diddnt post it !!


That's weird


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## milkmaid

> old thread people


I know. It looks like the OP re-registered with a different name, and commented on her own thread. :shrug:


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