# Nipples "chapped"?



## mjhetz (Sep 20, 2010)

Greetings!

I just bought myself a new Nubian doe, and compared to my other goats, her nipples are dry and chapped feeling. Is there anything I can do to help with this?

Also, she is very skinny. I'm feeding her Purina goat chow mixed with Blue Seal Dairy goat pellets, with alfalfa pellets, and BOSS mixed in. Is there anything else I could be giving her to put some meat on her bones(and get her milk production back up?)

Thank you!!

Mary Jane


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I'd take a warm wash cloth and first clean anything off her udder and teats and then apply some bag balm...stuff works great. :thumb: As for her being thin. I'd get her on some high quality alfalfa hay as well. Does she have loose goat minerals available? Is she utd on dewormings? Has she been tested Johne's negative? And how is her coat? Soft and shiny or rough...dull...etc.? Gums?


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Kylee has great suggestions! I also love bag balm! 
It would be good to start by having a fecal check run to check for worms and coccidia.


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## mjhetz (Sep 20, 2010)

KW Farms said:


> I'd take a warm wash cloth and first clean anything off her udder and teats and then apply some bag balm...stuff works great. :thumb: As for her being thin. I'd get her on some high quality alfalfa hay as well. Does she have loose goat minerals available? Is she utd on dewormings? Has she been tested Johne's negative? And how is her coat? Soft and shiny or rough...dull...etc.? Gums?


Ok, I was thinking bag balm might do it. UTD with all her stuff, I have minerals out, coat is a little grungy. Gums and eyelids look good.(first things I checked<G>)

The people I bought her from said she had been nursing her buckling up to the day I got her(4 months old)
I have ben milking her in the morning and at night, and getting a little more each time. 
Got about 15 oz tonight.
Granted, I've only had her since yesterday<G>

Mary Jane


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree...and since she's just 4 months fresh, you can expect her production to go up a little once she's settled in with you.

I've had success with adding a cup of dry shredded beet pulp to my does rations... I have Nigerians and during high production, they tend to put everything they take in into the milk pail so at each milking I was giving 2 cups of 18% Goat feed, 1 cup of Calf Manna, 1/2 cup of BOSS and 1/2 cup of beet pulp all mixed together twice a day with a ration of crushed alfalfa cubes once a day, free choice browse and an alfalfa mixed hay am and pm.

Another little trick that I found that works for dry teats...I use unscented baby wipes before and after milking, they are gentle, thorough and contain a moisturizer to help keep the udder skin soft.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I too agree, bag balm is great.


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## mjhetz (Sep 20, 2010)

*Update: Leeta died Oct 4*

she would get better, then worse, my other goats kept bullying her, then started knocking her over. I was put up more fencing and got a new shed so I could seperate her from everyone else, but I wasn't fast enough. The day after I got her alone, I found her in the shed, lying on her side and moaning. She couldn't get up, and when the vet came we decided to put her to sleep. The vet tested her for rabies(negative) but nothing else.

Then 4 days later, the person I bought her from posts on another goat group that one of her goats has deer worm, and is down, asking for suggestions. She knew it was deer worm because this goat had had it before.

Posted this morning that her goat had died.

The vet is coming tomorrow to do a herd check on the rest of my goats. Is there a test she can do to see if any of them have this "deer worm"?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Did she ever gain weight?


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## mjhetz (Sep 20, 2010)

Woodhavenfarm said:


> Did she ever gain weight?


Some, but she was still really skinny


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I"m assuming she is talking about Meningeal Worm. The only test that can be done is a spinal tap test. Very expensive and not many places do it.

This is not a spreadable disease. A goat has to ingest a snail or something that has the parasite in them when they are eating grass.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I have to wonder if it was Johnes ... did she seem really weak? Good appetite?


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## mjhetz (Sep 20, 2010)

Woodhavenfarm said:


> I have to wonder if it was Johnes ... did she seem really weak? Good appetite?


good appetite most of the time. couple of days when she didn't want to eat, but then she would be back to eating ok.

she was slow compared to my other goats, but didn't seem weak until the very end


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## Hobbyfarmer (Sep 7, 2011)

I'm so sorry you lost her  That's very sad. I'm not familiar with this parasite but I hope your other goats stay healthy.


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