# Help, Please. Doe just won't gain weight.



## goatweed (Feb 29, 2008)

It's been a while since I have posted because I just read through the forums until I find the answer. It never fails to produce. This place is great!
Until now. I can't seem to find an answer to my problem. Let me explain. First of all a goat vet is not an option. There are NONE. The last one I took a goat to gave him to much anesthesia and he didn't take another breath. You guys ARE my vet.
I have a purebred doe who had quads (yes, quads) on 6/7/08. Luckily we have a nubian who raised the 2 males and momma raised the 2 girls. Everything went fine, no problems. They have been weaned and shown, etc. Anyway, the doe has yet to gain her "form" back. She gets wormed with everyone else, and yes I have tried different wormers on her. She eats well (very well). She might be a tad anemic. But I have put a half bottle of Red Cell down her. Lots of Probios for her rumen as well as Nutri Drench (lots of that too). Her gut is all sunk in like a dairy cow (for lack of a better term). Her backbone is all you see on top- no meat. Her ribs are visible. She seems happy and acts like she feels fine. But something is just not right. I noticed today she has a touch of diarrhea. I'm gonna give her some Kao and watch the diarrhea. Anybody got any ideas. I normally worm with Levamisole, but she has gotten some horse wormer too (I'll have to check on the name). We bought her bred so I don't know how she normally keeps, but it can't be this bad. Oh yeah, she has been dusted for lice too - several times. I know this is long, but I want to give you all the information I can. Oh, I almost forgot, she had a round of LA-200 at one point too. Just in case, but it didn't help. They all get fed 1.5 lbs. of 16% pellet plus hay that she loves. Free choice minerals and soda. No one else looks like this. Not even close.
The only other thing I know to try is to separate her and just leave the feed out free choice and hope that works, but I dont want to just band-aid it. I had rather know what is going on so I can fix it or run the other way. No lumps (CL). She has always been a heavy breather, but I think it is because her nostrils are kinda flat compared to others. She usually gets a pretty crusty nose that I'm sure doesn't help. I just have to keep it wiped clean. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Brad
P.S. Our paint had her first kid. A little girl that looks JUST like her.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Wow Brad, it sure sounds like you are on top of everything, the only thing I can think of is adding beet pulp to her feed.
Others will be along to give you more ideas.
And congrats on that paint kid!!


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I might have missed it and if so I am sorry, but what breed is she?

I have one that is exactly the same and I talked with a breeder that I really trust :wink: - and she told me to try vionate.

Other then that - I would keep trying to up her feed - maybe give her grain twice a day. Is she still in milk? 

Also what type of dewormer did you use?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Brad, you are surely well educated with her needs! What breed is she? Are you milking her? If you are, some does "forget" to keep some goodies for theirselves and put it all into the milk pail.

I have that very same thing going with my 8 year old nigi/pygmy doe, she's always had a "pygmy" belly and a bit of a sharp spine regardless of how much high quality feed she's gotten. I am still milking her after she freshened in Feb 08 with triplets, she doesn't have the hollow hipped milk cow look that she had a few months ago but her spine still feels like a razor blade. She too has had the wormings as well as the nutri drench and the high fiber foods, but to no avail, I figure that my girl is just made to be built this way, she is very healthy and bright and has never had any issues at all, very healthy kiddings, and just a genuine sweetheart.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

cocci....
Have a fecal done for cocci and worms.....
she may be immuned to the wormers you are using....


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## Julie (Oct 6, 2007)

I agree you should have a fecal done. She might have some worms that your dewormer isn't getting. 

I read your entire post, but didn't see where you said how much you're feeding her - just that she's "well fed" ... so how much is "well fed?" 

You can give her oatmeal. And beat pulp. I also would highly recommend fastrack - it's full of nutrients, and is a probiotic. You give it on a daily basis. 

How much hay is she getting ? 
Also what type of feed are you feeding ? Is it a pellet feed, or a sweet feed, etc. ?


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## goatweed (Feb 29, 2008)

> They all get fed 1.5 lbs. of 16% pellet plus hay that she loves. Free choice minerals and soda.


The hay is free choice too (good quality coastal).
Sorry about that, but she is a fullblood boer.
Not in milk at all. I think she might have even got bred back. I turned her out after I thought she had "turned the corner". Now I wish I hadn't. 
She is a sucker for some BOSS so I gave her some this morning. Never fails. I try to go easy on those though.
Oatmeal and beet pulp, huh? Never crossed my mind. So am I looking for high fiber???? Can someone explain that one just for my own good? I agree on the fecal and worms. Again, we use Levamisole and she has even had a round of some horse paste, but I dont remember the name - I'll check.
Does the oatmeal need to be rationed kinda like BOSS or is it all she wants? Same thing with beet pulp. I checked again and, in my opinion, she is anemic. VERY pale gums, but the eyelid actually looks okay so what do you do? Anyone here do their own fecals? I am interested in just doing my own.
I will check for some Fastrack and some Vionate.
I also have to wonder about a few things and thought I would see if anyone has had any experience with Nose Bots, Liver Flukes, or even the dreaded TB. Just brainstorming.
Thanks for the great info and keep em coming, please.
Brad


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

Fastrack is a microbial (kind of like a probiotic but a little more and it is natural). You can only get it through a distributor. Comes in several different forms but I use the powder and the gel (after kidding for for a sick goat needing a boost).


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## goatweed (Feb 29, 2008)

The horse wormer was Ivermectin 1.87%.
I gave her 5cc Cydectin Friday afternoon. So now she has had 3 different wormers over the past few months.
We have a bag of corn and oat mix here. After seeing the advise on oatmeal, I decided to give the coan and oat mix a try. She really liked it. A lot. Our feed pellet is a molasses-based pellet and I think I see know that she just doesn't care for the molasses. The others like it fine. Anyway, she is definitely anemic. I checked her and her gums are for sure white. Now I just gotta figure out who the blood thief is. I am gonna try nd find someone around here to do a fecal on her.
Do these symptoms sound like maybe liver flukes? Only a few wormers will get those. They all seem to be injectable. Should I give it orally too or go ahead and inject it?
Thanks in advance.
Brad


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

you can give it injectable but also orally too. Orally you need to give ivermectin 1cc per 20lbs


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## mnspinner (Aug 13, 2008)

I concur. Instead of guessing I'd be getting a fecal done asap. She might have coccidia also which of course wormers do not effect. At least you could rule it out if nothing shows up on the test.
Once you find out the culprit then you can work at getting her blood built back up. But anemia will take a goat down suddenly so I hope you get the fecal right away.


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## helmstead (Oct 2, 2008)

Is no one else thinking a Johne's test is in order?


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## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Kate ... I didnt read the whole post but that was my first thought when I read the title.


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## ArcticGoats (Jun 9, 2008)

Although you'll probably want to get your fecal done right away - there is a really good how to page on goatbiology.com - http://goatbiology.com/fecal.html


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## Morganistan (Aug 25, 2013)

We have the same thing going on with a Nubian doe who kidded twins in May. Eyelids, gums, appetite and overall health seem just fine but she looks like a picket fence. We have a 400X and a 1000X microscope and do our own fecals here. There are instructions all over the web for doing them and used microscopes from colleges and labs are fairly easy to come across for less than $100. Well worth it in the long run considering what vets charge. We have yet to find a vet that knows half of what we already know about goats just from years of reading, most are incompetent.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Of a fecal cant be done I wild choose ivomec plus 1 cc per 40# sub q 3 times ten days apart then again in 30 days. I would also treat for cocci. I use baycox 1 cc per 5# . There is a huge withdraw for milk in that. Dimethox is a good OTC choice. For anemia I would be giving red cell6cc per 100# double day one then daily for a week then once a week until you see god color. I would also give bit. b 12 injectable or b complex PLUS which has enough 12 in it. High protein feed alfalfa and green leaves to help rebuild her red blood cells. Keeping her hydrated is important. If this method does not help a blood test for CaE and jones disease is in order. Best wishes


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