# Is She Depressed



## GeorgiaBrownRIP (Oct 14, 2012)

I didn't know what other category to put this under. If you think I should put it in a different category, tell me which one, it isn't urgent.

We recently lost our Boer mix who was the companion to our Nubian doe. He passed the 3rd. He and her have been together since we bought her around a year ago. He was just a baby, and they were the only two goats we had till she kidded in April. They were still close, and she yelled every time they were separated (which was often since he went out with me often). When he became sick I had to lock him up in quarantine and had to lock her babies up so they wouldn't get sick. She focused more on her babies for once, and didn't freak out that much.

She didn't notice his absence until a few days after he passed. Since then she rely's on the dogs (A large Beagle mix and labrador puppy) for companionship, and when they are taken back in, she yells for a short period for them. She doesn't acknowledge her babies much anymore, since they have moved on from her (isolate away from her). She doesn't think of them as companions.

She stays in the doghouse (VERY LARGE) far too much during the day. It is where White Boy passed away. She had access to seeing but not touching him the whole night he was "passed" in there (he died at 10 pm, and we couldn't bury him till morning) and I feel like she thinks if she is in there he'll come back. When she is separated from that pen she yells until I put her back. If I leave her and a dog isn't outside with her, she yells till it or I come back (except at night). 

We can't get another goat, we are keeping her doeling and selling her buckling. We can only have two goats, that's all our space allows. I don't know what to do for her. She is basically going into depression. She will only eat all her feed in the morning and evening if I stand right there with her, or she walks back to the doghouse. I haven't seen her really graze for about a week now, she only does when I am outside playing with my puppy. She has lost some weight because of it. I don't know what to do. I am thinking on taking her to a lady down the street with goats to let her mingle for awhile, and I really don't care if her buck mates with her or not because I really just want Bambi (the doe) to start feeling better and acting better. What do yall think I should do???


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## HalfAChanceFarm (Dec 1, 2012)

First, showing her the dead goat is, in my opinion, a bad idea. I think that made her more upset. 
Second, I think she is too upset to really notice her baby goats are there. I would lock her up with the kids and hopefully they will get some bonding time. 
Third, put some electrolytes in her water. I would also put a drop of lavender on her nose to calm her down. Give her hay and grain, whatever she wants to eat. You might want to give her Vitamin B complex, which helps her get an appetite.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

the fact she didnt miss him for a fews days makes me think her behavior is something else...not that goats cant miss others they lost..I had a doe loose her 8 week old doeling who cried for her for a week..

isolation means she does not feel well, dropping weight means she dont feel well...something is going on..

Take her temp..it should be between 101.5 and 103.5
Have a fecal done to check for worm load
Check her lower inner eye lids for color...should be bright pink to red...pale or white eyes means she is anemic and needs treatment

B complex is a great idea ..Sub Q not oral
Probiotics will also be a good idea..

lets start with a temp and eye lid check...let us know what you find out...


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## LamanchaAcres (Jan 11, 2013)

Maybe you should sell both kids and get a little older companion..... Just a thought. But if your too attached to the doeling then lock them all up for some bonding time.


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

As Cathy pointed out, there could be something else going on. Get a temp on her.
I wouldnt take her to mingle with other goats she needs to stay with her own babies. 
How old are they? Are they weaned?


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## GeorgiaBrownRIP (Oct 14, 2012)

She's gotten better. She was more or less depressed. I've been working with her throughout the day (not constantly, mostly in the morning and evening) and have put her on a new diet and she has gained a small amount of weight.

We don't have other goats for her to mingle with, we've looked. We also can't pen them close. We don't have the facilities. They are weaned, though.

I've been giving her B12 pills in the morning, and it has helped her eat more. She has calmed down some, and has stayed out of the doghouse when it isn't necessary.

With her being able to see him, she never really looked at him. I think she knew he was sick because she avoided him. 

I am seriously thinking on selling both her kids and getting a new doe, it's still iffy. There aren't any dairy breeders around anymore since her seller sold her herd. They mostly went to Florida and Northern GA where shows and dairy communities actually are, unlike us in Southwest GA. I only know one close Dairy Breeder, a ND breeder. 

We'll think on selling both. We may already have a home for the buck.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I would go a head and get a temp on her any way..check those inner eye lids...just rule out a few things..Its great you can spend that time with her..


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Glad she is better.


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## AmuseableDonkey (Apr 6, 2014)

I'm going through this with my goat...he was raised with another buck over this last year and he suddenly fell gravely I'll and passed in a matter of hours. Once he realized his friend wouldn't move he hasn't wanted to leave my side. He even tries coming inside with us. Our dog keeps him company when I'm not. He wouldn't eat this morning until I walked with him...actually led him...to where he eats and stayed with him a while. 
I've been giving him a ton of TLC and will get him a doeling soon. He is glued to me unless I put him up in his pen!


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## GeorgiaBrownRIP (Oct 14, 2012)

I'd like to updated.

Bambi eventually attached to her daughter a little more. Nothing is like what B was though. Since then we bought a horse and sold her daughter, now her and the horse are best friends. Bambi is on a very thick fat diet. I am hoping on getting a whether again of a large breed for carting, since Bam doesn't do it as easily as I thought, and maybe she can have a companion in him again. Hoping to find another white baby like my B was. (btw B is the whether that passed and Bambi is my doe)


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

glad its working out


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## AmuseableDonkey (Apr 6, 2014)

Oops wrong thread!


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