# My goat is not swallowing her food



## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

I checked rosie's temp...cleared her mouth and haven't found anything...no swelling...blockages...etc... she is stuffing herself with hay as if starving...chewing it up and then spitting slobbery hay balls on the ground. I tried feeding her lettuce and the same thing happened. Her throat feels normals and we got a good look in her mouth. Her condition is good and she should be bred and settled for march kids. Im wondering if there might be a cud stuck in her throat...but youd think id feel it.... vet says nothing they can do...so i can take her to the university emergency clinic hours away....wait and see...or try something ourselves. Im thinking perhaps we fix up a stomach tube and try and tube her to see if we find a blockage...but ive never tubed an animal that wasnt down....any thoughts?


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

Don't know about goats, but with alpacas, we massage the throat in gentle downward strokes. IF the blockage is in the throat, it helps move it along. Maybe drizzling some warm molasses water would help wash it down? 

I'd tube if it was the only option, but only as a last resort. If the tube hits the blockage on the way and then goes into the lungs instead of rumen, that would be not be good.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

We tried rubbing to no avail and i have asmall stomach tube so we tried it. I got about 10 inches down and it stopped moving forward. I dont k ow if i hit a blockage or what...but it would not move and im not inclined to force things. Im not hearing many rumen sounds...its pretty flat and theres been no cudding or bowel movements. Its gotta be a blockage...wouldnt you think? She keeps stuffing her face with ridiculous amounts of hay that just get chewed and spit out.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

She's probably starving, so she is gobbling all she can get.

Did you try getting fluid down her throat to see if that will pass through? Is she dehydrated?

If you think there is something stuck in her esophogas, maybe try drizzling some vegetable oil down her throat to see if it might lubricate the obstruction enough to pass it?


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

If her rumen stops, and she can't drink, she's in trouble. If she were mine, I'd try dribbling a little warm water, maybe a smidge of vegetable oil to try to loosen it up enough to pass. Massage afterwards. And then I'd try again, and then I'd take her to a vet. 

Maybe on the last try, put the tube back in, connect to a syringe and "shoot" water in like a clog cannon (a TINY bit, like 1 cc at a time, so it doesn't shoot into her lungs). If you can get a little hole in the blockage, I would think you could dissolve the rest of it with water.

I'm not sure how far the tube should go to get to the rumen, only did it once and I'm pretty sure it was over 10 inches. Hopefully someone else can clarify?


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## Chopsgoats (Aug 20, 2013)

How old is she? What do her teeth look like?? I had an older goat do the same thing. I had to have his teeth floated as he kept pitting his food out


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

I found the relevant bit on Goat Vet Corner:
" use a syringe casing with the closed end cut off to make mouth gag so that they don't chew on the tubing. I will place surgical taping around the casing with long "tags" off each side so that I can tie it into place by putting a bowtie behind the head. The tubing I will place along the side of the goat from the mouth, down the neck,and to the last rib....mark the spot on the tube at the mouth with tape....that is how far in it will need to go. I stand on the goat's right side of it's head, facing it, place the tube through the syringe casing and aim over the tongue and towards the left side of the back of the throat, which is where the esophagus is. Slow and steady insertion. If the goat starts coughing and gagging, you're not in thrit spot. *If you've advanced the tube a little way and then it stops, the goat needs to swallow and then you can advance the tube. *You can feel along the left side of the neck for the end of the tube as it is advanced. Once in place, blow in the tube.....if the lungs inflate, you're in the wrong spot. If you get stomach fluid or gas back up the tube, you're in the right spot. When you are done tubing, then bend the tube over to kink it off and keep it kinked off as you pull it out to prevent any fluids from going back down into the lungs as the end of the tube passes that area."

So hitting something may not indicate a blockage, it might just be normal!


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Is she pooping? If not she has a blockage.

Any bloat?

Gently tubing to push the blockage down into the gut is a good way to unblock. I can't believe a veterinarian can't do anything.
Make sure you are not in the lungs.
No rumen sounds is critical, she needs to seek a vet or try to unblock her so we can treat the rumen if that is the cause.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

Vet at purdue thinks its neurological and we have a 9am appointment. I gave her cucumbers on the stanchion to avoid having to use grain while i took her temp...she couldt chew them. I think hes right. I started her on pen g and thiamine until morning. If she progresses at all we will drive to their emergency clinic tonight...but we r seeing if the meds do anything. I dont know if she can drink...we r trying to derermine that now. Last year on this date i lost my buck to entero....


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

At least shes acting otherwise normal...not stargazing or head tilting. We will check every 2 hours...shes up by the house


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

I know toth..i was disappointed our vet so quickly referred us to the vet school...but since they are only 20 mins away from the school he may have just been trying to get her a more thorough lookover


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I sure hope everything works out well for the goat and you all!


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

:hug: Sorry. Hope she perks up for you tonight.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

She is sleeping...but not any worse.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

Good news...the problem is in her mouth...she lost 2 molars and is relearning how to eat. We will have to regularly clear cud from her cheek and have the opposing teeth floated as well as offer some pelleted forage...but its not neurological or infectuous.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

That is good.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

Purdue is amazing...they checked everything and passed a tube to her stomach..ran all sorts of tests to confirm and it only set me back $50... (sigh of relief) now its time to sleep


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

Holy crap, I'm moving to Indiana! I can't walk in the vet's door for $50!

So glad she's okay!!


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

glad this turned out well....!!! Shes one lucky goat!.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

That is good to hear.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

What a relief for you and the poor goat!


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## Chopsgoats (Aug 20, 2013)

Keep up with the pelleted food, I used hay and alfalfa pellets to keep the weight on. When they can not eat hay like they use to it is amazing how quick the weight comes off. 


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

Yeah...she is still walking around with a mouthfull of hay all day. Its odd...im not 100% convinced theres nothimg neurological going on...they said sometes goats will have a mini stroke that impacts their tongue only


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

She does get some hay down and all her pellets so im not going to worry...nothing else we can do. Her condition is good and im finishing the course of pen g and thiamine jik.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

So I was kinda hoping that through all this Rosie may not have settled, but alas she has an udder going on and is due 3/28. Over the past two weeks she went from holding her condition on supplemental rations to losing condition rapidly. She is pretty thin and I'm sure those kids are sucking up all her nutrition. We have continued to add things to her alfalfa pellets and feed and will be adding calf manna. she does well with oat/barley meal hot cereal. She is a little anemic but no worms showing up in fecal...did ivomec anyhow jik. I'm hoping we can get her kids safely on the ground and then start working on her condition more aggressively. I've got calcium on hand and ketone test strips, etc. Unfortunately I will be in Disney world when she kids with my husband home....his first time to catch. We planned it that was since she WAS our easy keeper / easy kidder. She is better about getting hay down most of the time (she takes smaller bites) and we only see her with a packed mouth occasionally. Nothing new is showing up in her mouth... I just wish we knew what was going on. I'm hoping the sudden loss in body condition is due to late stage pregnancy and that we will be able to recondition her once she kids.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

if worm load looks good and no lice or mites I would assume babies are demanding more.....might add olive oil to her food...it adds weight...coconut oil is good too...

Are you pulling the kids and bottling them?


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

Yes, and she is getting oil in her oatmeal together with replamin and redcell. It's a shame, we signed up to LA and milk test this year too...I only have a handful of does and is one I wanted LAed and on test...I suppose she may make a turnaround after she kids...I just HATE the mystery of not knowing what's wrong. Her dam died from cancer last year her breeder informed me, but one totally unrelated to her symptoms (skin cancer...these white goats)...I just know losing teeth and weight with no explanation could also be cancer. Trying not to worry. She is 4 years old.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

yes..its scary to think about the worse....maybe have a blood test run to rule cancer out..?? at least give piece of mind or direction of what to do next. 4 years old and to loose teeth..that in itself is a mystery!


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

Right before vacation and on day 145 I went out to find her hind end bloody and 3 deceased flashy full term looking kids in the barn...Doe,Doe, Buck.  We started supplementation on vitamin A a few days prior. She had no signs of labor or udder filling before. She had perked up a little after kidding, but is still having trouble keeping wieght on...even with alfalfa, boss, concentrate, calf manna, good quality hay, minerals, replamin, vitamins, probios and worming just in case. Her dam passed away at the breeders a year ago from cancer, but it was a skin-type...nothing we can see related here. Now rosie is losing hair at the base of her ears, without signs of skin irritation and on her muzzle ...no sign of mites, but we've treated for it anyhow. She is eating hay fine now...has adapted and uses her tongue like a cow... So strange. I'm afraid we are going to lose her.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Do you have a vet that can see her..run some blood work?....a fecal..? Hows her temp? eye lids? pooping berries? Rumen functions good? her tongue this sounds neurological...


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Oh and Im sorry for the loss of the triplets


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

She has had all that done and is negative for CAE Johnes & CL. They do think their might be something neurological going on but no one can say what.


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## hallsthirdacrefarm (Mar 30, 2011)

She has clumped pellets that fall apart upon landing. I'm ordering more GI soother. Her burps smell particularly bad too...been doing what we can to nurture her rumen...she's current on CD/T, etc....GREAT appetite.


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