HOW WE DO THIS

When goats first came to Turtle Rock, we had to learn everything the hard way. These following short essays are not meant to take the place of veterinary advice but simply to pass on some of the more simple things we had to learn.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY TOXEMIA - FACTS & SIGNS OF HEALTHY GOATS! - HOW TO GIVE SHOTS - SHOULD KID BE BANDED? - WHEN WE DEWORM - PREGNANCY TOXEMIA - WHAT IF YOUR GOAT GETS SKINNED? - SOME MEDICINES AND PROCEDURES I USE.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
listlessness
loss of appetite
aimless walking, sometimes in circles, isolation from the flock
propping against obstructions, unusual postures, elevation of the head
muscle twitching, especially around the eyes and ears
grinding of the teeth
progressive loss of reflexes
blindness
ataxia (loss of muscle coordination)
sternal recumbency
mucus discharge from the nose
accelerated breathing
coma
death

PREVENTION
AVOID FAT DOES!!!
If you know your does by name or number - look out! good chance they are high risk.

See Article further down the page to see how Turtle Rock treated Pregnancy Toxemia.

FACTS & SIGNS FOR HEALTHY GOATS

HEAT CYCLE - Average 21 days but can happen between 15 to 24 days with a duration of 60 hours but two to three days is possible.

GESTATION - Average 151 days with 145 to 157 being possible.

WHEN TO BREED - Doe should weigh at least 60 to 70 pounds. They will possibly breed at four months of age. We hold the does until they reach eleven to twelve months.

NUMBER OF KIDS - Twins is the norm; however you may expect from one to six.

HEALTH SIGNS

RECTAL TEMPERATURE -101 - 105 F (we use plastic digital thermometers)

PULSE - 70 - 80 beats per minute. (find a large vein close to the surface on neck or legs.

RESPIRATION - 12-10 per minute - (watch the rise and fall of flanks.)

These normal signs can be affected by outside temperature, hair coat, activity and even the breed of goat. To look for a normal in your herd, monitor several apparently healthy goats. Well below or above these averages should be considered as signs of illness.

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First, ml and cc are the same measure. The dosage on the bottle will usually say ml and the syringe will say cc. Medicines are to be given either im (intramuscular - in the muscle) or sub Q (subcutaneous - just under the skin). we prefer to give all shots in the high sides of the neck (away from the spinal column). 18 gauge needles are used with almost all meds. If you cannot extract the medicine easily from the bottle, you will not be able to easily push the meds into the goat. The needles are 3/4" long. Our vet tells us to go straight down for im and slanted for sub Q if you are using a 3/4" needle. Important with glass bottles, and good to do with plastic, is to put as much air in the bottle as you are going to take out in medicine. This keeps a vacuum from being created in the bottle. In the Muscle shots - pull plunger back slightly after needle has been inserted. If you are in a vein, blood will quickly enter the syringe. Don't inject the meds here. теплый пол

and probably many more reasons; however, despite all the reasons we have ever heard, we still band within 4 to 12 hours. On occasion, if everything seems just right, kids have been done as soon as they are dry and have sucked. As of this date, there have been no cases of UC in wethers and when they are raised with viable buck kids, no difference in weight gain or muscling. Their horns do not grow as thick as the bucks but rather have a feminine look. They also do not waste a lot of high energy rations by jumping each other and they smell rather nice.

The kid is held between the persons legs, butt forward and testicles hanging downward. Gravity will hold the gonads down in the sack and the banding pliers can be slipped onto the sack (prongs first) without actually touching the testicles. As the rubber band is being released move your hand to the sack making sure the two testicles have been captured. The band is placed as far away from the body as is feasible, making sure no stomach skin is captured. More often than not the testicles do not swell and within a few weeks they have atrophied and fallen away. For a few days keep an eye on the kids you have banded to ensure there is no abnormal behavior (always lying around, humping up, etc.) (pictures coming soon) With a vast assortment of replica watches like the Cartier, Rolex, Gucci, Omega and some.

Fecal samples either done by you or your vet is the best way to determine your goat's worm load; however, goats can be carrying a large load of worms that are sucking blood and not producing eggs at the time a fecal is done. Diarrhea is sometimes a sign of a worm load as is chalky gums and no visible veins in the eyeball. Swelling under the jaw or edema around the barrel are signs of a huge load (immediate action should be taken here). Lots of rainfall with goats in a much used pasture will call for frequent dewormings.

Turtle Rock automatically deworms two times a year regardless of any other worming schedule.

#1 - when the first hard freeze of winter occurs, the only worms that are not in a dormant stage are in the belly of the goat. We deworm for the last time until Spring, or -

#2 - when the doe kids. This awakens the dormant worms in the doe and is a critical time for action.

Other dewormings are done taking rainfall, fecal samples and goat condition into consideration.

The following information is from a conversation with my vet. It had come to my attention that hook worms have been found in some goats in Southwestern Missouri and, as they are very dangerous, I ask about them. Hook worms - usually in dogs & cats can be found in coyotes and foxes. Foxes have a hook worm that can be fatal to humans. Hook worms are very rare in goats in our area. They are much more common in the wet states, i.e., Louisiana & Mississippi.. Under microscope they look very much like barber pole or brown stomach worm eggs. If hook worms are suspected it is wise to have the goat posted and cut into the real stomach (abomasum) to see if there is hook worm damage.

1) Drenching the goat is best as the anthelmentic goes straight tot he infestation;

2) Giving a shot is the best choice since the parasites must suck the blood to be affected.

Both these statements are correct, depending upon which anthelmentic is used. The "mectins" are most effective when given as a shot because this dewormer must get into the blood stream to be very effective, the effects last 7 to 10 days and it probably takes that long to have an effective kill. The "white" wormers such as Panacur, Valbazen, Anthelban, etc. kill on contact in the gut and only last about 48 hours.

If a goat has bottle jaw there are now two recommended procedures. Give a "white" wormer at the regular or slightly higher dosage and, at the same time, inject a "mectin" - or put them on a five day round of Panacur, using the regular dosage for four days and double it the fifth day.

Prevention of hook worms or any other parasites is regular fecals. I do my own fecals: however, I am not good enough to distinguish between a regular barber pole and a hook worm. If you suspect hook worms, take a fecal to the vet, if your goat dies and you suspect hook worms, have the goat posted.

We've been ready for this for years. The little strips of paper to hold in the urine stream are safely tucked away with all the other out-of-date "stuff" that's been waiting for that specific incidence to occur. A gallon of propylene glycol has rested in the dusty recesses of the pantry for at least four years. We are REALLY READY!

Then, when the first signs appeared - it never entered our minds. Two critical days went by while the doe was being treated for upset ruman, viral infection - you name it! In passing conversation with a friend, she mentioned Ketosis and then the great bright light went on. Hey - this must be Ketosis!!

Since the goat medicine books gives the Clinical signs that just didn't seem to hit home for what was happening to our doe, we decided to share the more obvious ones that happened. The doe never "Star Gazed" nor stumbled. She was two to three weeks away from kidding and moaning with each breath as so many does do when they are full of kids; however, she was doing this with her nose in the corner and gritting her teeth. Fecal output was not dry, as the books reported, instead being normal pellets strung together with mucus.

When forced to stand, she would shift weight from one back foot to the other very rapidly s if it were very painful and the ankles were swollen. Temperature was fairly normal. At this point she would still eat small amounts of grain and hay. By the time Pregnancy Toxemia was diagnosed b the vet, she had stopped eating and would not stand.

The following is our vet's instructions: #1 - Proplylene glycol - 60 cc 3 times a day #2 - Some source of live microorganism (we used 10 cc Pro biotic Paste) #3 - Electrolytes (we used Merck's Lamb & Kid - 8 oz per day) #4 = A high energy drench ( we used Rebound from Ag Restore and Nutri-Drench) #5 - Free choice, good quality, hay and offer her regular portion of grain.

For two weeks this treatment was followed closely and she began to nibble at various food. The approximate due date was close and as the breathing became faster and more labored, it was decided to induce her. Five cc of Dexamethasone and one cc lutalyse was administered im. The vet said she should kid within 24 to 36 hours. She presented two buck kids in 22 hours, both breach and very difficult to deliver. One kid survived and the doe is healing.

In the not too distant past, one of my best goats came in with a huge wound six to eight inches in diameter with the torn skin hanging loosely from her side. Penicillin was immediately administered along with a CD/T shot, having no tetanus toxoid on hand, and Banamine to counteract swelling. With a new scalpel blade, I cut all the hanging skin as closely to the attached skin as possible. There was only a small amount of bleeding. When all the loose skin was removed, the wound was almost round and measured eight inches in diameter. Running water was applied for about five minutes with a garden hose turned on low pressure.

As flies were numerous, the wound was sprayed with purple lotion with neomycin added. The water treatment was repeated three times a day for three days, then twice a day for about a month. Penicillin shots were continued for three days. By the end of three weeks the entire wound area appeared to have a wrinkled leather-like texture, and at that time the purple lotion application was stopped.

Fearing the leather-like skin would crack and be subject to infection I began using Derma-Clens after each hydro therapy. A few days of this and the leathery surface started to peel, leaving healthy raw flesh. By the end of the fourth week, the wound began to diminish in size. I had thought new hair would grow in this area but that was not the case. The skin seemed to just pull together, much like a cut on human skin. There is now no evidence of the wound.

Debra Sanders and I put this together for a meeting of the Missouri Meat Goat Producers Association.

Entrotoxemia
If you catch "overeating disease" (not really caused by overeating - more likely from stress
which can happen when a goat overeats) soon enough this recipe was given by a vet. It
helps to counter-act toxins already in progress. Give CD/T Antitoxin immediately and then
drench with:
2 tablespoons Baking Soda
4 oz. LIVE culture yogurt
4 oz. Gatorade

Severe Scours - Deliver. This is a product that you mix with water, it becomes a gelatin
like substance, drench with it and it will "bind them up." One package will make two
batches and that will usually stop the scours. Of Course, make sure you doctor the cause
first, not the symptom.

Bio Sol - for diarrhea caused by e-coli - 5 cc per 100 pounds.

Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim tablets- (SMZ-TMP 960mg) (Can also use a dog
med called Primor) These are tablets for cocci and will work in simple cases of diarrhea.
I get them from the vet, $13.50 for 100 tablets. The minute I see poopy bottom, I give
these. The dosage is 1 tablet per 70 lbs. but I give a whole tablet to anything under 25 lbs.
and 1 1/2 - 2 tablets to a weanling. Three to a large goat. This is one medication I WILL
NOT be without.

Chlamydia (Usually suspected in late term abortions) suspect if you have had recent cases
of pinkeye)
Terramycin-343 soluble powder- this can be put in the drinking water, powder makes
the water turn yellow but in a few hours, the water will be red. It doesn't effect the meds.
Use to treat possible chlamydia, especially before breeding and in the 4th month of
pregnancy.
Can also use Bio-mycin - (LA 200) give aborting doe 5cc for 5 days to stop the shedding
of chlamydia thus infecting other pregnant does. (I also give the pregnant does that are
housed with the aborting doe - a one time shot of 5cc of Bio-mycin).

CL Abscess - Formaldehyde- or (Formalin which is a solution in water) Use very
carefully, wear gloves and throw away, gloves, syringe and needle. When abscess begins
to get soft or hair begins to come off, draw up 1cc of formaldehyde, (using a short, small
gauge needle) inject 1/2 cc. into the middle of the knot. Leave needle in for a couple of
minutes and when you withdraw needle, spray outside of knot with rest of formaldehyde.
The next day do the same thing again. BE SURE and do it twice, especially if the knot is
large. The knot will seem to "stand still" but within 2-3 weeks you will begin to see it turn
black and dry up. It takes around 6 weeks to totally fall off. According to the vet,
anything formaldehyde touches, it kills.

The below medicines and procedures are NOT vet advice - This is just
what we do and in no way constitutes vet advice. Check with you vet as to the appropriateness of these suggestions!!

Below are antibiotics to have on hand. The amount to give is on the label - however; I generally triple the dosage as the bacteria can build a resistance to antibiotics just like parasites - so I overdose.

Penicillin - good all around - Only use this for mastitis - (some antibiotics will not penetrate the mammary wall) - use for injuries and infections - However: have epinephrine with you as any animal can be allergic to penicillin and can go into shock. I always carry a small (very inexpensive) bottle with me when I give Pen G. If the animal looks shocky or starts trembling violently - administer 1cc deep in the muscle.

Banamine- Like giving a big aspirin. 1cc every 24 hours. For temperatures and swelling.

B-Complex-plus- can be used for polio instead of thiamin - Also use with anemia after big
load of worms - You have to do some converting here to be sure the goat is getting enough thiamine - myself, I err on the too much side and give between 5 cc/s and 10/ccs for a 50 pound goat.

Thiamine- use for polio - For a 25 to 50 pound goat - I give 1 1/4 cc/s to 2 cc/s every 6 hours for 24 hours - or longer if the goat isn’t getting better.

Dexamethasone- for swelling from injuries or fever due to mastitis- Do NOT give to pregnant does, it will induce labor. IM Be very careful with this drug and only give if necessary - This is also used in Pregnancy Toxemia and Ketosis to ensure the kids lungs will inflate if you force the delivery.

Propylene Glycol - Use in Pregnancy Toxemia and Ketosis - The following is our vet's instructions: #1 - Propylene glycol - 60 cc 3 times a day #2 - Some source of live microorganism (we used 10 cc Pro biotic Paste) #3 - Electrolytes (we used Merck's Lamb & Kid - 8 oz per day) #4 = A high energy drench ( we used Rebound and Nutri-Drench) #5 - Free choice, good quality, hay and offer her regular portion of grain.

Nutri-drench
Dextrose
Magic (1 part Molasses, 2 parts Karo, 1 part Corn Oil) Make this yourself _ some
people use in place of Propylene Glycol - I would not do that.
Glucose IV
Endrolyte H.E.- electrolytes only with 19% protein A weak animal can survive on this
and for that reason, I also keep it on hand.
Lixitinic or Red Cell or Geritol- for anemia - Indepensable in treatment of bottlejaw - Not to kill the parasites - but to put iron back into the goats to build red blood cells. I personally use Lixitinic (available at the vet without perscription) and give 5 to 10 cc/s for an adult - twice a day and 3 to 5 cc/s for a kid. There has been talk about Lixitinic and red cell containing liver factions, thereby feeding animals products to meat animanl, don’t know where this will go but until told absolutely not to, I will use Lixitinic - This product is also great for show animals - 5 days before they go to the show, give them 5 cc/s each day and their coat will really be pretty - plus they may even drink on the trip.
Rebound- This is a product that Tri-Quest sells but I wouldn't be without it. It is a high energy product with omega fatty acids in it. I have saved a many a baby and big goat with this product. Keep it in the refrigerator and it will last a LONG time. I am just now using up my quart I got LAST July. $27.00 per quart Good stuff!!