[RiverPines]

I bought a goat, my dream goat, an angora.
He is more like a rescue though. He was 25 dollars.
I knew he would have problems because of the price.
But for me, its an angora, my dream, and I am a sucker for the needy types.

So I got this goat. He is about 7 yrs old according to the people that had him.
He's registered too.
He is skinny. He has a lot of hair, but touch him and yuk.
He makes a slender dairy doe seem overweight.
I'm not kidding. This goat I can not feel muscle anywhere.
I felt his entire body and its total bone. Sickening to touch.
Even his thighs and neck are all bone.
His head looks to big for his body, especially with big horns.
Which his horns look shabby.
My bucks, (Boer, Pygmy, Alpine)they all have grown beautiful healthy looking horns.
This guys horns are dry, cracked, and just dead looking.

His hooves, a nightmare.
His fiber, another nightmare.

So anyway I truly feel this guy is malnourished and definitely neglected.

What I want to do his build him back up to a healthy looking buck and if he isn't to old once he is in tip top shape, I would like to breed him in 2008?

I have been working those hooves a little at a time. He walked weird when I got him, now he walks good.

I have him on grass hay, free choice.
Good goat feed, 1 cup a day.
I have added beet pulp to his diet, about 1/2 cup before its wet.
He has loose minerals...he went nuts on the minerals, free choice.
I have been putting a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in his water, gallon bowl, he loves that!
He has Baking soda available if he wants it.

Am I missing anything and should I later the amounts of anything?

Oh he is now wormed and was on Probios for the first several days he was here.
I deloused him. He was covered.

He looks awful now, but I see a beautiful, proud, glimmering buck waiting to come out.

He will have wonderful curls when I shear him in spring and he grows a healthy coat. I can see it under the dirt, tangles, mud, poo, burrs and all the other yuk covering his potential beauty, locks of white trying to grow. I dont know what if anything to do about his coat. Matts are so bad...solid balls.
His fiber isnt even usable in this shape. I spin. I spin everything, even the down from pygmies and dogs! LOL
His fiber is useless. I just hope he can wear it till spring without health issues.
Its freezing here so no shearing now.

I am trimming his butt tomorrow cause there is a lot of poo stuck back there.

Any advice to help take this older but not hopeless buck into a healthy strong state?

Thank you.

 

[StaceyRosado]

first off "way to go" for taking him in. You are doing a good thing for him.

Sounds like you have most of the bases covered.

a couple questions:

Have you checked his eyelids to see if he is anemic?

What did you worm him with?

Have you had a stool sample (aka fecal) done by the vet?


I don't know about fiber so I can't help you there.

 

[Sara]

I'd give him vitamins, or nutri-drench or something.

 

[RiverPines]

Thank you both for posting.

I did give him nutri-drench for the first few days. I forgot that in my post.

As for the worming, I use Invec, injectable but orally.

I checked his eyelids. They were paler than what I like when I first got him, but over the last few days as he has been perking up quite nicely, his lids are looking better.

I just want to be sure I havent missed anything or have not the best amounts of stuff I am giving him and if theres anything I may have not thought of to watch for.

I want to do the very best possible for him. I dont want to miss anything.
I know this goat will be awesome some day. His buckyness is coming through. He is responding real nice so far.

I'll feel better when the weight is on him and his hair is healthy and I know for a fact there isnt anything hiding that hasnt been noticed yet.
I just wish the cold wasnt coming so fast. I right now worry about him getting chilled or stressed.

I am setting up our garage/barn for him. The weather has been cold but not below freezing during the day. I want to be sure when the colder stuff comes, if he shows the smallest sign of discomfort I want to get him where the temps cant be controlled a little. The garage barn can be kept above freezing if need be.

Right now he likes his double decker shelter and seems comfy.

I have a buck with him thats more like a doe. He's not manly I guess you could say.
The doe's push him around and wont even share their hay with him. So he is always pushed away.
Since he doesnt breed, he has the parts but just doesnt go for it, it doesnt help that the doe's push him around so much, I figured he would be good for company for this guy. And so far its seems to be great.
The Angora doesnt push him around. They get along and both seem quite content.
They are kinda like 2 misfits. LOL

As for fecal at a vet, no I havent. Doesnt seem to be a need as he seems ok thus far and our vet here is a goat quack.

Heck the vet here already ripped me off this last spring with worming. I had lung worms in one goat. Safeguard I know doesnt work for that, I tried it. What did he do? Give me wormer, but I peeled off his lable, it was the same ingredient as safegaurd, but cost me 40 bucks!
Then I learned from the goat web, injectable invec orally. And walla!! Perfectly fine goat with no more cough and fine ever since.
I also once asked his recommendation for a sick goat, fever and runny eyes. He said penG. I did the 5 day routine and the goat went straight down hill. I thought she was a gonner on the 6th day, thanks to goat web advice, LA200, once. Goat bounced back quick as ever.
We have only one vet here for livestock.
I'd rather come here now.

 

[StaceyRosado]

well from my experience once you take care of the obvious issues time is all they need to start looking great.

It took me 9 months to get Flicka in good shape but I am happy she is healthy and looks great.

I just think now your little man needs time.

 

[jBlaze]

Good for you.
I got some free pygoras a few months ago, that's one sure way to learn how to deal with problems. lol. My freebies had matted icky hair too, and I just cut off the matts, as there was still plenty of hair under that (3+ inches of nice fleece under the matts) and it was not cold at the time. If it works for yours, maybe just cut out some of the belly matts so he can pee without getting messy. ?

The only thing that I didn't see are vacinations, (CDT) and BoSE if appropriate. Glad to hear he is happy, I am sure that makes you happy too.