The Goat Spot Forum banner

Bloat death

4K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  Sweetwaterbees 
#1 ·
I have a 13 week old male pygmy who just died from bloat. I have been weaning him and just feeding once a day, and when I got home from work, and fed him a cup of milk from his bottle, he seemed happy, and about 5 min later started expanding and making noises, and then he kept expanding. I googled what to do immediately on my phone. I was rubbing his left side and trying to give him vegetable oil, while my husband called the vet. He said to bring him right over, but on the way to the vet, he died in my lap. This all happened within 10-15 min, because we live right down the road from the vets' house. He couldn't believe that he died that quickly from the bloat. His anus started to prolapse as well. Has anyone ever heard of this happening before? What could I have done differently to stop this? I don't know how much grain he ate during the day while I was at work, and he looked pretty thin when I started feeding him his bottle. I normally feed him more every night than he ate tonight, so I don't know how he could have over eaten. He was such a sweet goat... :tears:
 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm sorry for your loss. :rose:

It's hard to pinpoint the exact reason why he bloated. Moldy Hay, to much fresh grass to quickly, milk replacer, overeating grain. Anything that can imbalance the gut flora.
Bloat can come on quickly or it can come on a bit more gradually, but yes that is quite a fast progression!!

"I don't know how much grain he ate during the day while I was at work. . ."
Do you mean he had access to a decent amount of grain? If so, overeating grain can cause bloat and should only be given as meals/treats, in the proper portions. If he overate on grain, then had his milk that could have been what imbalanced his gut and caused the bloat. But again, it's hard to tell for sure.
 
#5 ·
I'm so sorry you lost your boy. That was very fast.

Dish soap is a very quick-acting bloat remedy. I can't remember how much we gave, but I think I just put a couple of teaspoons (or was it tablespoons?) in a pop bottle with water, shook it up, poured it in a drenching gun and dosed. The goat was able to start burping immediately. From what I understand, soap breaks up the tiny, frothy bubbles that the goat can't burp and turns them into big airy bubbles.
 
#7 ·
I had a bowl with about a cup of grain in it for him to eat freely. There was no live grass for him to eat in his yard, because it is wooded with oak leaves on the ground, and I had another bowl with about 2 handfuls of alfalfa hay in it. I was leaving it in there for him to eat during the day and then feeding a 20 oz bottle of milk replacer (Kid Milk w/ probiotics) in the afternoon. nothing was moldy. In the last week it didn't look like he was eating any grain, yet he didn't want the bottle in the morning anymore, and only wanted it in the afternoon. Does any of this sound wrong? I need to know, because I don't want to do something wrong if I get another goat. Do you think it was oak leaves?
 
#8 ·
how much grain should they be given and how often? I don't want to have any of my other goats get this same issue. Also what brand? and what kind of hay and how much? We used to have llamas, and never had any issues keeping them for years, but goats just seem so much harder.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Agreed, he must have been eating the oak leaves.

Any type of Grass Hay and/or Alfalfa is good. Hay should be available for them to eat all day. You don't usually have to restrict it.

A cup of grain shouldn't hurt him. I don't give grain anymore and it been awhile since I have, so I can't comment on what brand. As long as they're getting enough hay they don't necessarily need grain. Unless they are milking and need a boost.

In future, I would also discontinue the use of milk replacer, since it can cause bloat and other health problems.
Kid milk Recipe:
1 gallon whole milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup buttermilk
Take the gallon of milk, and pour out about 1/3 and set it aside
Pour in the 1 can of evaporated milk and the 1 cup of buttermilk into the gallon then pour to the remaining milk that you set aside until you reach the top. Mix gently each time before making up a bottle.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top