Last summer my goats had really bad worms....they were treated and I was told that the coughing, and runny noses were probably caused by lung worms and would go away after the worming treatment. I now treat my goats every month with a different wormer to keep the problem for coming back, I have just recently treated them. My goats are no longer sick and they are eating fine. They run around with bright eyes and their tails are standing up. But ever since the worm problem, sometimes after playing they will cough and sneeze and thick white mucus will come out of their noses. It usually only happens after they are being really active...but sometimes they will just sneeze. It is only happening in my younger goats, my older ones act fine and do not have the runny nose. They are all on the same medicince...same feed...same housing. I do show 4 of my younger goats so I thought the stress they might be under from showing gave them a cold. But how long does a normal cold last? I was told that they didn't need treatment until they started showing signs of distress like going off feed or not acting their happy selves. When should I treat them though....and what should I treat them with? Could this be something like an allergy instead of a cold? Thanks for the help.
KotiK
Are these ones exposed to the cl positives? They could have internal abcesses, could be scar tissue from lung worms, could be allergies.
Just curious - why are you worming monthly? Doing this builds resistant bugs, especially by roatating every month...
Just curious - why are you worming monthly? Doing this builds resistant bugs, especially by roatating every month...
Allison brought up a very good point......I know you mean well, but worming your goats monthly and switching wormers could do them more harm than good.
About the coughing.....I had a wether that developed pneumonia after bringing him home at 12weeks, he coughed for a year afterwards because of the damage it did to his lungs...... but he did not have white mucus......my vet actually told me not to worry about the cough unless he started having thick drainage or fever.......he is alomst 2yrs now and no longer coughs.......I can't remember at the moment, but I remember reading back when my little guy was sick something that will cause them to cough after physical activity...?????
About the coughing.....I had a wether that developed pneumonia after bringing him home at 12weeks, he coughed for a year afterwards because of the damage it did to his lungs...... but he did not have white mucus......my vet actually told me not to worry about the cough unless he started having thick drainage or fever.......he is alomst 2yrs now and no longer coughs.......I can't remember at the moment, but I remember reading back when my little guy was sick something that will cause them to cough after physical activity...?????
I found this info in an old posting......some things to think about, are you using the right wormer and right dosage?
Hope this helps.....I know trying to figure things out with these goats can sometimes be frustrating!
This came from the FiasCo Farm website:
Coughs
Many times a goat's cough is a sign of Lungworm and not an illness.
If a goat is coughing a lot, especially after running or playing, and has no other symptoms, I would worm them with the chemical wormer Ivomec.
Hope this helps.....I know trying to figure things out with these goats can sometimes be frustrating!
This came from the FiasCo Farm website:
Coughs
Many times a goat's cough is a sign of Lungworm and not an illness.
If a goat is coughing a lot, especially after running or playing, and has no other symptoms, I would worm them with the chemical wormer Ivomec.
For lung worms you must treat every 14 days for 3-4 cycles.
They also have a fecal test now specifically for lung worms called the bearmann test
They also have a fecal test now specifically for lung worms called the bearmann test
I worm every month with a different wormer, because I do show my goats which I think adds more health problems that are brought into the herd including worms. I also was told not to worm every month because they would build up an immunity to the wormer, but only to worm when they looked wormy or every three months...however, after stopping their every month worming schedule we developed a massive worm problem which ended up killing one of my very good does, so obviously I am not very good at telling when they are wormy because noone was really exhibiting the normal signs of worms until it was to late. No white eyelids or pale gums, but it was worms as the symptoms did begin to appear slowly after the loss of the doe. I do worm with different wormers so they will not build up an immunity....and many do kill lungworms. We do use Ivomec as one of our wormers. I am not saying they wont build up an immunity though, but this has been our best way of dealing with worms so far. I could see them having scar tissue from former lung worms though.
My CL goats are not having the mucus problem nor have I had any problems with their abscesses being internal...they are exposed to the other goats and have been for years with no other goat exhibiting signs of CL.
I could see it being allergies as we have some extremely dusty haybales that they have been exposed to. They seemed to have cleared up a little today...but the white muscus will be back because this is the way it has been going, a couple days of no runny noses or clear drainage and then a couple more weeks of thick white mucus. Any other ideas?
My CL goats are not having the mucus problem nor have I had any problems with their abscesses being internal...they are exposed to the other goats and have been for years with no other goat exhibiting signs of CL.
I could see it being allergies as we have some extremely dusty haybales that they have been exposed to. They seemed to have cleared up a little today...but the white muscus will be back because this is the way it has been going, a couple days of no runny noses or clear drainage and then a couple more weeks of thick white mucus. Any other ideas?
with treating any type of worms, you have to worm, then repeat in 14 days, then again in 14 days, then again if you are having an outbreak. This is the only way to break a cycle of the worms because the eggs hatch and wormers do not kill eggs - so if you worm the first time you are only killing stage 2, 3, and 4 worms (mostly) but some will survive and the eggs will survive. If you worm again in 14 days you are killing the worms that hatched before they are able to reproduce, then you worm again in 14 days to make sure that you get them all. If you only worm once a month, you are not breaking that cycle and only making resiliant worms
Have you done a fecal float and a bearmann test to see which worms you are dealing with and worm for those?
Have you done a fecal float and a bearmann test to see which worms you are dealing with and worm for those?
That is why you need to always purchase extra stalls to be sure there is an extra space between your goats and other herds.... I also add tarps around the perimeter of my pen systems. When in the ring... just make sure you keep your goats head up and away from the ground and keep them away from the other goats.OhCee said:
Also, frequent testing to be sure you aren't picking anything up from the shows and bringing it home to the herd. I do agree that is is sad we have to go through such precautions..... showing a CL positive herd is not in the best interest of the breed by any means.... but there are still ways to help keep your herd from being infected. This is why I've been wondering why Cl, CAE and Johnes testing isn't required for show animals????? Apparently it just is not important enough to the majority of those who show. I know I make sure mine are all tested neg. before I bring them.....As to the initial posters question.... I would try vet Rx 2-3X a day for 5 days if your goats do not have a fever to accompany the runny nose and cough.
Also, monthly worming may be working for now but it is uneccesary and will make worming in future years nearly impossible to control unless new chemicals start coming out asap....which is unlikely since most are being banned not added to. Not to mention how expensive this must get for your herd... eeeeek I couldn't imagine having to worm every month. Try to work on natural resistance... it's healthier for the herd and MUCH easier on you.
Do fecals....if you are clear then just try monthly fecals instead of worming every month. This will let you know exactly what wormer to use and if it is even necessary to use one that month. Just make sure their copper intake is adequate and you will likely notice a great increase in parasite resistance.Hope your goaties are feeling better soon.
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