Every single goat here is sick or getting sick with coughing and snot..but not green..mostly clear and sometimes white. It's been about 6 weeks now.
Many of you have heard my situation but for those that haven't I have to explain a little because I feel horrible when I post these problems that I can't properly take care of and looks like I have no business owning goats. I live on property with close to 30 goats that aren't mine. about 20 were sort of lost in the shuffle..abandoned because of a deal that didn't work out between the land owner and the first caretaker...the others the latest caretaker brought in. But I"m here and no one else is so I end up helping a LOT esp when caretakers don't show up or have the time to save babies who's moms have died or abandoned them. So I have 3 that I call my own now.
The newest caretaker..while good hearted and well intentioned...against my warnings..mistakenly thought he could let them all just live off the pasture grass and not worm for 6+ months (doesn't work in Hawaii) ..they all got really run down and anemic and skinny. Lesson learned the hard way..now he is trying to bring grain and minerals and just wormed everyone and is treating with red cell. But it's really hit and miss with him...and I cannot treat 30 goats on my own. I don't have the time plus I have health issues that just make it impossible.
The first sign was that most of his that he had put on another side of the eaten down 6 acre pasture caught coccidia..even the adults. I brought them back over close to me and got them through that on my own..but we noticed some coughing. Thought at first maybe lung worm..so I treated some with levamasole but that didn't change it. Then we started seeing more coughing and snot noses. I took my 3 and separated them right away in my small backyard pasture. Only one of mine had it. the other two have since caught it from her because I have no where else to put them. I have been treating naturally from Molly's herbals but have antibiotics on hand just in case. (Mine by the way did not get the coccidia) and I feed them better..a little bit of grain as well as alfalfa hay and lots of clippings from around here of glycine, olive bush and hibiscus...plus fruits and veggies. I have seen mine get better..but now two seem to be getting relapses and are coughing more again..one never got it very bad yet..seldom coughs so far.
So I got the caretaker to come out and provided him with LA200 that the last caretaker gave to me before she moved...I was all set to help him with 3 days (every other day)of shots on tons of goats even though I have some physical limitations..I was buckled up to do it and rest off the consequences later. One day we did it..then he never showed up again. I told him we can't do that....they will get a relapse and it will be more resistant to the LA200. He said they would be fine. When he comes he thinks they look fine...they do act fine. But I live here with the pasture all around me and I hear all the coughing..see all the snot and I know they are not fine. I don't even know if the LA200 would work anyways since it may be a virus and not bacteria related?
Another possibly important factor is that he brought in two giant boar males from a guy down the road that has horrible goat keeping practices. He never worms he has 50 to 100 goats and just puts a bag or two of food out a day and whoever is the strongest survives. Well one of the boar males had a snot nose from the start. He looked horrible. He was not separated at first (mine were at the time so I didn't complain to him about it trying to mind my own business just told him 'that goat is really sick')..quickly he put him over on the other pasture as well as gave him a shot of LA200 a couple of times..but weeks apart. He also had a couple of females over there with him for a couple of months that he brought in from other places. They got switched to the rest of the herd on my side and that could have brought it over to this herd even though they were over here for a while before they got it. The sick guy had been over there for months with the other males yet they all seem fine accept for just since this breakout his stronger brother seems to have gotten it too. Also the sickly boar ended up dying. They are not fed well over there on that side at all..grass gets sparse and he only comes out every week to two weeks and gives them grain. His on my side..I try to share more food and feed them better when he brings me a bag of grain for them.
I'm seeing lots of relapses in the ones that had a shot and others getting it too. Plus mine that I'm treating naturally seem to have up days and down days. But always they all eat and act normal. Just have coughing fits and snotty noses.
Is there a goat respiratory virus that can last this long? Or could he have brought something in thats really bad from that sick boar male? I would really like to help thin out the herd and find a good forever home for a few that I have gotten close to (not my 3) but I can't give them away sick..or bringing something over to another herd that they could possibly be carrying.
thanks...jamee
Many of you have heard my situation but for those that haven't I have to explain a little because I feel horrible when I post these problems that I can't properly take care of and looks like I have no business owning goats. I live on property with close to 30 goats that aren't mine. about 20 were sort of lost in the shuffle..abandoned because of a deal that didn't work out between the land owner and the first caretaker...the others the latest caretaker brought in. But I"m here and no one else is so I end up helping a LOT esp when caretakers don't show up or have the time to save babies who's moms have died or abandoned them. So I have 3 that I call my own now.
The newest caretaker..while good hearted and well intentioned...against my warnings..mistakenly thought he could let them all just live off the pasture grass and not worm for 6+ months (doesn't work in Hawaii) ..they all got really run down and anemic and skinny. Lesson learned the hard way..now he is trying to bring grain and minerals and just wormed everyone and is treating with red cell. But it's really hit and miss with him...and I cannot treat 30 goats on my own. I don't have the time plus I have health issues that just make it impossible.
The first sign was that most of his that he had put on another side of the eaten down 6 acre pasture caught coccidia..even the adults. I brought them back over close to me and got them through that on my own..but we noticed some coughing. Thought at first maybe lung worm..so I treated some with levamasole but that didn't change it. Then we started seeing more coughing and snot noses. I took my 3 and separated them right away in my small backyard pasture. Only one of mine had it. the other two have since caught it from her because I have no where else to put them. I have been treating naturally from Molly's herbals but have antibiotics on hand just in case. (Mine by the way did not get the coccidia) and I feed them better..a little bit of grain as well as alfalfa hay and lots of clippings from around here of glycine, olive bush and hibiscus...plus fruits and veggies. I have seen mine get better..but now two seem to be getting relapses and are coughing more again..one never got it very bad yet..seldom coughs so far.
So I got the caretaker to come out and provided him with LA200 that the last caretaker gave to me before she moved...I was all set to help him with 3 days (every other day)of shots on tons of goats even though I have some physical limitations..I was buckled up to do it and rest off the consequences later. One day we did it..then he never showed up again. I told him we can't do that....they will get a relapse and it will be more resistant to the LA200. He said they would be fine. When he comes he thinks they look fine...they do act fine. But I live here with the pasture all around me and I hear all the coughing..see all the snot and I know they are not fine. I don't even know if the LA200 would work anyways since it may be a virus and not bacteria related?
Another possibly important factor is that he brought in two giant boar males from a guy down the road that has horrible goat keeping practices. He never worms he has 50 to 100 goats and just puts a bag or two of food out a day and whoever is the strongest survives. Well one of the boar males had a snot nose from the start. He looked horrible. He was not separated at first (mine were at the time so I didn't complain to him about it trying to mind my own business just told him 'that goat is really sick')..quickly he put him over on the other pasture as well as gave him a shot of LA200 a couple of times..but weeks apart. He also had a couple of females over there with him for a couple of months that he brought in from other places. They got switched to the rest of the herd on my side and that could have brought it over to this herd even though they were over here for a while before they got it. The sick guy had been over there for months with the other males yet they all seem fine accept for just since this breakout his stronger brother seems to have gotten it too. Also the sickly boar ended up dying. They are not fed well over there on that side at all..grass gets sparse and he only comes out every week to two weeks and gives them grain. His on my side..I try to share more food and feed them better when he brings me a bag of grain for them.
I'm seeing lots of relapses in the ones that had a shot and others getting it too. Plus mine that I'm treating naturally seem to have up days and down days. But always they all eat and act normal. Just have coughing fits and snotty noses.
Is there a goat respiratory virus that can last this long? Or could he have brought something in thats really bad from that sick boar male? I would really like to help thin out the herd and find a good forever home for a few that I have gotten close to (not my 3) but I can't give them away sick..or bringing something over to another herd that they could possibly be carrying.
thanks...jamee