[andiplus5]

Ok, my husband went to the auction with our neighbor tonight and called me to tell me he bought me a goat. He saw what he thought was a milk goat and knew I had wanted the kind with the big ears. (can you tell he's goat stupid????)

Anyway, I went to pick him up because the neighbor also bought goats....ugh....They had no way to get them home, so I went to pick them up. Well, now I have 3 foreign goats taking up my sick stall. I had a goat in there letting her get her strength back after almost dying from milk fever yesterday. What do I do with these guys? My husband definitely got me a Nubian and she's a pretty thing too. Aged her by her teeth and she's a 3 yr. old. Good, shiny coat on her and a little skinny, but not wormy skinny.

Anyway, my question is what do I give these goats before turning them out with my herd. They were at an auction and heaven only knows what they picked up. I know I need to pick up wormer. What else? The feed store is only open til noon so I don't have a whole lot of time to make a list. And now I am sleepy so I will check in the morning and see what y'all have to say!
Thanks,
Andi

 

[Dover Farms]

Well....I would keep them speparated for at least 4 weeks. Especially since they came from the auction. Like you said...who knows what she could have picked up there.

De-worming them would be a good thing. Also a CD+T shot. Check their hooves. Does the Nubian need milking? That's pretty much all I can think of right now. I am sure someone else will chime in soon. :wink:

 

[liz]

I would definately get them wormed. CD/T vaccination is also a plus. Check for over grown hooves and stick their feet in a mild solution of bleach and water...to kill any bactertia. Milk out the doe if she needs it and check each of them for any suspicious lumps or abcesses, keep them separate for a minimum of 30 days and double check them again as well as give the 2nd dose of CD/T before you turn them out with your goats,

 

[andiplus5]

Ok, one of the neighbors goats has mastitis. They all have pink eye. And my goat has a lump on her udder. She doesn't have one anywhere else though. I checked just in case of CL. Does anyone have guess? I started them all on LA200, cocci treatment and wormer. I gave them their CD/T and some nutri-drench. Their hooves look great. All they will need is a trim in the near future, but not yet. Mine and my neighbors little buck look good, but my neighbors other one (with the mastitis) is laying around and doesn't want to get up. I'm hoping the antibiotics will do her some good. I did not give them grain, but I did give them some alfalfa. I was thinking their bodies have enough to do without trying to digest grain. Was I right? Or should I go give them some grain. They didn't want any last night. But they all chowed down on the alfalfa.
Well, if I haven't done something I should have, please let me know.
Thanks,
Andi

 

[Pheonix08]

I would just start them on some basic 1st cutting hay so their bodies are full and happy.
Slowly you can introduce luxurys. Like grain and snacks.

 

[andiplus5]

Hay is good :drool:
They liked the regular hay too. They were really freaked out because of the ride to the sale, the comotion of the sale and then the ride home to a strange place. It had to be traumatic for them. They are still scared silly and don't know where they are. :tear:
I was able to pet mine today. She stood there for me as long as I talked real low and didn't get near her face. I imagine she got grabbed a lot around the head last night.
Anyway...Thanks for the advice.
Andi

 

[liz]

The fact that their hooves look good is a plus, it either means that someone cared for them or they were where they could keep them worn down. As far as the lump in her udder, which BTW is she freshened? , I would keep an eye on it...is it in the tissue or under the skin and moveable? Could very well be a bite or even the result of being transported in a crowded trailor to the auction. If it seems to come to a "head" and what little hair there may be in the area should start to fall out isolate her immediately from the others til it bursts as the material could be damaging to your herd. CL lumps will form in and on the udder. IF this happens I would have the drainage tested for CL. As I said though if it goes away without rupture it is more than likely trauma related. There are also vaccines available for pinkeye, which is very contagious to you also so be sure to do proper handwashing when you are treating them.

 

[sweetgoats]

Do any of them have a temp? Check that. The one that will not get up, I would give her some Probiotic, Molasses water, and Nutri Drench.
If that was me, I would have the vet do a blood test to check for CAE/CA, just to be sure.
I do agree with you, I would hold off on the grain, and just let the eat all the hay they want.
Keep us informed on how they are all doing. Good Luck

 

[fritzie]

be very careful around them as pink eye is very contagis. it can travel just in the wind. also i would give them a shot of b-12 it won't hurt them if they don't need it but with so much stress they can use it. i agree with every one about the grain. good luck with them

 

[andiplus5]

The lump on the udder is under the skin I think. But it is noticeable on the outside of the udder. It's a dime size lump. It's not moveable. I have no idea what CL looks like much less what it feels like. Can anyone educate me on this??
Thanks,
Andi

 

[liz]

CL is sometimes referred to as "cheesy gland", the disease causes abcesses in the lymph nodes and the most common places for these "lumps" are under the ear just behind and slightly under the jaw as well as in the udder and in front of the "thigh"....more commonly seen in the neck and udder area. Caseous Lymphadenititis is a very scary disease to many knowledgable goat breeders, but it also leads to alot of overeaction because of this. It is not cure able, but can be prevented. The only way to know for sure is to lance the abcess and have a lab test the "pus".
Is the lump soft and slightly squishy feeling? Can you see a point of entry where she may have gotten a hay sliver stuck and it festered? If it feels squishy, have someone help you hold her and "tap" it with a needle and syringe, cleanse the area with alcohol or iodine and insert the needle into the center, pull back on the plunger, if you can draw the material into the syringe and it is liquid, you are more likely dealing with a splinter or bug bite infection especially if it has a smell to it, treat her with an antibiotic and flush the lump out daily to help it heal. If you cannot draw anything out of it with a needle then it is likely to be a solid cyst or CL as the "pus" associated with CL is very thick and cottage cheese-like and has no smell and is very difficult to "suck" out.

If this lump is under the skin and it doesn't feel like you have to "find" it among the mammary tissue then she likely has a splinter. If you decide to "tap" it or even "wait and see" if it comes to a head and bursts it would still be in your herds best interest to keep her isolated until it heals. CL lumps get bigger over a period of time before they burst, you will know when it is "ripe" when it loses the hair on its top and the skin is tight and shiny, if this happens remove her as the contents are contagious to other goats. Right now though, IMO, I would tap it just to ease my mind...and apply pressure to see if any gunk comes out of it...sort of like popping a zit.

 

[andiplus5]

Ok, thanks for the detailed explanation. I actually think she got horned in the udder. She was in with a bunch of goats at auction (according to dh) and they were butting each other pretty bad. Well I noticed when we got these 3 home the two does were trying to "horn" each other. They would go like to butt, but then stick their heads up under the other one and pull back with their horns. Like they were trying to stick each other underneath. Crazy...I've never seen anything like it. BTW--ppl don't disbud around here. I don't know why. Thanks for the info though, cause now I feel a lot better about it. I think she got "horned" by one of the other goats at auction. These have calmed down now and stopped doing that.
Thanks,
Andi

 

[liz]

If you think she'll stand for you, a warm wet compress will help her bruised udder feel so much better and will help take the swelling down. Mine have horns, except 2 because it seems that around here people are "dis bud crazy", I have caught my does doing this to the others also and sometimes it does lead to a bump.

 

[andiplus5]

So what happens if I "pop" it like a zit and gunk comes out? Does that mean it's CL?
Andi

 

[liz]

No it doesn't, she may have a hay splinter in there thats causing the lump. CL discharge is a white/grayish lumpy looking gunk that has no smell to it....an infection is more yellowish/greenish and pasty or liquid.

 

[goatstafson]

Personally I would just draw blood work and check for CL, CAE and Johnes. It isn't very expensive and would give you so much peace of mind.