[NDinKY]

My keeper buckling from this year has gotten a bloated look within the past month and a half and I'm not sure what's going on. He was born in April, weaned at 8.5 week, and was growing well until the start of July when I noticed his abdomen looking wider than usual. He's been wormed with ivermectin and Safeguard (I was worried about tapeworms). He was on coccidiosis prevention with Dimethox, but still got a bout of diarrhea mid July, which we treated with 5 days of Dimethox and it resolved by the third day. His neck and hindquarters look so scrawny and his belly seems huge. We took him to the vet a week ago because I'm worried about him. He did a fecal and the only thing he found was moderate coccidia so said to do a 10 day course of the Dimethox (currently still treating). He thought he looked bloated so recommended to put out baking soda.

His diet is free choice grass hay, browse, 1/4 cup goat pellets, and loose minerals. He's had a 2 g copper bolus. When you press on his side it feels squishy, but doesn't immediately rebound. Feels more like memory foam. Sometimes it's larger than others, but the scrawny front end and hind end are concerning.

Has anyone else had a young goat with a weirdly large abdomen that feels like memory foam? Any thoughts on what I should try? Maybe he's just in an ugly duckling phase. He's on day 5 of the Dimethox and yesterday I noticed him having dog poo like logs. The other two in with him look normal. He's the chamiose one.

 

[NDinKY]

And here's the same goat back at the end of June.

 

[happybleats]

I find when any of mine seem to stay boated..they need a little flora help. I give probiotics for 3 or 4 days and see if that helps. Its like something they ate set them off track.

 

[NDinKY]

I’ve got some probiotics on hand, I’ll try that. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[NigerianDwarfOwner707]

I don’t think he looks too bad, I’ve had one that just tends to have that big round belly. A few days of probiotics wouldn’t hurt.

 

[toth boer goats]

I agree with the others.

 

[NDinKY]

So we finished 10 days coccidiosis treatment per the vet and did 4 days of probiotics.

Here's what he looks like today:

This just doesn't look right to me. He's acting totally normal, not phased by anything. I think I'm going to dry lot them with only hay for a couple days and see if it makes a difference. Maybe he's getting into something he shouldn't in their pasture. It's all weeds, nothing ornamental, and we've had goats back there before with no issues.

 

[MellonFriend]

It is good that he's squishy. Somebody on here gave the good example of feeling kind of like playdough. Drum-tight would be a problem, but since he's not uncomfortable I don't think that it's some sort of bloat.

I have a buck that gets absolutely huge in the tummy. I mean my gosh he gets "wide".
This isn't even the worst I've seen of him:

 

[NigerianDwarfOwner707]

Wow that is so much worse! Sorry to say. That did quite progress.

Can you get a fecal on him??

I'd give a drench of flat, room temp, dark beer. 4oz.

I'd also give a rumen bolus. @ksalvagno can you give a link?

 

[NigerianDwarfOwner707]

I’d keep him off pasture for a few days.

 

[MellonFriend]

Listen to these people over me, they know what they're talking about.

 

[NigerianDwarfOwner707]

Listen to these people over me, they know what they're talking about.

Big bellies are fine, but that looks larger than the rumen, like a blimp!

 

[Boers4ever]

Ok so for educational purposes, what is a blimp?

 

[NigerianDwarfOwner707]

Ok so for educational purposes, what is a blimp?

A flying aircraft , lol. It's very round. Just a figure of speech.

 

[NDinKY]

Fecal was negative except for moderate cocci which were treated with the long course Albon. It comes and goes, but is always largish. He’s not uncomfortable and it’s not tense. And he does look like a blimp.

If it doesn’t go down off pasture I’ll try the dark beer. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[NigerianDwarfOwner707]

Fecal was negative except for moderate cocci which were treated with the long course Albon. It comes and goes, but is always largish. He's not uncomfortable and it's not tense. And he does look like a blimp.

If it doesn't go down off pasture I'll try the dark beer. Thanks for the suggestion!

Definitely curious how it feels - a little massage etc.

 

[ksalvagno]

https://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/pro...8gnrbNwkAFioxDqoAO1nwZ-T7PwxKrWxoCaX4QAvD_BwE

That does look not normal but if he isn't in distress, then I wouldn't get too excited. You could certainly offer baking soda for that. I agree with trying no pasture. Daily probiotics wouldn't hurt.

 

[SalteyLove]

Geesh, that really has progressed. Well, at the risk of being all "throw all the chemicals at him"... I'd be dosing him with Equimax or another good dewormer for Tapeworms. I know you already did the Safeguard for tapes - was it three or even five days in a row? In my experience, tapes don't reliably show on fecal analysis as well as other parasites (nevermind the variability of fecal samples anyhow). But usually it's more of a "pot belly" look that all blown up like that!

 

[NDinKY]

https://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/pro...8gnrbNwkAFioxDqoAO1nwZ-T7PwxKrWxoCaX4QAvD_BwE

That does look not normal but if he isn't in distress, then I wouldn't get too excited. You could certainly offer baking soda for that. I agree with trying no pasture. Daily probiotics wouldn't hurt.

Thanks, ordering some! I may get probios granules and top dress with them.

Saltey, originally I was thinking tapeworms because he was more pot bellied. I did the high dose Safeguard for 3 days. Maybe I'll try valbazen instead. His poops look good though, haven't seen any segments or anything. They're round and firm like normal goat poops.

 

[NDinKY]

Definitely curious how it feels - a little massage etc.

Still like memory foam. Not tense or anything. Squishy.