# Help! Goat belly feels like a balloon...



## TxMom (Jul 6, 2009)

The belly on one of my wethers is very large and round and feels like a balloon.  Can push it in a little but feels like it's full of air.  Is this Bloat?  Should I feed him Olive Oil?

He is laying down right now, but I've seen him eating all morning (pellets and weeds and blackberry vines, etc)

Background info:

I got my 2 boer cross wethers last week from a different city 2 hours away with slightly different climate/vegetation.
4 months old now
Banded at approx 8 weeks old

Eating: free choice hay, brush, weeds, grass, Goat Pellets (given to me by previous ownder, about 1 cup/day)

I have lots of different weeds and brush, I don't know what it all is, could possibly have something toxic in there...

They got out of their pen yesterday and were running around near the ditch and road...


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## TxMom (Jul 6, 2009)

He's walking around now and still nibbling on grass and weeds, but he seriously looks HUGE...maybe twice as wide as he was yesterday.  And he still definitely feels like a balloon.

Should I just go ahead and give him the olive oil...just to be on the safe side?  Will it hurt him if I give him oil and he doesn't need it?


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## Chirpy (Jul 6, 2009)

I have not used Olive oil so I can't answer that question.  Do you have baking soda out free choice?   You can also give him a couple of tums if you have them.

edited for spelling


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## mully (Jul 6, 2009)

If you have a halter for him get him some exercise and that should take care of the problem.  What side is the swelling on?  I good brisk walk will do wonders for his digestion... but be careful of the heat and do it when it is cooler.


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## TxMom (Jul 6, 2009)

He seems to be doing OK...I keep checking on him and he doesn't seem to be in pain or in distress.  He's walking around and still nibbling on weeds and grass.  The "balloon" is more on the left side, but he looks big on both sides to me.

I've read about oil helping bloat...but I haven't tried it yet...just watching and waiting.  I do give them free choice baking soda and loose minerals in their little house, next to their water bucket.  We just started doing that on Friday...we've had them since Monday, I don't know if the previous owner gave them baking soda.

It is over 100 outside right now, I'll try to walk him in a couple hours when it cools down.  He has a collar, not a halter.  Sometimes he walks OK, sometimes he stops and doesn't want to go any further... 

I was hoping for rain today to cool things off, but no luck.  I actually misted the air above the goats...I know they don't like to get wet, but it was a fine mist and it will cool them off a bit.


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## mully (Jul 7, 2009)

Goats are funny about getting wet ...like water kills. Glad he is doing better watch his stools to see if they are normal.  Minerals and baking soda are important.  He could also just not be used to the hay change or the amount of forage he is now getting. This will change over time.


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## Chaty (Jul 7, 2009)

Is he eating more than where he came from? More weeds and not dry lotted. It sounds like a healthy full rumin to me. I would give a baking soda ball and put some out there free chioce just in case. Does he groan loudly and seem uncomfortable? With Bloat they cry loudly and bite at the side where it hurts/ I dont use oil unless its frothy bloat. I keep Bloat release on hand all the time as you never know when you will need it. Did you get his temp also? Sounds like he is just eating well.


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## TxMom (Jul 7, 2009)

He was doing better last night, and now today he looks back to normal...Whew....  I'm just a worried paranoid goat-mommy...LOL.

I think they're just getting used to the change in food, hay, browse, etc.  I'm closer to the gulf coast and where they came from is more Central TX....it's a big difference.  It's weird that one of the boys blew up like a balloon, and the other was perfectly normal...but now they look the same again.


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