# Newbie question: Homesick?



## wannacow (Mar 25, 2011)

I bought a 4yo nubian doe in milk and a 6 wk old doeling (not related) 2 weeks ago from the same owner.  These are my first goats.  I have been researching all I can, but I really don't know very much.  Apple is very friendly but we had a little trouble milking for a while.  Now, we're doing pretty well, but she's not giving very much milk.  Yesterday was the most  I had gotten from 1 milking.  1.5 lbs.  She was giving about 3 qts at her old home.  I know the milk production will go down while we are both "learning" about each other.   However, I have noticed her getting skinny.  Again, I really have nothing to base my observations on, but she just seems skinny.  She has free-feed purina goat chow and alfalfa and grass hay at her disposal.  She loves the hay and she eats the grain, but not alot.  When I brought her home, I brought home some of her grain mixture.  She wouldn't eat that, she wanted the new stuff.  Last night and this am, I milked her to empty.  There wasn't much milk this am.  I didn't even measure it.
     2 days ago, I found a lump on her leg.  I called her previous owner to see if it had always been there.  She's pretty upset and wants me to bring her back.  she said she had CL a few years ago, when she brought home 2 boer goats.  She immediately got rid of them.  She has never had dairy goats with CL.  I don't know if that is what this is, but the location is the right spot for it.  My vet is researching now.
     This am, I went out to the barn and neither called for me like they always do.  The doeling does what Apple does.  I actually went in to peek on them before I heated up the bottle because they weren't making a sound.  They were both alert and watching me.
     I guess, after my long story, I'm asking if Apple is homesick and is giving up.  She didn't eat much on the milking stand and just stood there.  I had to lead her off.  While I was in the pen changing the water, I was playing with the doeling.  She's gotten heavy, but I found a lump on her too.  What am I doing?  Is there something I should/should not do?  These goats are for our own personal milk supply-raw.  I don't want to get rid of them if it's not CL, but if it's stress related, how do I make things less stressful for them?  
Sorry this is so long...    this is how I'm feeling right now.


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## DonnaBelle (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm glad you've called in a vet.  That's the only way to be sure if it's CL or not.

I sure am thinking about you and hoping that's not the case.  If it is, do some reading about the disease as it is very serious.

Good luck and I have my fingers crossed for you.

DonnaBelle


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## phoenixmama (Mar 25, 2011)

My advice is to *try* not to let your mind drive you crazy until you have an answer from the veterinarian re: the lumps.  

About their behavior and acting "off"...moves are stressful for them, but I only have experience with kids, as I've never brought home a full-grown goat.  Hopefully someone with experience bringing home full grown animals will have some advice on that part.  

It is hard when you feel unexperienced.  I'm right there with you, we got our first two Nubian doelings last June, and now we've added a buckling.  I feel like I've learned a lot, but there's still so much I don't know.  Hopefully the vet. will get back quickly with an answer.


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## RabbleRoost Farm (Mar 25, 2011)

DonnaBelle said:
			
		

> I'm glad you've called in a vet.  That's the only way to be sure if it's CL or not.
> 
> I sure am thinking about you and hoping that's not the case.  If it is, do some reading about the disease as it is very serious.
> 
> ...


Yes, very serious, BUT the goat(s) can go on to live a life without nasty pus pockets as long as you catch the abscess before it ruptures, have the vet lance, clean, and test the pus inside (to be sure if it's CL or not), and keep them in quarantine (that you can burn when they're done with it, so not your fancy new barn. More like stock panels on dirt so you can burn the dirt too while you're at it) until the abscess heals over. If it doesn't rupture all over the place often the goat won't have another abscess and will be fine, and your property won't be tainted with it.

Here's some videos on what one man did for a doe he bought (unknowingly because of seller deception) with a CL abscess.
Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/user/themauldinfarm#p/u/27/Io6ZAZhOibM
Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/user/themauldinfarm#p/u/26/ndjHmGsYFE8
Video 3 (treating the abscess): http://www.youtube.com/user/themauldinfarm#p/u/26/ndjHmGsYFE8
(NOTE: removing the contents of the abscess is not for the squeamish. This segment is right near the end, just close your eyes if you want.  )
Video 4 (disinfecting the quarantine area): http://www.youtube.com/user/themauldinfarm#p/u/24/oTNU64Fk-MI


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 25, 2011)

With the stress of the move, you should have the vet run a fecal, she may have bloomed with a worm or cocci load.  

As far as the lump, it is possible she was a carrier then broke with it from the stress, but I wouldn't stress over it at this point until you talk to a vet.  

It sounds like the seller is being honest with you and feels bad about the situation. You are lucky to have found such an honest person to do business with. 

if the hair starts to come off the lump, make sure the goat is somewhere that you can clean everything  up,including the ground, walls, ect...... You don't want it to break in your pasture or main barn area.


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## mistee (Mar 25, 2011)

i have a doe that has a lump on her neck and that was my first thought and i felt bad cause i just love this doe.. i have had her tested every year for the past 4 years and is alway negative for cl.. the lump has never gone away,, gotten bigger or smaller, never lost hair or leaked puss... dont know why it is there ,, just one of those things..


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## wannacow (Mar 26, 2011)

Thanks for all your replies.  I haven't heard from my vet yet, as his wife was 8 days overdue w/ their baby.  She may have had the baby yest., I'm not sure.  Anyway, it's not just the lump.  The doe just isn't eating very much.  I free feed goat chow and grass hay and alfalfa hay.  She eats the hay and nibbles on the chow.  I bought some calf manna last night hoping that would give her a boost.  She nibbled it some, but didn't "dive in" like I'd hoped.  Also, I found a lump on the doeling's side too.  It is in the middle, not in a lymph site.  I can't see that she's stressed.  She's playful and eats!  However, she ONLY wants what Apple is eating.


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## DonnaBelle (Mar 26, 2011)

I've got 7 goats, each one of them eats a little differently.  Some more, some less.  My birddogs are the same way.

I don't leave feed out all the time.  I feed them about 2 measuring cups of feeds to each one, twice a day, the rest of the time it's pasture, brouse and hay.

I do a goat feed (not sweet feed), Black Oil Sunflower Seed, and a bit of Calf Manna mixed in too.

As far as the lumps are concerned, I had a freak-out when I saw lumps on Lulu's neck area.  It was where she was vaccinated. 

For about 2 days I just knew my whole herd had CL.  

The lump finally went down, and all of them are OK.

Sending you good vibes for your goaties.

DonnaBelle


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## PattySh (Mar 26, 2011)

I can't comment on the lumps I don't have experience in that area. I am wondering if the doe left her "buddies" behind. Was she part of a herd? If she'd been at the place her entire life and part of a herd it would have been better to take 2 bonded does. She may very well be homesick.


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## wannacow (Mar 26, 2011)

She was part of a herd, but she had been in the kidding barn.  There were bottle babies in there and I brought one of those home.  The other does that had been in there had either been sold or had moved out of that barn with the others.  This owner was the doe's 2nd owner.  The former owner is selling all but her LaManchas.  She loves their personalities.  I will have both of them tested for CL.  I already know the doe is CAE pos, but has no signs/symptoms.  I have continued with the CAE prevention just as the former owner had been doing.  I'm not giving up.  
Tonight seemed a little better.  She didn't let me milk to empty but she seems to be eating more.  I'm hoping that and the calf manna will help the milk production.  I have enough milk for the doeling for tomorrow and Mon. am.  I probably milked enough for Mon pm, but will pasteurize that when I have more.  At the end of the month, I can go to 1 bottle a day and she can be weaned the beginning of May.  
I think the lump is smaller too.  It was long, kind of kidney bean shaped.  Now it is the size of a pea.


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## Emmetts Dairy (Mar 27, 2011)

Change is a big stress on goats.  I would give her some time.  I would not switch feeds too fast.  I would ask the person who had her what she was eating and keep her on that and slowly change what you would like to feed her.  With all of us...change takes time.  She will come around.  

When I buy goats and bring them home. I will buy a bale of hay off the former owner and find out what shes feeding them and make feed changes slowly.  

I would also recomend giving her a vitamin B shot to boost her appetite.  As she is milking..she needs the nutrients.  I would also give her a little baking soda incase her belly is a little off from feed changes and some probiotics.  But Im sure she will come around soon enough!  Good luck.  

As for the lumps...I would get them tested for sure.  And wait for the vets answer...I know thats hard and worrisome.  But thats all you can do.   

I hope for the best for you on that test!!


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## wannacow (Mar 31, 2011)

Here's the update.  Good news!!!  The bumps are not CL.  They have gone down in size and after some investigating with the former owner, we discovered that they are the bumps from the CD&T shots she gave just before I brought them home.  WooHoo!!!  Apple is doing much better.  She LOVES the calf manna and is letting me milk her to empty while she enjoys it.  I still think she's "bone skinny", but I don't really know what she looked like before she moved here.  I only saw her once and that was just post kidding.  Frosty, the doeling is getting big and is very much the alpha!  Oh my!!  I think I'm going to have my hands full.    Thank you all for your support and input.  I really appreciate it.  It's so nice to have people around that can lend their experience and support.  Thank you all.


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