# Cough that won't go away



## manybirds (Dec 3, 2015)

I purchased a lamancha doeling (about 8 months old now) a few months ago. When I got her she had a little bit of a runny nose but was otherwise healthy and I attributed it to the fact that she was in a really dusty older barn when I got her. I kept her separate from my herd for a few weeks and she was fine other than the runny nose stayed (thick gross snot started after I got her home) and I noticed a raspy cough. Finally the runny nose cleared up and I just put her in with the other ones. Now I have had her for a couple months and she still has a raspy cough (no runny nose anymore). Is there any way to clear it up and why won't it go away? Other than that she's a little small and my dominant female knocks her around a lot she does good. No other goats get sick. She has regular heat cycles (I don't want to breed her until I know her coughs nothing to be concerned about), a shiny coat, eats fine (when the bigger meaner ones are done), is friendly and seems happy and has buddied up with one other odd ball in my pen. Is there anything I can do or is it just one of those things?


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## Baymule (Dec 3, 2015)

I am not a goat expert, but I have a senior horse that gets a bad cough in the winter. I give her Transfer Factor 4-life Livestock Stress Formula. It is an immunity builder and it works. It is expensive, but less than a vet call and less than the price of another animal.


http://transferfactor-4-life.com/4life-transfer-factor-livestock-stress-formula.aspx

Perhaps another more knowledgeable  person can come help?
@Southern by choice 
@babsbag 
@goatgurl


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## goatgurl (Dec 3, 2015)

one thought is that parasites can cause a cough.  have you had a fecal done?  i would start there.   i have one older doe that gets a snotty nose every fall.  I've doctored her to no avail and decided she has seasonal allergies.  nothing i do helps and as winter comes on she gets over it???  she is 5 now and has done it every year since she was a kid.


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## promiseacres (Dec 3, 2015)

X2 check a fecal


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## manybirds (Dec 3, 2015)

No fecal done, she seems healthy otherwise so I never thought about getting one for her (I did worm her when I bought her), but I will now just to check. As far as allergies, maybe she has an allergy to hay dust or something? Because its been snowing and such here so any fall allergy should of gone away?


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## Latestarter (Dec 3, 2015)

I don't know personally, but would think the runny nose would indicate an allergy thing more so than a cough... or maybe both simultaneously... Maybe she's fighting a mild pneumonia? Past the nasal stage now and just lungs... Other goaties on here have dealt w/that before and could prob recommend antibiotics for it...


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 3, 2015)

Its always good to have a fecal run BUT if this is a parasite that is making her cough probably won't show up in a regular fecal anyway. You would need to have a Baermanns float. This test is still very very inaccurate, most say its better to treat the doe and if it fixes her great, if not keep on trying. I am not a fan of using a dewormer without knowing if the goat has parasites or not but when lungworm is suspected it is probably best. 

When we fist got goats they ended up getting lungworm, some of the vets said not to worry because "goats cough". We didn't really like that answer so we kept going. Talked to the labs as well as other vets about the Baermanns float and decided it was better just to treat with ivermectin. 
Do you know if the breeder had lots of snails/slugs on the property?     
I'm not sure if this is the case with your doe. 

Have you taken her temp? 

Last year we bought some does that were just shown and they ended up having very runny noses and raspy breathing. We treated them with oxytetracycline and it cleared right up. 

Like the others said, allergies can cause coughing but at this point you might want a vet to look at her. 

Hope this helped


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## babsbag (Dec 3, 2015)

I vote for antibiotics. I am not a "run for the drugs" person at all, but goats with coughs are often pneumonia. Yes, there are allergies, yes there are parasites (lung worm), but a cough that started with a runny nose and doesn't go away when the nose clears up screams pnuemonia to me. I had kids with coughs all spring and summer and not until a did a round of Biomycin did it go away. Biomyicin doesnt sting as much as Duramycin but it is the same drug...Oxytetracline.


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 3, 2015)

babsbag said:


> I vote for antibiotics. I am not a "run for the drugs" person at all, but goats with coughs are often pneumonia. Yes, there are allergies, yes there are parasites (lung worm), but a cough that started with a runny nose and doesn't go away when the nose clears up screams pnuemonia to me. I had kids with coughs all spring and summer and not until a did a round of Biomycin did it go away. Biomyicin doesnt sting as much as Duramycin but it is the same drug...Oxytetracline.


That is what I was thinking too. It doesn't really sound like lungworm to me.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 3, 2015)

I agree with fecal test. 
Lungworm can also cause these issues. What kind of cough is it?

Something no one has mentioned is whether your doe has been tested for CL? 

Another thing is do you know what happened during her birth?
Some goats have issues from being born breech and in the canal too long, lungs get mildly damaged...if there was fluid in there and despite best efforts wasn't suctioned  good enough. Can cause them to cough when weather changes, dust etc... not always.
Kind of like people with asthma- damp, dust, exertion, weather change, as well as season changes can cause the coughing. But generally there isn't fever etc.


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## manybirds (Dec 3, 2015)

Is it going to be bad for her to just give her some antibiotics? And if it was lung worm would it spread to any of my other goats? Because it hasn't. I can get oxytetracycline This Saturday


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## Latestarter (Dec 3, 2015)

Most will tell you it's never a good idea to just medicate "because", as that tends to allow the nasty bugs to build up a tolerance and then that drug is no longer any good for use against that bug... However, that being said, your doe has a persistent cough, and based on what others have shared, it seems like the oxytet would be a good thing to do in this case. Just follow the dosing instructions on the package when you buy it.

It doesn't "sound" like a lungworm issue. If it is lungworms, then yes, it is contagious as the effected animal's feces will deposit shed eggs which can then be eaten by other goats/sheep whereby they will get infected.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 3, 2015)

Lungworm doesn't spread as in contagious... It needs an intermediary host ie the snail.

Personally I don't ever give anti-biotics unless there is an absolute need and I confer with my vet. 
One, I want the right one for the job.
Two, I hate throwing anything at a goat without knowing why.


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## babsbag (Dec 4, 2015)

I agree with Southern but pneumonia is hard to detect. It doesn't always present a temp and I can't usually hear it (I am really bad with a stethoscope). Truth is we should all consult with our vets but reality in my world is I don't.  Finding an antibiotic with a label for a goat is next to impossible so technically none of us are supposed to use them without a vet telling us too, but again...

I am not a vet and I am going out on a limb here, this is from my experience last summer...

Most Oxytets are long acting meaning administered every 72 hours. Goats being goats and having the high metabolism that they do need it more often. 36-48 hours being the norm. The dose is 4.5 ml per 100 lbs every 36-48 hours for three shots. Some people give 3 ml every day but I don't and I don't know how long you would do that regime; my guess would be 5 days.

If the cough doesn't go away after this treatment then you may need to get a stronger drug from a vet, but goats that need Nuflor or Naxel are usually pretty sick. Or look at treating for Lungworm.

I vaccinate for pneumonia every winter so I never see it in my does and seldom in my kids. This last year was just a bad year for me and coughing kids.


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## manybirds (Dec 4, 2015)

It may make me sound bad but I had a really rough 2 or 3 years with goats where vet calls were constant so now I like to avoid spending more there than I have to. At this point they should have a portrait of me in there labeled as their main contributor or name a building after me or something! haha. Generally I just worm them when they look like they need it and right after they kid (or if i just purchased them before they go in with my other goats) and they only get CD and T. I think I'll do a round of antibiotics. If that doesn't work is there a way to test for lungworms without doing a vet call? I will do a vet call if it's the only way


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## Southern by choice (Dec 4, 2015)

Don't bother with a vet call for lungworm or the Baermanns float... if you suspect it treat it.  That is what every vet has told me and the labs I work with have said the same.

On an earlier post I had asked a few questions...


Southern by choice said:


> What kind of cough is it?





Southern by choice said:


> Something no one has mentioned is whether your doe has been tested for CL?





Southern by choice said:


> Another thing is do you know what happened during her birth?
> Some goats have issues from being born breech and in the canal too long, lungs get mildly damaged...if there was fluid in there and despite best efforts wasn't suctioned good enough. Can cause them to cough when weather changes, dust etc... not always.
> Kind of like people with asthma- damp, dust, exertion, weather change, as well as season changes can cause the coughing. But generally there isn't fever etc.


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## Latestarter (Dec 4, 2015)

Lungworm lifecycle from from wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungworm#Lifecycle
"These animals have direct life-cycles. The lungworms in the superfamily Metastrongyloidea include species that infest a wider range of mammals, including sheep, goats and pigs but also cats and dogs." 

"The general life cycle of a lungworm begins with an ingestion of infective larva/e. The infective larvae then penetrate the intestinal wall where larvae migrate into the lungs through the bloodstream. The infected larvae reside in the lungs until the development into an adult lungworm. The eggs of the adult hatch thus producing L1 larvae. The eggs or L1 larvae that reside in the lungs are coughed up and then ingested back into the stomach and released into the environment via the feces."

Though some do use a slug or snail as a step, it is not always the case and seems to be predominate in the family of lungworms that specifically affect dogs and cats.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 5, 2015)

@Latestarter- you stated "contagious" and as to not confuse the OP I was clarifying it is not contagious in the sense of transmission of simply coughing and going from goat to goat. Like pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses.
When someone says contagious the first thought for most people is Oh my gosh all my goats are going to get this... 
a goat is not going to get this from another goat by being with or having contact with another goat. 
I know you like wiki- so from wiki-
_A *contagious disease* is a subset category of transmissible diseases (can transmit from person to another), usuallyinfections or some non-infection diseases, which are transmitted to other persons, either by physical contact (hence the name-origin) with the person suffering the disease, or by casual contact with their secretions or objects touched by them or airborne route among other routes.[1]_

_The *non-contagious* category of infections usually require a special mode of transmission between persons or hosts. These include need for intermediate vector species (mosquitoes that cause malaria) or by non-casual transfer of bodily fluid (such as transfusions, needle sharing or sexual contact). They can also be inherited from parents or caused by environmental or behavioral factors._

Parasites can be transmitted via oral route yes through infected pasture.
The_ Dictyocoulus filaria_ is the lungworm (most common) associated with goats.
This is a long life cycle- yes large eggs can be ingested off the grasses, but it is the small lungworm larvae that must be ingested by the snail to *continue the lifecycle*. Most are embryonated when laid but usually hatch before they leave the host.

Having experience with lungworm there are some tell tale signs of lungworm and discription of environment is key. As well as the sound of the cough, it is very distinct.
Having years in parasitology I can tell you the float is a waste of time... that is why most say to treat if suspected. Years ago we had lungworm... also had swampy ground, lots of streams, and millions of snails. We got geese and ducks- eradicated the snails and we eradicated the lungworm issue. Never had a case of lungworm since. 

There are so many causes for coughs that looking at the environment as well as parasitology is important.
Coccidia can cause cough too. 
Issues at kidding/breach birth/ not fully cleared lungs
molds
allergies


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## manybirds (Dec 5, 2015)

Southern by choice said:


> Don't bother with a vet call for lungworm or the Baermanns float... if you suspect it treat it.  That is what every vet has told me and the labs I work with have said the same.
> 
> On an earlier post I had asked a few questions...


It is a wet cough like she's hacking up gunk out of her lungs. It almost sounds like the cough they make sometimes when spitting up cud but a little rougher and definitely not the same think. I got her from a menanite dairy goat farm, they knew her damm/sire but no details on her birth. I tested for cae and all that fun stuff but she wasn't living here at the time I did the testing


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## rochelle~loves~goats (Sep 1, 2016)

Oh my...I bought a 4 month old Nigerian female & she's got a cough, all the goats that this lady bought from another lady (like 4-5 goats) all had coughs, she mentioned to the lady too & she told her that she didn't know why her goats coughed???? Now me reading this...makes me scared about lungworm??? What do I do? She don't cough all the time & it's a small little cough once in awhile...in fact since I've had her for 3 weeks now her cough has seemed to be getting better?? I guess I better take notes on this!


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## rochelle~loves~goats (Sep 1, 2016)

I have another question please...my male Nigerian has a runny nose, nothing else wrong that I can see. But I can tell in his eyes he's not feeling good...his snot is like a clear whitish color if that makes sense, he's pure black so that color makes sense to me...he has his appetite, everything good there....I'm concerned about his runny nose...


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## babsbag (Sep 1, 2016)

I would check both of them and see if there is a fever presenting. 

Now this is just what I would do. If they have a fever I would treat with Duramycin, if no fever I would probably treat the male anyways if you think he doesn't look that great. I would wait on the doeling and see if it is indeed getting better. 

Have you checked the new one for worms since bringing her home? The stress of a move and cause a parasite bloom.


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## rochelle~loves~goats (Sep 1, 2016)

No I haven't checked her for worms. I've gotta check all of them for worms & they need all their shots since I don't know what the previous owners did. Since I don't know what was done could you please tell me what shots are needed? I have a bottle of Clostridium Perfringens Types C & D Tentanus Toxoid CD/T, what other do I need cuz I'd like to give at the same time.


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## babsbag (Sep 1, 2016)

They only need the CDT. I vaccinate for pneumonia too but certainly not required and most people don't do it.


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## Goat Whisperer (Sep 1, 2016)

Be sure to double check on the bottle though, I've seen some CDT vaccines where you need to give 3cc per dose. Generally its 2cc, but not always.


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