# *new question pg 2*- new buck and pregnant goat



## MommaBugg (Mar 10, 2012)

I got my goats yesterday. 

I didnt have the time I needed to look them over as much as I would have liked to when I went to picked them up before taking them home.

The doe is correctly teated, the buck seems sound if a little on the thin side. The breeder told me she has not wormed the buck yet owing to the fact that I would have to worm the doe after she kidded anyway.

The doe doesn't seem to be as far along as the breeder claimed.. Is it dangerous  to worm a pregnant goat? If i worm her just after she kids, would the kids benefit from the wormer I dose her with if they are dam raised and nurse her?

Also they both seem to have a little bit of a runny nose and 'eye boogers' Is this normal for goats in cold weather? Or could this be a sign of illness? DH also said he heard the buck cough a couple times on the ride home. DH was holding on to him in the van, so he was close enough to smell the bucks breath when  the buck coughed and DH described his breath as smelling like a cross between dog poo and tuna..

Any input or suggestions?


Thanks in advance


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 10, 2012)

You can worm you goat with certain kinds of wormers while she is pregnant. Safegaurd and Ivermectin are commonly used. 

No the kids will NOT benifit from worming the doe after she kids. YOu have to worm the kids individually when they need it. 


I never feel a cough is normal in a goat or any livestock for that matter. I would keep an eye on him over the next few days, see if the cough seems consistant and if it does consider treating him with an antibiotic.  I would suggest Penn G shots, twice a day. Although there is water soluble antibiotics that you can use.  Our entire herd had a cough and runny eyes last fall, and we treated them in the drinking water with tetracylcene. It would be safe for you doe as well.  In fact any new goats we bring home, we always put them on a round of water soluble tetracyclene. 



Good luck with your new goats.  I hope you enjoy them.


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## MommaBugg (Mar 10, 2012)

I was just out with the buck, what I heard wasnt exactly a cough, more like a small 'hack' like he was trying to get something up.. I also hear both of them make a little rumbling gaggy sound.. is that the sound they make when the regurgitate their cud? I really hope I didnt get stuck with sick goats.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 10, 2012)

MommaBugg said:
			
		

> I was just out with the buck, what I heard wasnt exactly a cough, more like a small 'hack' like he was trying to get something up.. I also hear both of them make a little rumbling gaggy sound.. is that the sound they make when the regurgitate their cud? I really hope I didnt get stuck with sick goats.


I think what you are hearing is probably some congestion. Maybe a cold or respitory allergies.  I don't think rumbling gaggy sound is normal.   
The buckling in your picture that you posted, looks a little rough coated. I would keep a close eye on him. Check both their gum color and eye lids,  maybe do a fecal on them.


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## MommaBugg (Mar 10, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> MommaBugg said:
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What could cause the rough coat.. I noticed that about him too.. How do you go about running a fecal on a goat? Is it something a vet has to do? Should I go ahead and worm him.. He seems healthy enough so I think now would be a good time.. He is bunking with my chicken at the moment until we get the new door on his pen.. it just was not buck proof...


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 10, 2012)

fecals are between 15 and 20. You find a vet in your area that will take the poop and run a fecal. although if you are lucky enough to have a state lab in your town, they will do it as well. You have to gather up poop as it falls out of them or go in and get some. Yah, kind of gross.  take it in fresh, I think you can keep it in fridge until you take it in. I am not one to ask too many details on fecals. We just don't do them. 

If he was mine, I would worm him with Valbazene three days in a row. The pregnant doe I would use safeguard or ivermectin on. NOT Valbazene. 

rough coat can be a mineral problem or worm problem or just general health problem. loose goat minerals would be good for him. Plus the extra copper can really help with parasite resistance, lice resistance and hoof health. 

Have you studied much about the benefits of copper and selenium for goats?


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## MommaBugg (Mar 10, 2012)

20kidsonhill said:
			
		

> fecals are between 15 and 20. You find a vet in your area that will take the poop and run a fecal. although if you are lucky enough to have a state lab in your town, they will do it as well. You have to gather up poop as it falls out of them or go in and get some. Yah, kind of gross.  take it in fresh, I think you can keep it in fridge until you take it in. I am not one to ask too many details on fecals. We just don't do them.
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> If he was mine, I would worm him with Valbazene three days in a row. The pregnant doe I would use safeguard or ivermectin on. NOT Valbazene.
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> ...


I will look for Valbazene. I have Safeguard, I bought it last night. I called around to vets and there is no one around here that will deal with goats.. They say they can 'look' at them but they cant guarantee they can help.. Sounds to me like they just want the visit fee.. So I will worm and hope for the best. 

I have read about copper and selenium. The breeder told me she does not give BoSe shots but they have access to minerals.. SHe had tons of goats and they all looked healthy jumping around and playing.. The buck I bought was very lively too,, running around playing in straw, jumping etc.

I did buy them a mineral block with selenium and copper. Is there any other pastes or supplements I might be able to find at Tractor Supply?

I am starting to stress really bad. They both just seem so healthy other than an occasional cough (the doe has not coughed at all though thank goodness) Hopefully I am just worrying more than I should and that it turns out to be nothing serious.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 10, 2012)

MommaBugg said:
			
		

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I don't think it is anything to really stress about. It has been a really wet season for many of us and a warmer winter for us as well.  Things like respitory problems seem to be more common this winter.  

YOu can use Safeguard, It just isn't quite as strong a wormer as Valbazene, there is a little more resistance to safegaurd than there is to valbazene.  I would use the safeguard at 3x the label dosage and for 3 days in a row. Can't remember if that was mentioned to you already. 

Look through his hair for signs of lice?  watch for scratching. Lice have been bad this year. You can see lice, they look like little tiny black ants running around at the base of the hair coat, You can't see mites, but they are more likely to cause bald spots and very uneven looking hair coats. Both will make them seem itchy. Sorry if I mentioned this already, I am running back and forth doing a couple different things at the house.


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## elevan (Mar 10, 2012)

Just because the vets around you don't know goats doesn't mean that they cannot do a fecal for you.  Any vet can do a fecal and tell you what worms are present and in what quantity.

Make sure you have loose minerals available for your goats too.

I would be tempted to give some VetRx ointment to the buck if he were here.  2 drops each nostril 2 times daily for 7 days.  You can buy it at farm supply stores or livestock supply vendors online.


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## MommaBugg (Mar 10, 2012)

OK arent goats supposed to have a dry nose? The does nose was a little 'shiney' looking earlier when I went to put them up for the night.

The buck didnt have any lice that I saw.. and other than him having a really rough coarse coat its very thick and even. No bald spots. Though he DID seem like he was a bit itchy.. He scratches every few minutes but hes not doing it constantly or rubbing up against trees. His coat just doesnt look as bad in person as it seems to show up in the picture. I will try and get a better pic of him tomorrow.

Also the VetRX drops.. is that the brand name? I will see if TSC has them.. I just hope we can get out of the driveway tomorrow.. It snowed ALL day today and they havent plowed my road yet.. figures


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## EggsForIHOP (Mar 10, 2012)

For fecals do it yourself style with the added bonus of being affordable beyond belief try here:   http://www.midamericaagresearch.net/instructions.php

It's $5 a sample, just mail it in priority with a frozen water bottle to keep it cool.  They're pretty fast and VERY nice - answer any question via email or over the phone I've had so far.  Since we live so far from everything, my vet suggested them because honestly they are cheaper than dragging goats in to her or even sending samples to her.  That should get you some answers on that end.

As for the other stuff you already have some really good answers   Just throwing an option out there for the fecal thing.


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## elevan (Mar 10, 2012)

I wouldn't worry about a "shiny" nose.  But snot and goop around the nose and eyes, I usually start with VetRx.  Here's a link for VetRx:  http://www.jefferslivestock.com/vetrx-goat-sheep/camid/LIV/cp/16742/


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## MommaBugg (Mar 11, 2012)

OK pretty sure the buck has lice. Are there any products any of you would recommend for lice treatment on goats?

Im sure it would not be a good idea to treat the doe while pregnant. 

How long after she kids should I wait to treat her for lice if she is nursing?

can this lice infect people? He is in with my chickens right now so I am sure they will get it.


**EDIT**

Looking on TSC website I found Y-Tex Python Power.. Has anyone used this before? I hope it works.. It claims that you can use it on lactating dairy animals with no age restrictions, so I hope that means it is safe for a pregnant goat and chickens.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 11, 2012)

Goat lice is specific to goats. 

I would treat both, it wont hurt the pregnant doe to treat her.  And Lice suck blood, so they will make her anemic if you don't get it treated. 


There are lots of choices of treatments, sprays, pour-ons, powders and even injectables.  

A spray: http://www.jefferslivestock.com/permectrin-ii/camid/LIV/cp/14045/

A pour-on: http://www.jefferslivestock.com/cylence-pour-on/camid/LIV/cp/16253/ 
                 there is an ivermectin pour-on


A dust:  http://www.jefferslivestock.com/insectrin-dust/camid/LIV/cp/A2-PE/
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/co-ral-zipcide-equine-livestock-dust/camid/LIV/cp/A2-C6/


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 11, 2012)

MommaBugg said:
			
		

> OK pretty sure the buck has lice. Are there any products any of you would recommend for lice treatment on goats?
> 
> Im sure it would not be a good idea to treat the doe while pregnant.
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haven't used that particular one, but I would think it would work just fine.


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## EggsForIHOP (Mar 11, 2012)

I had to use the python dust from TSC just a few months ago...it was cold...the goats were warm...lice moved in...dusted everyone and their bedding just the once and BOOM lice gone...

And 3 of the does were/are bred - so no worries there either. (Plus I snuck in a hoof trim that day too since I had each goat on the stand...that was the least pleasant part of the whole day  )


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## elevan (Mar 11, 2012)

EggsForIHOP said:
			
		

> I had to use the python dust from TSC just a few months ago...it was cold...the goats were warm...lice moved in...dusted everyone and their bedding just the once and BOOM lice gone...
> 
> And 3 of the does were/are bred - so no worries there either. (Plus I snuck in a hoof trim that day too since I had each goat on the stand...that was the least pleasant part of the whole day  )


I've used it several times myself.  Though I do repeat in 14 days.


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## EggsForIHOP (Mar 12, 2012)

I was going to repeat it...but I think I caught things in time that they hardly laid one little louse egg! They didn't come back at all and I figured...eh...okay   Of course I was out there every 10 minutes checking Lucy...like a month before she was even due...just checking...every ten minutes  So I probably caught the first bug out of the woods and onto the goat LOL


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