# Fainting goats help



## John Codington (Apr 10, 2014)

i bought two fainting goats yesterday and the man made them faint for me. however, now that they are at my house i cant make them faint how do i get them to faint?


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## elevan (Apr 10, 2014)

Welcome to BYH @John Codington 

Fainting Goats faint because they have a genetic condition called 


Spoiler: Myotonia congenita



*Congenital myotonia* (also *myotonia congenita*) (_Myo-_ from Greek; muscle, and _Tonus_ from Latin; tension), is a genetic, neuromuscular channelopathy that affects skeletal muscles (muscles used for movement). The disease was first described by Danish/German physician Julius Thomsen in 1876, who himself suffered from the disease.[1] The hallmark of the disease is the failure of initiated contraction to terminate, often referred to as delayed relaxation of the muscles (myotonia) and rigidity.[2] The disorder is caused by mutations in part of a gene (CLCN1) encoding the ClC-1 Chloride channel, resulting in muscle fiber membranes to have an unusually exaggerated response to stimulation (hyperexcitability). Symptoms include delayed relaxation of the muscles after voluntary contraction (myotonia), and may also include stiffness, hypertrophy (enlargement), transient weakness in some mutations, and cramping. Though contrary to generic cramping myotonia is not associated with metabolic depletion nor pain.[3] In addition to humans, it is also seen in strains of goat,[4]canines (miniature Schnauzer and Australian cattle dog),[5][6]cats,[7] and one breed of pony.


Which causes their muscles to freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat feels panic. Though painless, this generally results in the animal's collapsing on its side. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle.

Notice that says - when the goat feels _*panic*_.  So if you are purposely causing your goat to faint you are causing your goat to panic - you are causing your goat fear.  You are using your goat's genetic condition against them for your own amusement.  That is the equivalent of walking up to an epileptic human on the street and flashing lights in their face so that you can watch them have a seizure.  Not cool.  Animals come into our lives for us to provide care for them and at times for them to provide sustenance for us.  They are entrusted to us and we are to treat them well before they feed us well.  They may provide us joy and laughter while they are with us through their antics but they are not here for us to play cruel jokes on or to treat cruelly in any manner.

We welcome you to our forum.  We wish you much joy from your new goats.  But we will not tell you how to make them panic.


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## Riverside Fainters (Apr 11, 2014)

Trying to get them to faint for your own amusement will only make the goat afraid of you.. It will also get use to the things you do to make them faint.


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## John Codington (Apr 11, 2014)

first of all i don't think it is the same as giving a human a seizure thats kind of ridiculous. second of all these are my first goat which is the entire reason i joined your forum was so i could learn how to take care of by animals the best way possible from people who are clearly wiser than me on the issue. However, you don't need to be super condescending on the issue because i simply asked a question. So i am sorry if my question offended you but you do not need to just go off on me and tell me i am cruel thats a little uncalled for.


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## elevan (Apr 11, 2014)

@John Codington - I'm glad to hear that you joined our forum to learn how to take excellent care of your new goats.  That is great news.  The intent of my post was not to be condescending but to educate you (and others) on the cruelty of the practice of forcing a fainting goat to faint.  There are tons of videos on YouTube that show owners of fainters cruelly scaring them just to cause them to faint for their pure amusement.  This type of behavior and that of the "breeder" that sold you your goats just continues to perpetuate this cruelty.  The only way to break a cycle of abuse is to educate the offenders and potential offenders of the error of their way of thinking.  I'm sorry if my bit of education hit a little to hard.

Secondly, as that was your very first post I weighed the possibility that you might just be an internet troll coming here just to get a heated rise out of our membership.  Trust me, this happens all the time.  And so, my post was strategically worded to not only educate on the issue but to insure that our membership would not rise to the bait of a potential troll within our midst.  Please understand that by no means am I calling you a troll, but merely stating that your first post could have been perceived as such.


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## John Codington (Apr 11, 2014)

thank you i assure you i am not a "troll" by any means. i love these goats and would not want to harm them or make them panic I really had no idea that is what was happening when the animal faints. However i still have a lot of questions so i would like to ask you two things how do you make them really used to humans to where they will run up to you etc... and also how often do you worm them they are only like 3 months old. sorry if i came across like a jerk that really was not my intention.


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## elevan (Apr 11, 2014)

On de-worming, the best possible practice is to de-worm only when a fecal analysis warrants it.  So if you haven't found yourself a goat vet yet, then you'll want to do so.  Unless your goats start scouring (diarrhea) or acting sick then you generally don't need fecals done but they aren't expensive by any means.  De-worming on a schedule only causes worms to develop a resistance to our modern drugs, which is not a good thing.  You can also check with your local county extension agent to see about getting FAMACHA training which will teach you how to check for barberpole worms by checking the goats eyelids...this does require certified training though.

Making your goats people friendly takes patience and treats.  Spend lots of time with them.  Offer them leaves, horse treats, raisins, tortilla chips or some other small treat to get them to come to you.  Just don't over do it.

For more reading on goats, check out these articles in our resource section:
http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/categories/goats.2/


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## hilarie (Apr 11, 2014)

John - I don't have fainting goats; my goats are dairy. But I find that all goats respond to the same kinds of input – spending time with them. It does help, as others have said, to have treats for them: what animal wouldn't be intrigued by someone bringing them something to eat? But in the end it's the company. I have several huge rocks in my pen for my goats' amusement and sunbathing and I love to go sit in the pan with them. At first they may not be all over you, but trust me, goats are curious and they will want to check you out. It doesn't have to be a long time; a few minutes a day is better than an hour a week.


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## JanetM (Apr 16, 2014)

2 of my 4 wethers are fainters...and I love them all very much and would never do anything to harm them or panic them on purpose or allow anyone else too...having said that...

I have found that my fainters stiffen up also when they get excited...like when its feeding time-now they don't do it every day...but they do. My guys are 13 & 14 months old now and hardly every actually fall over anymore. They just stiffen up & continue to hobble to their destination. Also, my guys will stiffen when they play with each other. It's so cool to watch them play. Oh they stiffen is when the get a shot-which make it rather difficult sometimes to find the "extra" skin to give it under. And they stiffen when going up steps or stepping over high stuff-not enough to fall over tho.

I got them when they were 3-4 months old and gave them treats by hand and it wasnt long before they were running to me everytime I went out into the yard.


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