# So everything Im doing so far is ok?



## SarahFair (Mar 10, 2010)

I got a 5 month old male Boar cross in a trade this past weekend. I named him Socrates. 
Hes is rather fearful of anything that moves but that is understandable moving to a new place with new people. Hes trusting us more and more everyday.
Ive been trying to leash train him and hes come along way, still doesnt fancy it, but has improved.

Well day 2 (monday) I started noticing a cough. Its an odd sound, but then again Im not use to goat noises other than the baa. 
I was reading up on reasons goats cough and it said it could be alleriges (Im using wood chips), lung worms, change in feed, etc. He didnt have a cough and neither did the 5 other billies (same age as he) he was with while I was looking at them. So Im guessing its started here.

Its a damp rainy day and while I have him in the chicken coop (Im selling the remainder of my chickens that live in there today) I still want to put him in the extra large dog crate and keep him inside today just to watch him. Its suppose to rain through saturday here and the area the coop is in is a flood zone if it rains good enough (I didnt know this when I put the coop there as Georgia is always in a drought..). 
I have plans to move the coop when I get the area of his fenced off and it is on higher ground.

Once I bring him inside (good idea?) Ill try to film his cough and post it up..
So what are things I need to be looking out for in case it is something serious? How likely is it that could be just change in feed? Or Allergies? Could it be relaited to trying to walk (or most of the time pulling) him on the leash (then Id feel super bad )?










(Dont worry... I was standing in the area while he was leashed there. That is just where Im putting my new compost pile so I wanted him to help me get the grass and vines up )

Here is a picture of his living quarters..
Of course the window is now in it..





and the inside (minus nexting boxes)


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## cmjust0 (Mar 10, 2010)

I don't notice any technicolor snot, so I'd personally hold off on antibiotics and just keep an eye on him for now.  Probably a good idea to go ahead and take his temperature, too, just to do all you can to be on the lookout for pneumonia.

I'd say that if he gets snotty, starts running a fever, or starts acting depressed (standing around kinda 'hunched up' or with his head low or pulled back toward his body...or just "off" in general) that's when I'd go ahead and start him on antibiotics just to be safe.

He's 5mo old...so probably somewhere in the 60lb range.  Here, that would warrant about 4ml of PenG through an 18ga needle*, twice daily, for at least 10 days.  PenG is still pretty good for respiritory illnesses.

*PenG is a suspension, and the medication particles are big.  Too small a needle will effectively strain the med particles off, leaving you with a dose of too much carrier and not enough med.  Using an 18ga needle ensures that you get an effective, appropriately mixed dose.


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## SarahFair (Mar 10, 2010)

cmjust0 said:
			
		

> I don't notice any technicolor snot, so I'd personally hold off on antibiotics and just keep an eye on him for now.  Probably a good idea to go ahead and take his temperature, too, just to do all you can to be on the lookout for pneumonia.
> 
> I'd say that if he gets snotty, starts running a fever, or starts acting depressed (standing around kinda 'hunched up' or with his head low or pulled back toward his body...or just "off" in general) that's when I'd go ahead and start him on antibiotics just to be safe.
> 
> ...


Actually hes not heavy at all. Much lighter than my 5 month old GSD whos around 50 lbs.
I have him a extra large crate now in the house with me so I can moniter him. Hes coughed 3 times in the last few hours.
I dont know if hes a little "off" because he doesnt have another goat and hes new to the place.. He seems a little on the down side but I think that is just being in a new home and invironment maybe?
Everytime the dogs get near the crate hell get up and stick his horns through the wire door..
He was just standing up sniffing.. 

He is still very skiddish of me and will hardly let me touch him. I dont really know how to take him temp by myself until my SO gets here.. (And Im guessing I do it up the rear?)


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## RockyToggRanch (Mar 10, 2010)

Did the place where you got him from use wood chips as well? Chicken coops are very dusty and I bet if I had to stay overnight in one I'd cough too. When your chickens are gone, make sure to clean it out completely and maybe try using straw instead of wood chips. JMO
 Also, if he's pulling hard against the leash/collar then maybe that has something to do with it. I found that holding the collar itself keeps my buck from pulling. If I give him any slack at all with a leash he tries to take off and ends up coughing. If he starts misbehaving, I tighten the collar slowly and gently by twisting my wrist. He knows to stop his nonsense without the hard jerking of the collar. 
I wonder if bringing him inside and then putting him back out in the cold is doing more harm? I don't know for sure...

Just a thought.. good luck.


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## cmjust0 (Mar 10, 2010)

SarahFair said:
			
		

> ]
> Actually hes not heavy at all. Much lighter than my 5 month old GSD whos around 50 lbs.
> I have him a extra large crate now in the house with me so I can moniter him. Hes coughed 3 times in the last few hours.


Ok, so when you say he's coughed three times in an hour...does that mean he's had three coughing fits, or that he's kinda done a "HUCK" or two at a time, three different times?

I ask because the 'HUCK' cough is perfectly normal for a goat.  They're just clearing their thoats.  They should almost constantly be horking up and swallowing down cuds, and sometimes it seems like they get a little choked up.  That's when they'll do a little 'HUCK' cough to clear themselves out a bit.  

Sometimes they'll actually go into coughing fits when something _really_ goes the wrong way...doubled over coughing in rapid succession, coughing so hard they fart, appearing to be seriously choked...kinda like we people do when a little sip of water makes its way down the windpipe.

Even that's normal.  Unnerving sometimes, but normal.



> I dont know if hes a little "off" because he doesnt have another goat and hes new to the place.. He seems a little on the down side but I think that is just being in a new home and invironment maybe?
> Everytime the dogs get near the crate hell get up and stick his horns through the wire door..
> He was just standing up sniffing..


He really should have a goat buddy, and without one, it's going to be difficult to distinguish between illness-related depression and depression from loneliness....not to mention the fact that depression from loneliness is actually a really good way to invite illness anyhow.

They do much better with a goat buddy.



> He is still very skiddish of me and will hardly let me touch him. I dont really know how to take him temp by myself until my SO gets here.. (And Im guessing I do it up the rear?)


Yep...in the bee hole.  Normal is like 102-104.  Anything significantly over that would indicate an infection.  Anything under that generally indicates a rumen problem, though sometimes fever and general malaise from an infection will cause them to stop eating, which effectively shuts down the rumen, which lowers their temperature, which makes the problem look strictly rumenal....when it's actually an infection.

Goats are tricky.   

Bottom line, though...you're looking for 102-104.

My gut tells me your boy's OK, though, and that you're just a nervous new goat mama.  But do try to get him a buddy ASAP, if at all possible.

ETA:  The reason I figured 4ml of PenG is because I figured him at about 60lbs and the dosage is 1ml/15lbs, twice daily..  If he's, say, somewhere on the order of 45lbs, that would be 3ml..  So on, so forth.


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## SarahFair (Mar 10, 2010)

I did clean out the chicken coop real good yesterday and it got a little dusty. But that was over 24 hrs ago.

Im waiting on a phone call from my SOs cousin who has tons of goats at the Game Ranch he works at. Im going to buy one from him this weekend. 

His cough is kind of like a little Huck Huck Huck and then it stops. Its not very often. Maybe once or twice an hour. Hes calmed down a lot since hes been in the house with us. The dogs are getting more used to him and hes getting a little more use to them.


lol he just heard a baby cry on the computer (that sounded somewhat like a little goat) and he got up to look around


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## cmjust0 (Mar 10, 2010)

That sounds more or less normal to me, especially if he's working on cuds in the meantime.  Of course, it goes without saying that it's impossible for any of us to tell that for sure without being able to lay hands on the goat...especially given the fact that it's sometimes impossible to tell what's going on when you've got one right in front of you.

In other words...my gut tells me he's probably fine, though I can't *not* tell you to continue keeping an eye on him.


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## SarahFair (Mar 10, 2010)

He just coughed/sneezed out some snot and has had some what of a runny nose. His poo is clumped together..

Is he taking a turn for the worse?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 10, 2010)

What is his temp?


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## cmjust0 (Mar 10, 2010)

SarahFair said:
			
		

> He just coughed/sneezed out some snot and has had some what of a runny nose. His poo is clumped together..
> 
> Is he taking a turn for the worse?





			
				ksal said:
			
		

> What is his temp?


If his temp's elevated, he definitely has an infection somewhere.  If not...well, he may still have an infection, but his rumen may be impaired just enough to mask the fever.  As such, a fever generally rules _in_ an infection, but the lack of a fever doesn't necessarily rule _out_ an infection..  

At this point...what with new snot and a runny nose...I wouldn't take any chances.  I know my gut was telling me before that he was probably fine, but now it's telling me the little guy should probably be started on antibiotics.

My gut always reserves the right to change it's mind without notice, btw.  

I'd try PenG, 1ml/15lbs, 2x/day for 10-14 days, through an 18ga needle.

I'd probably also dose him with 5-10 units of ProBios and a few ML of fortified Vit. B complex, just to try to straighten out his GI and stimulate him to eat.

Be aware that there's a thing called "shipping fever," which is pneumonia.  This guy just took a ride to your place, right?  While not every goat that gets shipped is going to get shipping fever.....suffice it to say most ol' timey disease names came about for good reason.


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## SarahFair (Mar 10, 2010)

While looking for my thermom. I remembered my 2 year old cut the cord with finger nail clippers a couple months ago 

Ill have to wait till the tomorrow to get a new one..

So do you think that it is the shipping fever (im guessing caused by stress) causing pneumonia?
Can I get these meds at TSC? 


Should I continue to let him stay in the house during these damp cold rainy days?


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## ksalvagno (Mar 10, 2010)

I would. The dampness probably won't help if he is sick.

Depending on your TSC, I would think you should be able to get the meds there.

Good luck with your little guy.


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## cmjust0 (Mar 11, 2010)

How's he seem today?!?


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## SarahFair (Mar 11, 2010)

Hes eating more today than he has since hes been here. His nose has stopped running but hes still coughing some. But Im guessing its kinda normal. My SO forgot to leave me money to pick up a thermom so we are going tonight to get one. 
Hes become a lot more friendly towards me and the dogs (but has enough of them after awhile) Ive been thinking about letting him out in my bathroom to stretch his legs and see if I cant get my ear up to his side to listen to his lungs.


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## ksalvagno (Mar 11, 2010)

If you put diapers on him (cutting out a hole for the tail), you could let him run around the house without fear of accidents.

If he has severe lung problems you may hear it but the subtle ones you really need a stethoscope and experience with what lungs should sound like.

Glad he seems to be doing better.


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## SarahFair (Mar 11, 2010)

ksalvagno said:
			
		

> If you put diapers on him (cutting out a hole for the tail), you could let him run around the house without fear of accidents.
> 
> If he has severe lung problems you may hear it but the subtle ones you really need a stethoscope and experience with what lungs should sound like.
> 
> Glad he seems to be doing better.


I do have size 4 diapers! 
But I think they may be too small 

Plus hes still somewhat skiddish. I would hate to go to grab him and him jump on the couches and tear/scratch them.


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## ksalvagno (Mar 11, 2010)

Could you confine him to the kitchen?


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## Ariel301 (Mar 11, 2010)

Letting him walk around the bathroom should be ok. Or a laundry room, if you have one that you can confine him in. I have done that before when I had bottle fed kids living in the house. 

Poor boy, I hope he is ok. He sure is cute.


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## SarahFair (Mar 11, 2010)

I let him out in the bathroom awhile then I let him out to potty when the rains let up. Left him out there a good while and brought him back in.

His nose has stopped running and hes not coughing like he was so hes getting better 
I think it was just stress


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