# Goats with bloat



## mdavenport121 (Aug 1, 2012)

I asked about this a couple of months ago about my doe that is about 2 years old. I had her in the back yard, not very big back yard with a couple of other goats, and she would look like she had a couple of beach balls in her rumen.  A couple months ago finally got her and the couple of other goats onto a half acre. She looked fine the next six weeks. It's hot and dry here and the forage is not growing good. She looks like she has a couple of beach balls in her rumen again. The other goats look fine. The one that looks bloated eats and acts fine, but I'm worried about her just because of the way she looks. I think I will take her to the vet on Friday and see what they say. Maybe the bacteria in her rumen is not healthy?


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## 20kidsonhill (Aug 1, 2012)

I am assuming since the pasture is low you are feeding hay.  Maybe the hay isn't good enough quality for her?  Or maybe the other goats are knocking   her away and she needs more hay. 

I would say having a fecal done would be a good idea. If she is wormy she could be bloating and have a more sensitive stomach. 


Just some ideas.


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## mdavenport0121 (Aug 1, 2012)

I've been doing some reading and think I will try baking soda this evening with her. All they get is feed and hay, plus a little bit of a cedar tree, no minerals. I have a round bale of rye grass for them to eat. She's the bully of the group. She knocks everyone out of the way each night when I put the feed out.


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## DonnaBelle (Aug 1, 2012)

IMHO it would be a good idea to put out some goat mineral for your goats.  They really do need it in their diet, and it's not an expensive item to provide.

I have a goat that has a huge ruman and always has.  In fact, she won't eat goat feed, she lives on brouse, grass and in winter hay.  It's her choice as she could have feed if she wanted it.

If you do put out some baking soda it won't hurt her.  Just let her eat it if she wants it.

Good luck,

DonnaBelle


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## mdavenport0121 (Aug 1, 2012)

Well, no such luck with the baking soda. She didn't want anything to do with it. I took some pictures of her this evening. And yes, she may be pregnant, but at the most two months as she has only been with the buck since mid May.


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## marlowmanor (Aug 1, 2012)

Are you sure about the breeding date and how far along she should be? Are there any young bucks around her that she may have been exposed to earlier than the mid May timeline? I ask because in the last picture it looks like she is already starting to build an udder on her. Maybe an expert can give their opinion as well but it certainly looks like the start of an udder on her.


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## bonbean01 (Aug 1, 2012)

I was thinking the same thing...she is looking rather preggers to me.


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## dhansen (Aug 1, 2012)

Looks like a pregnant doe to me, too.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 1, 2012)

I agree. Most Boers get VERY fat (just like that) when they are pregnant. Also she could have a large worm load.


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## mdavenport0121 (Aug 1, 2012)

She was not with a buck until mid May. She was in my back yard only with her twin does that are four and a half months old. Her utter is much smaller than what it was when she was nursing. I thought it might have been worms too, but I gave her % Ivermectin Injection  orally at the beginning of April when I bought her and her twin does. I gave her more dewormer in the middle of May. The previous owner never dewormed her.

You can see her information here: https://sites.google.com/site/davenportgoats/home/Does-and-Nannies/hannah


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## elevan (Aug 1, 2012)

You can go from no worms to a lot of worms in a matter of 4 days.  So that deworming in May really has no bearing on what is happening today.
You can read more by going to the Parasite Management article that is linked in my signature below.

I agree with most of the group that she looks like a heavily pregnant goat who is starting to build an udder.  But I would definitely get a fecal done to rule out parasite load.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Aug 1, 2012)

X2 on the fecal test.


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## mdavenport0121 (Aug 1, 2012)

I'll get her into the vet Friday and I'll let you guys know what I find out. Worms could be the problem, but the weather has not been favorable for worms with temperatures over 98 degrees (110 today) for the past two weeks and a half with no rain.

Here is a picture of her from April 25th, her does were almost two months old. The before picture was about an hour and a half earlier.


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## SheepGirl (Aug 2, 2012)

My sheep are dry lotted and they eat timothy hay. When they escape from their pen, I normally find them like that (yes that big, too)--they're not bloated, they just have a full rumen from eating grass for however long they were out. However after an hour or two of being back in their pen, their bellies shrink considerably.

Your doe, however, LOOKS pregnant--but not two months bred. More like 4-5 months bred. At the vet, if you can, I would get an ultrasound done to see if she's bred.


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## mdavenport0121 (Aug 3, 2012)

Took the girl to the vet today. Took a fecal sample, said their was worm load, but not terribly bad. The Dr. said go ahead and give her some more dewormer. No fever. He said she just had a large rumen. The Dr. was not too concerned.

She has to be under 3 months pregnant. She was not with a buck until mid May. I got her when her kids were a month old on April 3rd. I had her and her kids in my back yard with no buck. No one around here has any goats, so they didn't jump any fences to get with her. We were in the process of moving and I did not move by buck here until mid-May. The only way she would be close if she was bred around 18 to 21 days after kidding just right before I got her.


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## mdavenport121 (Oct 25, 2012)

Two and a half months later, no babies. I do think she will kid in the next two weeks though.


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