# topic for low temperatures in goats



## poorboys

I would like a topic to be started with facts, reason's and answers, and how you take care of a goat with low temps, I know how to treat new-borns with the magic drink and vit shots. But I would like to know how all of you take care of a goat who normally is a healthy animal from let say 7 months and older. What would be the causes of low temps and how do you treat.


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## Roll farms

I would assume they'd spiked a fever then went low, and would probably treat w/ antibiotics (assuming it's something like Pneumonia) and make sure I keep that Rumen going w/ B shots, probios, and tempting treats / hay.

BUT - I honestly have only ever had 2 low temp goats, a fever has been more common in my experience...

Would be interested to hear other's thoughts as well.


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## babsbag

I have had two goats with a low temp. One was a doe that had kidded in the last 36 hours. Her temp drop was due to hypocalcemia. She was completly down and not with us at all. We took her to the vet and they did a calcium IV and she recovered fully within an hour or less.

The 2nd one was not sick that we know of, but she went off her feed and her rumen shut down. We gave her banamine and beer. She was grinding her teeth. After a few hours she stated to show some interest in food and we started her on a 5 day course of antibiotics. Even though I never saw her sick, she could have spiked a fever, can't say for sure.  The beer will repopulate the flora in the rumen; it has to be a very dark beer. We like to use them room temperature and flat. We pour them back and forth between two glasses to get the bubbles out. Goats don't seem to mind it too much.


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## Obaisshah

poorboys said:
			
		

> I would like a topic to be started with facts, reason's and answers, and how you take care of a goat with low temps, I know how to treat new-borns with the magic drink and vit shots. But I would like to know how all of you take care of a goat who normally is a healthy animal from let say 7 months and older. What would be the causes of low temps and how do you treat.


A goat's body temperature lower than 100 is dangerously low. It needs to be above 100 for their body to function correctly. The normal temperature of a goat is 101.5-103.5F. If a goat's temperature is below 100, the first thing you need to do is get the goat temperature up to at least 100.  A common home remedy is believed to be 5 cc of strong black coffee mixed with 1 tablespoon of molasses or Karo syrup given orally. However, visiting a veterinary is essential to avoid any kind of complications. Feeding your goats with Surefed's feeds and supplements is highly recommended.


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## Pixie Dust

babsbag said:
			
		

> I have had two goats with a low temp. One was a doe that had kidded in the last 36 hours. Her temp drop was due to hypocalcemia. She was completly down and not with us at all. We took her to the vet and they did a calcium IV and she recovered fully within an hour or less.
> 
> The 2nd one was not sick that we know of, but she went off her feed and her rumen shut down. We gave her banamine and beer. She was grinding her teeth. After a few hours she stated to show some interest in food and we started her on a 5 day course of antibiotics. Even though I never saw her sick, she could have spiked a fever, can't say for sure.  The beer will repopulate the flora in the rumen; it has to be a very dark beer. We like to use them room temperature and flat. We pour them back and forth between two glasses to get the bubbles out. Goats don't seem to mind it too much.


Hi,

What type of antibiotics did you use and do you remember the dosage?  thanks


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## babsbag

It would have been Duramycin and the dosage I use is 3-4 cc per 100 lb. I use 3.5 for a goat the weighs about 130 lbs.


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## mjgh06

Goats of any age with a low temperature needs immediate medical attention to get their temperature back up.  Causes can be just about anything - even as simple as stress.  I never recommend the use of antibiotics unless their is a fever present or a known bacteria infection.  Overuse of antibiotics causes resistance making them less effective when actually needed.  For no other symptoms this is what I do, but most often there are other symptoms that need to be treated:

For baby goats to about 40lbs or whatever weight you can pick up comfortably, bring the goat in the house and place the goat in a plastic garbage bag with its head outside the bag.  Have your tub or sink filled with very warm water - not tepid and not scalding.  Place the goat in bag into the tub for at least 15 minutes maintaining the water temperature by replacing with more warm water usually every 5 minutes.  After the warm bath, take the goats temp.  If it is still low, repeat.  take temp again.   It should be improved by this time.  Keep the goat inside and place in a warm, draft free area.  Surround the goat with blankets and a covered heating pad.  Watch goat and take temp hourly to make sure temp doesn't fall again.  If goat goes 24hrs without a temp drop, then the goat can go back to the herd.

For bigger goats or goats to heavy to get in a tub, bring inside and use a blow drier on hot setting about 8 inches away from goat and continuously blow the warm air over the goat for 15 minutes.  Then wrap a heating pad in a cloth and place around goat with towels or blanket covering goat.  Watch goat and take temp hourly to make sure temp doesn't fall again.  If goat goes 24hrs without a temp drop, then the goat can go back to the herd.

I'd go into treatments for other things but we're just discussing low temps.  However, a goat with a low temp will need probios at the very least to get their rumen functioning normally again.

For antibiotic treatments and dosage you can review http://www.elwoodranch.com/med/goat-antibiotics/


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## Annas Omer

My goat has white fluid coming out of his nose and eyes and body temperature gone low, with lose motions. What could be the disease he is having and what could be the best way to get his temp up again? I love this goat and totally want to do everything I can


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## elevan

3x the dosage of probiotics or use active culture yogurt. You want to get some good gut flora going to prevent the rumen from shutting down. Offer hay to eat and that's it...the goat needs long stemmed foodstuff (hay) in order to keep the rumen going.

Get a heating pad or hot water bottle and wrap a towel around it and place between the back legs. This placement is the best for raising body temperature.

A warm water enema can be helpful in raising body temperature as can warm I.V.s or SQ fluids. Use the IV or SQ fluids if the goat isn't drinking much. The body must be well hydrated in order to hold onto and maintain temperature.


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## elevan

Annas Omer said:


> My goat has white fluid coming out of his nose and eyes and body temperature gone low, with lose motions. What could be the disease he is having and what could be the best way to get his temp up again? I love this goat and totally want to do everything I can



@Annas Omer  - It's been a few weeks, did your goat recover?


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## Annas Omer

Thank you for your reply, he died it was pneumonia, I treated with antibiotics and did best to bring up his body temperature by putting him in front of a gas heater but he as too far gone by then and was sort of un-conscious. Then this disease broke out into my herd and the new goats I got in the herd recently (that were not vaccinated)were affected, I have successfully eliminated it now though and learnt a lesson for life to get all my goats vaccinated by the end of November, that is when the Winter starts here.


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## elevan

Aw, I'm sorry that you lost him


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## Kepi

This last week I lost three kids around 8 weeks old, one after the other, one dies, next one falls ill. They all died in less than 24 hrs, all had low temps, all brought in next to heater, rehydrated, all were eating and then gone downhill rapidly within and hour.

The last two I autopsied ans was surprised to see the lungs were almost orange in colour, no fluid or other abnormalities. 

I have another in the house now with similar symptoms, but this one seems to be doing a little better, but I'm staying up tonight to keep an eye on it. Last temp was 35.7....well below the 39.5 it should be One of the bucks is looking a little off colour with a temp of 37.4. 

This is my fourth year with goats and never had problems before.... seriously worried that I could lose them all.


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## babsbag

You are giving temps in C so are you in Canada? 

This is a tough one to lose so many and I would have a necropsy done at a lab. Can't speak to orange looking lungs, no idea on that one. Were they still with the dam or are these bottle babies? Any chance they got into some feed they shouldn't have? A low body temp is usually either weather related and they have hypothermia or feed related and their rumen is shutting down.


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## Kepi

I'm living in Latvia (Europe) and there's no chance of getting lab work done (finances aren't high on my list), I have a self sufficient farm in the middle of nowhere and barter. I've wondered about poisons, feed etc but don't have anything like that out here. All kids raised by mothers. Am taking the body of two of them to local town tomorrow to chat with local vet, but he's a pet vet rather than farm animals but might have an idea about lung colours....


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## babsbag

Hope the vet has some ideas. I would say Interstitial pneumonia would be my first guess; they can spike a fever and then drop below normal before you even know they are sick, but no fluid in the lungs that doesn't support that diagnosis. Since you have had more than one die I am thinking either contagious or feed, sorry I don't have any other ideas. I hope you don't lose them all and please keep us updated.

And welcome to Back Yard Herds.


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## Southern by choice

orange lungs...i found this

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304401715000023


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