# Goats and Bloat



## Farmer Kitty (Jul 30, 2009)

I'm looking for info on goats and bloating. We have a lot of good info on the forum for goats but, it seems that bloating isn't really covered so, I thought I would start a thread about it.

1. What are the things that may cause bloat?
2. What are the signs of bloat? 
3. How does one treat bloat in a goat?


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 30, 2009)

I went looking and found some info on Fiasco Farms website.


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## mully (Jul 31, 2009)

Farmer Kitty said:
			
		

> I went looking and found some info on Fiasco Farms website.


This is a good site for a lot of good goat information !! I keep it handy.


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## cmjust0 (Jul 31, 2009)

ETA:  BLOAT PICTURE.  (added text for searchability.   )


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## ohiofarmgirl (Jul 31, 2009)

thanks for the pix cmjust0!

here's my question for this very very useful thread.... 

sometimes after a day of grazing my little mini mancha looks really asymmetrical with a bulge as above on the left - like she has bloat. 

but then the next morning she looks normal again... is this ok?? is this the way of things??

none of my gals have looked bloaty for more than a day - and i use the methods of giving them only dry dry hay, walking them around, etc. i've never had to use any of the treatment or oil or anything. 

maybe i'm just lucky??


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 31, 2009)

cmjust0, thank you for the pics!

ohiofarmgirl, that is just the very reason I started this thread. We had a request for more bloat info.


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## mully (Jul 31, 2009)

ohiofarmgirl said:
			
		

> thanks for the pix cmjust0!
> 
> here's my question for this very very useful thread....
> 
> ...


This is quite normal when they have been grazing. It is very predominate on the left side due to how they digest food.


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## norcal (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks FarmerKitty!   I was going to start a thread, and uh, forgot.   

What exactly is the CD part of the CDT?  I read about it, but it wasn't in layman's terms.     Do they have a tetanus shot w/o the cd?


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## bheila (Jul 31, 2009)

I have goats who look like they're bloated all of the time but I know they're not.  Sometimes it's hard to know unless you've actually seen them get into the grain or whatever else it might be.  For instance, my doe Daisy managed to open a 5gal bucket of molasses and take 10 big gulps before I could get her away from it.  Within 3 minutes I could tell she was bloated.  She just stood there HUGE, her hair was all puffed up and she "looked" sick.  

You can buy meds for bloat at your feed store(which you should have at all times), use vegetable oil or use baking soda.  

Once I knew Daisy was bloated I ran and gave her the bloat meds.  It didn't seem to help.  So onto the baking soda, it helped tremendously.  I mixed 3/4c baking soda w/3c of water and drenched her with as much of it as I could get in her.  She instantly started burping.  While drenching her I had her front legs proped up on my lap so she was standing upright so the gas could come out easier.  I was also patting(firmly) her rumen to get the gas to come out.  A lot of people suggest to make them walk or run around to get things moving but I had better success with her upright on my legs patting her rumen.


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## Farmer Kitty (Jul 31, 2009)

norcal said:
			
		

> Thanks FarmerKitty!   I was going to start a thread, and uh, forgot.
> 
> What exactly is the CD part of the CDT?  I read about it, but it wasn't in layman's terms.     Do they have a tetanus shot w/o the cd?


Here's a discussion that may help somewhat: http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1558&p=1


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## Chirpy (Jul 31, 2009)

Our local goat vet said she's never seen so many goats with bloat (and the number that have died) as she has this year.    She believes, at least in part, that it is because of the great rainfall we've had this year and the fact that people had their goats in the barn and then just let them out this spring to eat on pasture.

So, when I started letting my goats out to eat in the pasture I literally let them out for ten minutes the first few days.  I upped that to 20 minutes for a few days, then 1/2 hour... you get the picture.   They are now only out for about two hours a day and I never let them out until late morning or early afternoon so they've already eaten their fill of hay and don't try to gorge themselves on the wonderful grasses/weeds.

If people are going to start giving grain or feed they need to start with just a small handfull and work up over a few weeks time to the total amount they are going to give.

Keep baking soda available at all times and have tums available to give if your goat starts to look like they may be bloating.


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## norcal (Aug 25, 2009)

Thought I'd list this webpage too - I know it's posted here somewhere, but thought it might help w/ any bloat questions.

http://goat-link.com/content/view/16/81/


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## lupinfarm (Aug 25, 2009)

I was also curious as to what bloat looks like, as when my girls escaped the other day on their little hobby farm goat rampage, they stopped for a snack in the alfalfa field. Good to know that they haven't shown any signs of bloat! 

I don't think they ate anything from the field, thank goodness, because they seemed hell bent on getting in with the horses but couldn't figure out how to get past the gate!


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