# Arnica for pain management after banding?



## lemonpoppyseed (Mar 30, 2017)

We will be banding our bucks soon, and am hoping to find something to help with the initial pain/swelling.  Has anyone successfully used and/or know the dosage of Arnica Montana for goat kids?


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## Green Acres Farm (Mar 30, 2017)

Bucks or bucklings? A vet can give Banamine and lidocaine.


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## lemonpoppyseed (Mar 30, 2017)

Bucklings! Just 2 weeks. No goat vet locally, unfortunately.


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## Latestarter (Mar 30, 2017)

You can give them aspirin or ibuprofin... https://fiascofarm.com/goats/medications.htm#aspirin


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## Devonviolet (Mar 30, 2017)

Hi lemonpoppyseed (love that name) 

Welcome from East Texas. So nice to have you join us!

I've never banded a buckling, but I'm told it is uncomfortable/painful for a while.  When it comes to homeopathic remedies, for animals, it's hard to know how much it helps, because they can't tell us how they feel.  However, I know from taking Arnica, myself, it can give moderate pain relief. I generally combIne oral Arnica with a topical Arnica.  The one that I find most effective, for not only muscle and joint pain, but also topical pain and itching, is Hyland's Muscle Therapy gel, with Arnica.  It is a combination of Anica with other homeopathic remedies.

You may know that it is possible to get homeopathic remedies in both pellet form and liquid tincture (drop) form.  It would be difficult to give a buckling the pellets, but I have read you can put the drops in their water, which I would think would also be difficult. If it was me, I would put the drops in a small amount of water, draw it up in a syringe and squirt it in the back of their throat, like you would any other liquid med. 

So it sounds like you have goats (I know, nothing like stating the obvious!). How many do you have?  Breed(s)? Do you have other animals?  Where are you located?  It's always helpful for us to have a general idea of where you are located, as different locations may require different helpful hints. So, if you could put your location on your profile, that would be great. 

And, as others will tell you. We crave pictures of your animals. We all know, that a picture is worth a thousand words. So please post lots of photos, as you are able.


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## lemonpoppyseed (Apr 1, 2017)

Devonviolet said:


> Hi lemonpoppyseed (love that name)
> 
> Welcome from East Texas. So nice to have you join us!
> 
> ...



We use arnica regularly as well, which is what gave me the idea!  I'd rather give something like that for an extended period of time than an NSAID or similar.  We have some "quick dissolve" arnica tabs for the human kids that are taken under the tongue, and had thought that since they melt so quickly it would be ab easy way to get it into the goat kids.

We have two does, on LaMancha, one LaMancha/Saanen cross.  We bought both of them bred back in the fall, these boys were born last week from our LaMancha mama, and the other is due on Easter Sunday 

In addition to the goats, we have a small herd of Angora rabbits and 10 ducks.


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## Devonviolet (Apr 1, 2017)

lemonpoppyseed said:


> We have some "quick dissolve" arnica tabs for the human kids that are taken under the tongue, and had thought that since they melt so quickly it would be ab easy way to get it into the goat kids.


Yes, of course!  I should have thought of those quick melt tablets!  I was just using some of the quick melt Sulphur Tabs, that I take for incessant itching on my arms.  I usually have to take them several times, before the itch goes away.

We have ten ducks, as well.  Last September, we got six Pekins. But, one female duckling died early on.  So, we have 4 hen's & a drake. The hen's all give us eggs almost every day.  Back in Feb, we got 5 Muscovy's - 3 hen's & 2 drakes. The plan is to butcher one of the drakes when we butcher the crop of roosters, that we go in our "straight run" batch of Buff Bramha's.  Out of 15, one died and of the remaining 14, 12 of those were Roos!!!


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