20kidsonhill
True BYH Addict
No, they can't get coccidiosis or overeating disease from the goats.MrsCowher said:
2 month old has runny poop
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- #12
MrsCowher
Chillin' with the herd
Okay, I need an estimate of how much it will cost to get my goat(s) checked. Also, if you could explain how life with Coccidiosis infected goats will be. What I will have to do, how they will be.
TGreenhut
Loving the herd life
Maybe $40 for both goats to get a fecal (but it varies). Our horse vet did a fecal on our goats if you can't find a caprine vet. There is no life for goats with a heavy cocci load. They will get dehydrated from the scours if the worms don't kill them first. Many goats live with cocci but they can only survive if they don't have a heavy load, are healthy with a strong immune system, and older so they are more capable of fighting it off. If your babies have cocci, you need to treat it ASAP!MrsCowher said:
Pearce Pastures
Barn Babe
http://www.aasrp.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=15
Not sure if this will help but the AASRP has a Find A Vet search. Our fecals run $15 if we go to one vet and free with the other since we have developed a good relationship with him (sometimes we go to the one we have to pay because our other vet is busy). If you can't find a goat vet, I would be calling around to small animal vets to see if any of them might be willing to offer some assistance. I don't want to scare you, but it could get bad fast. A stressed, scouring, young kid might not last long.
Do you have DiMethox?
As others have said, all goats and many animals have cocci present to some extent all the time. It is when they are young and still developing an immune system or when they are experiencing other times of stress that these protozoa can overrun them, cause scours, dehydration, damaged intestinal lining, and kill them. I had does get this so badly that they actually shed the lining of their intestine (I thought it was giant worms at first) and though we were able to save her, one doe has a hard time keeping weight on, I am sure because her system has been scarred.
Not sure if this will help but the AASRP has a Find A Vet search. Our fecals run $15 if we go to one vet and free with the other since we have developed a good relationship with him (sometimes we go to the one we have to pay because our other vet is busy). If you can't find a goat vet, I would be calling around to small animal vets to see if any of them might be willing to offer some assistance. I don't want to scare you, but it could get bad fast. A stressed, scouring, young kid might not last long.
Do you have DiMethox?
As others have said, all goats and many animals have cocci present to some extent all the time. It is when they are young and still developing an immune system or when they are experiencing other times of stress that these protozoa can overrun them, cause scours, dehydration, damaged intestinal lining, and kill them. I had does get this so badly that they actually shed the lining of their intestine (I thought it was giant worms at first) and though we were able to save her, one doe has a hard time keeping weight on, I am sure because her system has been scarred.
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- #15
TGreenhut
Loving the herd life
There is a chance it is not cocci, but with scours and a young goat who is stressed to some extent, it just seems the most likely. That's why it is good to get a fecal done to find out and solve the problem before it turns bad and they start going downhill. What are you feeding them? Have they gotten into anything lately (horse food barrel, etc)? Are they still young enough to be drinking milk? Are they outside? Have they (or their dam when she was pregnant) been given a CD&T vaccination?MrsCowher said:
Roll farms
Spot Master
Yes. We had kids born here sporadically over the years and never had a cocci issue when we were just keeping them as pets. Then we decided to 'raise goats' as a business, brought in new stock from different places, and everything went to Hades in a handbasket.MrsCowher said:
I had 6 kids my 1st year that I thought were fine, eating, playful, etc. 4 were dead within the next 2 weeks and the 2 survivors never really grew well from the damage.
That's why we're suggesting a fecal. It could be parasites (worms or cocci), bacterial, and it could be simply dietary...but since you asked, IMHO cocci is the "usual suspect" in your kids age bracket / situation.
It may not be a cocci overload (aka coccidiosis) but it may...and it may be subclinical (non-symptomatic) so that you won't see any signs...and they may look fine right up until they suddenly don't look fine anymore and start to die.
The following year I tried using medicated feed to prevent it. It didn't work because A) when they're little they cannot eat enough of the medicated feed to get the meds up to therapeutic levels to prevent the disease in the 1st place and B) - it won't 'cure' them.
If they don't have cocci, the medicated feed is supposed to help prevent it (I believe by killing one stage in the cocci life cycle...but will not cure / treat / fix it if they already have cocci. It helps, but won't fix it.
So I had 6 kids that year that were poor-doers but survived.
The following year (2004) I researched and read up and studied, and I started treating kids w/ DiMethox every 21 days when it's warm / wet weather (what cocci thrive in). We haven't lost a kid to coccidiosis since then, and our kids grow well / do well now.
I treat them for 5 days....then they get no meds for 21 days...then 5 days on, 21 off, etc.
I treat until they're 6-8 mos old and eating the medicated feed well.
If I get a kid from a new source or a fecal indicates they have cocci, I treat for 7 days. Prevention is 5 days.
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- #18
MrsCowher
Chillin' with the herd
I feed them this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/feed-solutions-sweet-mix-50-lb--2427127TGreenhut said:
No, we only have goats. We have a dog that goes outside a lot, but his food stays inside because of ants. There is nothing unusual they could have eaten.
The previous owners said they only gave the babies meds for worm prevention. Should I get my 4 goats the CD&T vaccination?
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- #19
TGreenhut
Loving the herd life
You should definitely get them the CD&T vaccine (Clostridium Perfringens Type C and D Tetanus Toxoid) because you will need to vaccinate your goats annually anyways. The toxoid is the vaccine (Toxoid: to avoid) but to treat overeating disease or tetanus, you'll want to use the antitoxin. You can buy the CD&T toxoid here: http://www.jefferslivestock.com/bar-vac-cd-t/camid/LIV/cp/16741/ and the antitoxin here: http://www.jefferslivestock.com/clostridium-perfringens/camid/LIV/cp/0040207/. The antitoxin is good to have on hand. I doubt your goats will need treatment for overeating disease right now, though, because I think it is probably cocci.MrsCowher said:
x2 on RollFarms' comment
