Another worming q

[Jupiter]

I had a fecal sample checked by the vet, one of my new girls had a moderate worm load, he said give ivermectin a try, soo...

She is 100lbs according to the goat weight tape, and I gave her 4 ml of 1% injectable ivermecting orally. Now she's got loose stools, not really scours, but it looks like dog poop. Would that be related to the ivermectin? Or am I looking for something else as the cause?

He actually said he'd worm both goats, but I chose to only worm the one with the problem, and figured I'd ask here before worming the other one too. It doesn't make sense to me to worm a goat that dosn't need it, but maybe there's some other reason????:/

 

[Roll farms]

Dewormers can cause loose stools. Giving probiotics could help clear that up if you're concerned, but in a few days it should clear up on it's own.

I agree, don't deworm the other goat "just because".
Are you familiar w/ eyelid checking (FAMACHA), pulling the bottom lid down to see what color they are?

Check the 'wormy' goat's eyelids vs. the other goat...see if you can tell a difference. Theoretically, the lids should be a bit (or a lot) paler on the wormy one....depending on how wormy she was.

Did he say what kind of worms she had?

I would either have another fecal ran, or check her eyelids again in 2-3 weeks if you're comfortable w/ evaluating that way....and deworm again as needed.

 

[Jupiter]

It went from dog poop looking to really really runny and stinky, so I'll give her probios today. Any recommended amount? Her milk production went to nothing too, but if she's not feeling well, that's shouldn't have been a surprise.

Wow am I glad this forum is here. I'm a city girl and I've read a bunch of information from all over, but I am still not prepared for this!

 

[Jupiter]

Her feces are NOT firming up at all. This has to be what scours is...totally runny and nasty. I've given her probios and I know you said a few days, but this is day 3.....when do I worry?

 

[Roll farms]

I usually keep kaolin on hand to help firm them back up if one scours when on antibiotics...I don't know that I've ever had one scour for 3 days but I'd definitely be trying to firm them up w/ kaolin or pepto
(I've never used pepto on a goat so can't tell you the dosage, sorry).

Did you give the Probios on the first day only or all 3 days?

I'd also think about giving her some electrolytes in her water, and possibly a B shot to help her feel better.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

In a pinch electrolyte mix

1 Quart Water
2 tablespoons Corn Syrup
teaspoon Salt
teaspoon Baking Soda

I always add a little molasses as well..a spoonful of a sugar helps the medicine goes down...

Good luck....

ps Ive never used pepto in goats either...unsure about that..

 

[Jupiter]

What's the dosage for kaopectate? Just got some.....vanilla flavored since they don't have plain....

 

[cmjust0]

I've been looking at this trying to figure out what good ol' Occam would do... Does it make more sense that a runny, *smelly*, 3-day scour would be brought on by 4ml of ivermectin by mouth, or does it make more sense that the deworming and scouring aren't even related and that this could simply be a bacterial infection, a coccidial bloom (she's probably about 9mo's old, no?...plus she's been shipped, stressed by worms, etc) or something like that.

The goal, of course, is to choose the one that requires the least number of guesses...frankly, I find the number of guesses to be about equal either way. It wouldn't have seemed that way on day-1 of the scour, but after several days...well, now you have to start making guesses about *why* a little ivermectin would have had this profound of an effect, why it hadn't cleared up by now, why it's foul in odor, etc..

Just the fact that it's foul in odor makes me suspect bacterial involvement, frankly.. And though she's maybe a little old for it, the fact that she's still relatively young and has been stressed recently is making the words "it's not coccidia" stick in my throat...I wouldn't rule it out just yet.

Having said that, the best I can figure would be to get this one on SMZ-TMP. The sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) part will take care of coccidia, if that's the problem, and the trimethoprim (TMP) -- though not ideal for treating GI infections in ruminants -- should at least help combat a bacterial problem if there is one.

That's me, though..

 

[Jupiter]

Actually she's about 2 years old, has been checked for coccidia at the same time as worms, and vet said cocci no problem, but moderate worms. She did ride in our van for 5 hours but that was Sept 4th and she's been fine and showing no signs of illness before this.

She's had zero chemicals so far in her life until I got her and I'm wondering if the wormer just played total hell with her system along with a cd/t shot that she'd never had before......

I gave her the human dosage for kao a few minutes ago.

At night she got the wormer (totally healthy) and by the next morning, loose stools, from then on scours and here we are

Do you still think it's bacterial? I'm going to go check on her again....

 

[cmjust0]

Wow...she's really light to be a 2yo.

Okay, well, it's probably not coccidia then.. That leaves bacterial, which kinda makes more sense anyway just because of the foul odor.

Tell us more about the scour, though...like, what color is it? Any blood or mucous or tissue shreds with it, or anything like that? And when you say it's really smelly...is it almost like the "parvo" smell, or..?