Buckling Issues *Pics Page 2*

[()relics]

Couple of years ago I had a doeling get really big, sounds similar to what you are seeing. I thought , like you, bloat and treated it as such. She seemed ok for a couple days then I found her one morning scouring terribly. I called the vet, as she was a Very Valuable doeling. He came out took some blood and a fecal sample, gave her some B complex and Iron and left. Later he called me back to start her on a coccidiosis treatment. Apparently she had run into a harsh strain of it somewhere in the pasture.I had never seen cocci come on with "bloatlike symptoms" before then..Don't know if thats you bucklings ailment but it might be worth a test and try if he has a set-back.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I can try treating for coccidia. It's worth a shot!

 

[()relics]

I don't think I would start treating him just yet. Maybe wait and see what happens in the next few days and then if he does scour you will be ready for it. I hate to treat when it may not be needed.

 

[cmjust0]

That looks abnormal to me, especially for a buck or buckling.. We have does that look that way, sure -- but they generally don't until after they've had kids. My theory there is that they kinda 'stretch' a bit during pregnancy, which helps develop the rumen..

Anyway..

Doesn't look like the 'potbelly' think I'm talking about with worms, either.. Something's making lots and lots of gas in his rumen..

Generally speaking, the gas that builds up in a rumen -- and forgive me for saying this, but -- are bacteria f.arts. I mean, pretty much that's what it is, right? Methane...it's the byproduct of bacteria breaking down the stuff the goat's eating.

Total shot in the dark here -- and I'd probably go right on ahead and do the coccidia treatment, as suggested, while pondering what I'm about to say -- but my shot in the dark is that there may be some kind of bacterial imbalance going on in this guy's rumen..

Problem is...I have *no clue* what kind of bacteria I'd be fighting, nor what I'd fight them with..

Being me, though...if he were here...I'd be reeeeeeeeally thinking about giving him a dose of Scour-Halt. I know he's not scouring, but Scour-Halt is really just an antibiotic designed for the gut that happens to have a really symptom-specific name.. Forget the name for a minute and think with me..

See, my *hope* would be that some antibiotic to the gut would kill off some gut bacteria...enough, perhaps, that a shot of probios shortly thereafter would effect some sort of "reboot" of the system and possibly bring everything back online in the correct proportions.

Does that sound reasonable to anyone but me?

Probably not...as we all know...I'm really just an ignorant hillbilly who don't know no better.

 

[Heavenly Springs Farm]

I don't know if you have tried this or not. I didn't read all the postings.

One of my bucks bloats up alittle but not as much as yours. I just give them some baking soda and it goes away the next morning. I guess it is worth trying on your guy.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I do know that sometimes my animals will have a full rumen after grazing a new area or something, but he's not been on pasture or browse except for Saturday. I know this isn't normal for him, and he's only been doing this since the weekend. I'm pretty sure it's not just a normal full rumen. And he can't be acidotic, because he's just not getting enough grain to be. And it's not really bloat, because he's not acting uncomfortable at all.

Tomorrow morning I'll skip grain. I'll take pics before and after grain just to see if I'm crazy or not. I'm going to hold off on the coccidia treatment for now, because I just dewormed him and I want to rule that out first. If he's still doing this in a few days, I'll try the coccidia treatment.

 

[glenolam]

Just chiming in for another thought/question....

Have you given him probios at all? If it is a bacteria war as CM suggested, the probios may give the better bacteria something to sharpen their knives with, so to speak.

I'm not sure if this is right or not, but if he's got something in there that's giving off gasses (and, yes, he doen't look normal to me, either FWIW) wouldn't that want him to continue eating more so whatever is in there can keep eating? Similar to worms/parasites?

 

[warthog]

OK Just thinking out loud.

You say it's only after the grain.

Is he eating the same grain that he usually eats.

Is it what you feed to all the others.

Has the manufacturer changed any ingredients. Could there be sometyhing new in there that he just cannot tolerate. Like us humans have tolerance issues.

Could it be an old/contaminated bag.

I think it might be an idea to keep him of the grain for a day or two then if he seems OK reintorduce it slowly and see what happens. If he reacts the same way, then it's got to be something with the grain.

I'm sure you have probably thought about all these things, but just thought I would throw it out there.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Thanks for all the suggestions. He's on the same grain he's been on, it's not old, the amount hasn't changed, and everyone else is fine. I don't think it's the actual grain causing it, but more of how he's eating it (he's a fierce "competitor" and horks it down as fast as possible, which was making me think he was somehow managing to suck air). I don't even really think that's the issue though, because what animal doesn't hork their grain down as fast as possible? I've never had another animal do this. And he's not even getting enough to have to stop and then re-introduce it. I've cut him back from what he was getting, and now he's not getting more than a handful twice a day. That's really not enough to cause an issue.

I haven't given Probios...but I guess I can add that to the list as well.

 

[()relics]

I haven't given Probios...but I guess I can add that to the list as well.

Probios is a waste of your time right now and actually may make the problem worse. Adding more "live culture" stimulants to an already over stimulated rumen? Wait with that until after you have him 'running" right, then use the probios to restart his rumen...JMO...