Lil-patch-of-heaven
Ridin' The Range
I've had off-and-on problems with the doe I got most recently -- about 2-1/2 weeks ago I think.
I noticed a slight limp in one foreleg one evening last week but she seemed fine the next day. For the past two days she's limping off and on again. She seems reluctant to put the hoof fully on the ground but I checked and can't see anything wrong with it. I felt her leg from shoulder to hoof and she doesn't act tender. I can't find any swelling or heat. What I DO notice is that the last joint makes a tiny clicking sound sometimes when I bend it. Sometimes she seems fine and runs. Ahead of everyone and sometimes she limps a bit and lags behind.
I noticed a dry cough several days ago. The next day she got a bit of clear snot on the grain dish. Coughing increased from a single cough a few times a day to sometimes three or four in a row a few more times a day. No more mucous until earlier today when the inside of her nose looked wet with aclear mucous. A few hours later I checked and it was dry again. I noticed her buckling cough about 4-5 times in a row once when he was lying beside her but other than that he never coughs. Neither does the doeling. My other doe sometimes coughs after scarfing down her grain while milking but otherwise rarely
I took the does temp rectally (that was harder than I expected!) and it came out 102.1. I thought goats were 103? It was early in the day tho. Her droppings are normal. She browses most of the day and acts normal except for the limp. I generally offer her a couple bowls of 16% sweet feed twice a day which she usually eats most of quickly. Sometimes leaves some in the bowl. I have fresh dryhorse hay in the goat shed which she ignores -- they all do. I give her loose minerals about every other day. She usually takes more than the others. I checked inside her mouth for color but she didn't let me see much. It's pink -- maybe less pink than the others but that can be my imagination.
I'm not sure what else to report. She's a yearling, nursing a 7-week or so buckling. Alpine/Nubian cross. The lady I got her from said she wormed a few times a year, using a different worker each time. She ran a closed herd and said they were all tested negative at some point.
I've been reading on here and wondering if lungworms aren't the most likely cause of the cough? If nothing else maybe a good idea to treat just in case? Could be allergies too? The pollen is terrible these days.
Anything I should be doing or checking for? Advice MUCH appreciated.
Oh and I've started milking her -- not saving it but just getting her used to the stand. She has tiny teats and kicks and I barely get anything from her -- I'm learning that a different technique works better for her. But I'm not milking her regularly yet and surely not getting more than a few oz -- probably much less.
Thanks!
I noticed a slight limp in one foreleg one evening last week but she seemed fine the next day. For the past two days she's limping off and on again. She seems reluctant to put the hoof fully on the ground but I checked and can't see anything wrong with it. I felt her leg from shoulder to hoof and she doesn't act tender. I can't find any swelling or heat. What I DO notice is that the last joint makes a tiny clicking sound sometimes when I bend it. Sometimes she seems fine and runs. Ahead of everyone and sometimes she limps a bit and lags behind.
I noticed a dry cough several days ago. The next day she got a bit of clear snot on the grain dish. Coughing increased from a single cough a few times a day to sometimes three or four in a row a few more times a day. No more mucous until earlier today when the inside of her nose looked wet with aclear mucous. A few hours later I checked and it was dry again. I noticed her buckling cough about 4-5 times in a row once when he was lying beside her but other than that he never coughs. Neither does the doeling. My other doe sometimes coughs after scarfing down her grain while milking but otherwise rarely
I took the does temp rectally (that was harder than I expected!) and it came out 102.1. I thought goats were 103? It was early in the day tho. Her droppings are normal. She browses most of the day and acts normal except for the limp. I generally offer her a couple bowls of 16% sweet feed twice a day which she usually eats most of quickly. Sometimes leaves some in the bowl. I have fresh dryhorse hay in the goat shed which she ignores -- they all do. I give her loose minerals about every other day. She usually takes more than the others. I checked inside her mouth for color but she didn't let me see much. It's pink -- maybe less pink than the others but that can be my imagination.
I'm not sure what else to report. She's a yearling, nursing a 7-week or so buckling. Alpine/Nubian cross. The lady I got her from said she wormed a few times a year, using a different worker each time. She ran a closed herd and said they were all tested negative at some point.
I've been reading on here and wondering if lungworms aren't the most likely cause of the cough? If nothing else maybe a good idea to treat just in case? Could be allergies too? The pollen is terrible these days.
Anything I should be doing or checking for? Advice MUCH appreciated.
Oh and I've started milking her -- not saving it but just getting her used to the stand. She has tiny teats and kicks and I barely get anything from her -- I'm learning that a different technique works better for her. But I'm not milking her regularly yet and surely not getting more than a few oz -- probably much less.
Thanks!
