Fever and Scours

[newbiekat]

I have a 4 year old Nubian that has 104.5 temp and just today started with scours. Yesterday she was fussy on the stand and didn't finish her grain. Which is WEIRD, as I'm sure you all know. Today, she was fine on the stand but barely ate any grain. And when I unlocked her head she got off the stand and stood at the gate ready to go back in. SO UNLIKE HER. This afternoon, we wormed her and took her temp, and she was at 104.5!! EEEEK. She's not herself, and her scours are pretty bad. We just put out a bale of alfalfa so I'm hoping (or maybe just wanting to believe) the scours are partly associated with the richness of the hay... but I highly doubt it.

What do I do?? How do I drop the temp? What could it be???

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Is she in milk? Do you have a vet that can test her for mastitis? I would get a fecal run on her too. But with the temp, I have a feeling she has an infection of some sort.

 

[newbiekat]

She is in milk, we test for mastitis regularly, she hasnt tested positive.

I was thinking infection too, but what kind? Is there any way of knowing without a vet?

 

[babsbag]

My first concern would be mastitis, my second would be pneumonia. The scours could be purely coincidental if you changed her feed; but then again it could be bacterial related scours.

Even if the milk looks ok I would try to find a CMT (California Mastitis Test) kit and test, or a vet.

A vet would probably be a really good idea anyways. There are forms of pneumonia that come on suddenly with no cough or runny nose and can actually kill pretty quickly.

bacterial scours I have no experience with...but I think I have read on BYH that you use Scour Halt, usually for pigs I think. But again, I really would get a vet involved. If you search on BYH for treating scours I am pretty sure you will find some useful information about how to tell if scours are from feed or illness. Color and smell I believe but not sure, sorry.

I wish I could be more specific but goats are ...well goats; and hard to diagnose at times even for the pros.

 

[Southern by choice]

If you are using the mastitis "cards" (Dr. Naylor)they are unreliable at the early stage. By the time it shows positive you are already treating it.

Babs just responded while I was typing- I agree the CMT is the best.

IMO it is a good time to contact your vet. More than likely they will tell you to start on Penicillin til they can see the goat or get more info.

The alfalfa can give loose fecals if it is just a change in feed but wouldn't give a temp.

Hope you get her temp down and find out the cause.

Do not give Nutri-drench to her with a fever.

 

[newbiekat]

My thought was pneumonia too. We had a buckling die of it last summer. I have a CMT kit, and that's what I test with.. she's tested negative

I wish I could be more specific but goats are ...well goats; and hard to diagnose at times even for the pros.

Hah... Yep... thats what I love (and hate) about them... There are days I wonder if I should even be doing this. Some days I feel like I know what I should be looking for and how to treat it, other days I have no idea and lose goats left and right. SO frustrating. And emotional. Some days I wonder why I even have goats... but then again... I know I couldn't have it any other way..

I guess I may have to try to make a trip to the vet in the morning before I go out of town for the day. Planned trip for weeks. Of course, right?

Thanks everyone.

 

[Southern by choice]

I have heard of this and it never crosses my mind because I have never seen pneumonia and know of no-one in my region that has had any issues with it. Seems much more common in some regions. I hope she recovers soon.

 

[babsbag]

Pneumonia is really common in goats from show families and since almost all of my friends show their goats I have been around it a lot, but never in my herd. It can hit hard and fast and there is more than one kind; some will kill before the symptoms ever show. Goats are very susceptible to respiratory problems and kids are especially at risk when they are young and the days are hot and the nights are cool; I guess they have a hard time regulating their body temps.

I have started vaccinating for pastuerella pneumonia every fall and I have no more snotty noses and no more coughs so even though I have never had a full blown case of pneumonia the vaccine has certainly made a difference.

If you want to bring her temp down and you have some banamine I would go ahead and use it. My drug of choice would be Duramycin, LA200, or Oxcytetracyline if you think it is a respiratory issue. Penn if you think mastitis but mastitis usually walls itself off and will only respond to udder infusions.

Hope you can get ahold of your vet. These darn goats; this just shows you that doe code is at work not only during kidding season. Sorry about the trip out of town

 

[newbiekat]

Babsbag- does the Pasturella Pneumonia vaccine help for pneumonia in the summer? That's the only time I've had experience with pneumonia appearing. Also, do you vaccinate everyone? Kids included?

I dont have banamine, but I did vaccinate her with Pen G this morning at 1cc/25 lbs and will continue for at least 5 days. I also gave her some Probios. She was at 103.1 temp this morning. Much better. Still high in my mind, but much better than 104.9! I was unable to get ahold of the vet before we left, but felt better that her temp was down some... She still didnt eat this morning on the stand, so I decided not to milk her (she has twins still nursing). The scours must have just come on yesterday when I saw them because they were still wet on her backside. This morning her backside was dry, still a mess from yesterday but nothing new... I'm going to do another CMT Test tonight when we get home, and check her temp again. Maybe I was did it wrong and it is mastitis... Vet isnt open tomorrow either. Dang it.

These darn goats; this just shows you that doe code is at work not only during kidding season.

Isnt that the truth. It's amazing how hardy they are... A friend of mine was commenting last year when we had a slew of things happening all within weeks (including the buckling dying of pneumonia) and she said, "Wow... Goats are pretty frail anaimals are they?" I remember commenting, "Actually, they're pretty hardy. So hardy in fact, that they arent like other animals in the sense that they show signs of sniffles etc for a while. If goats are sick that means they're pretty darn sick and thats why you have to act fast" Not sure if she ever believed me but, oh well!

 

[babsbag]

Goats also have a high metabolism and I think that is why things can progress so quickly. I always say that goats are the only animal that can be alive this morning and dead tonight.

Glad her fever is down and little, and maybe the scours were only from the feed and just a coincidence with the fever, may be totally unrelated. If she stays off her feed for long though that can bring a new set of problems if her rumen shuts down so glad you gave the probios.

The pneumonia vaccine is given once a year and I give mine in the fall, right around breeding time and I do kids and all. I would imagine that it would help with pasturella pneumonia no matter the time of year. I give it in the fall or (early winter sometimes) in hopes that it will pass to the kids when the doe freshens. Don' t really know if that works or not but can't hurt. I have seen the snotty nose and coughs in both summer and winter, doesn't seem to matter the time of year for the older goats; kids it is usually summer.

Hope your doe is on the mend and NO MASTISTIS