First Goat a rescue with mouth disorder

[uchytil]

Hi, My wife and I are chicken people but just lately we ended up taking in a Toggenburg doe with a mouth injury (we think). Her history is vauge having repeatedly run away from a young couple that had no other animals and little, if any, living arrangements for the goat. A neighbor kept her for a few days in his chicken coop. I first noticed the right lower jaw profile was pushed out a bit and her tounge would move out the side opening. The left side profile is normal. Her coat is soft and shiny, eyes are clear, and her appetite is good. When I got her in my chicken coop (as a temporary shelter) she chewed on some apple wood the chickens use as outside perches. Later when my wife got home the goat was bleeding from what appears an abcess she probably broke open chewing on the apple wood. My wife examined the mouth and noticed the lover teeth on the right side to be loose and "floating". We suspect an injury and would like any feedback we can get. Thank you...John

P.S. She is not bleeding now and we've had her one day and one night only.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Congrats on your new girl. Got any pics?

She really should be seen by a vet to be given a check-up for overall health in addition to having her mouth looked at. If she has loose teeth and an infection, she will need treatment and is probably in pain. I'd call a few vets, tell them she is a rescue and see how much they would charge to check her mouth, run a fecal, treat for any worm-loads/coccidia indicated on the fecal and (unless you have experience in giving shots) get her a CD&T vaccination. It would be a wise investment if you are planning on keeping her.

 

[ksalvagno]

Sounds like she possibly has a tooth abscess and if it has been there long enough, could go into the jaw bone. You really need to have a vet look at that. That is nothing to fool with.

 

[Stacykins]

Welcome to BYH, glad to see you registered here. I really hope you'll find the info you need to help your new doe!

 

[uchytil]

She goes to the vet this Friday. Hard getting in a large animal vet. This is farm country and they are super busy. NONE of the regular vets around here will see her. Anyway when I get her squared, and I find out her age, we'll look into breeding for milk production.

One other goat question: She is quite the jumper. The goat and sheep fence they sell at TSC is 4' high. That seems to low but maybe I'm over-thinking this. What height fence are you using, if any? And what type?

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Glad to hear you found someone to see her. She is going to love you for life I have 4 foot fences and no escapes so far. We used wood and metal T-posts and now I wish we had used all wood. I think we might install a hotwire too...we have bumper boards installed along the bottom where the goats DRAG themselves and ruin the fence, which had helped but doesn't keep them off it entirely.

 

[SheepGirl]

and I find out her age

To figure out a ruminant's age, look at their teeth (I know it's for sheep, but it works for goats, too):

 

[ksalvagno]

I prefer the woven wire no climb horse fencing. Ours is 4' high. The openings are only 2"x4" and that guarantees that no goats including kids can stick their heads through it and get stuck. Plus other animals can't squeeze through and get in. If the goat is alone, she will have more of a tendency to try and get out because she is lonely. If you can find a buddy for her, she will probably do better and not try to get out.

Good luck on Friday.

 

[uchytil]

Well here's the report from a 3 hour vet visit. She's estimated to be about 6 months old and is a Toggenburg as I suspected. She had foot rot but the vet showed us how to trim the hooves and now those look good thanks to my wife. The vet x-rayed the jaw and it is infected. She got a CD&T shot, blood was drawn for serum CL and other tests, Her lymph nodes are swollen and the vet lanced one to check fluid color which was normal. I was am in charge of administering antibiotic shots daily for 5 days and a pill that is given orally for coc (somerthing) that showed up in the fecal test. If the jaw does not heal and reform (bone is also broke) the vet will be doing surgey to remove necrotic tissue, teeth and bone. We named her Shirley Sweet (I was thinking of the old Heidi movie and the swiss goats, lol! At this point she's with us for the long haul.

About the CL. If she has it it's a very bad thing and will never be able to be around cattle, other goats, or horses, and will never get to be bred or produce milk. I can live with that.

 

[ksalvagno]

Glad you found out and can now treat her. Good luck and keep us posted!