topic for low temperatures in goats

[Annas Omer]

Thank you for your reply, he died it was pneumonia, I treated with antibiotics and did best to bring up his body temperature by putting him in front of a gas heater but he as too far gone by then and was sort of un-conscious. Then this disease broke out into my herd and the new goats I got in the herd recently (that were not vaccinated)were affected, I have successfully eliminated it now though and learnt a lesson for life to get all my goats vaccinated by the end of November, that is when the Winter starts here.

 

[elevan]

Aw, I'm sorry that you lost him

 

[Kepi]

This last week I lost three kids around 8 weeks old, one after the other, one dies, next one falls ill. They all died in less than 24 hrs, all had low temps, all brought in next to heater, rehydrated, all were eating and then gone downhill rapidly within and hour.

The last two I autopsied ans was surprised to see the lungs were almost orange in colour, no fluid or other abnormalities.

I have another in the house now with similar symptoms, but this one seems to be doing a little better, but I'm staying up tonight to keep an eye on it. Last temp was 35.7....well below the 39.5 it should be One of the bucks is looking a little off colour with a temp of 37.4.

This is my fourth year with goats and never had problems before.... seriously worried that I could lose them all.

 

[babsbag]

You are giving temps in C so are you in Canada?

This is a tough one to lose so many and I would have a necropsy done at a lab. Can't speak to orange looking lungs, no idea on that one. Were they still with the dam or are these bottle babies? Any chance they got into some feed they shouldn't have? A low body temp is usually either weather related and they have hypothermia or feed related and their rumen is shutting down.

 

[Kepi]

I'm living in Latvia (Europe) and there's no chance of getting lab work done (finances aren't high on my list), I have a self sufficient farm in the middle of nowhere and barter. I've wondered about poisons, feed etc but don't have anything like that out here. All kids raised by mothers. Am taking the body of two of them to local town tomorrow to chat with local vet, but he's a pet vet rather than farm animals but might have an idea about lung colours....

 

[babsbag]

Hope the vet has some ideas. I would say Interstitial pneumonia would be my first guess; they can spike a fever and then drop below normal before you even know they are sick, but no fluid in the lungs that doesn't support that diagnosis. Since you have had more than one die I am thinking either contagious or feed, sorry I don't have any other ideas. I hope you don't lose them all and please keep us updated.

And welcome to Back Yard Herds.

 

[Southern by choice]

orange lungs...i found this

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304401715000023