Update on flip-over crisis, doeling is fine now, thanks for the help!

[helmstead]

I don't know if the oral rule applies to ruminants the same way it does to single stomached mammals, like us. The fermentation process changes the effects of so many things...

As far as how long the baking soda balls last, I have NO idea...I make them on an as needed basis. I would imagine they would dry and crumble pretty quickly.

 

[cmjust0]

OK, here's what happens...

Clostridium Perfringins is naturally present in the goat's gut. The goat keeps the numbers in check naturally, and things are fine unless and until something changes and the gut stops working right.

What happens then is that the Cl.Perf. bacteria "blooms" in the gut, and the numbers run out of control. The waste of the Cl.Perf. bacteria is toxic to the goat, and it will basically cause the goat to scour the lining of the gut...it starts crapping out bloody gut chunks, in other words. It's called enterotoxemia and it kills very, very quickly..

C/D antitoxin works fast to neutralize the toxin, but it wears off quickly... If you're giving it for an accute enterotoxemia, you gotta really lay it on'em, early and often, but it's still a precarious situation to say the least.

The key is to administer C/D antitoxin prophylactically whenever you think there's a possibility that the gut stopped working for a while...bloat, for instance...or being flipped upside down for hours...whatever. The point is to try and avoid the whole "crapping out their innards" scenario...a stitch in time, you might say.

Bear in mind that we're not talking about C/D toxoid vaccine.. The vaccine is the stuff you get in little 20ml bottles for like $4 at tractor supply. C/D antitoxin at TSC is a 250ml bottle and it's closer to $40.

I went round and round with a vet once who just couldn't get why I'd need C/D antitoxin, after two of our kid goats bloated mildly.. He kept trying to push C/D toxoid or tetanus antitoxin -- didn't even seem to know what C/D antitoxin was! Never was it harder to find than when I needed it.

So, if you don't have it on hand, get it. Even if you have to order it and wait a week for delivery only to stick it way back in the fridge and shut the door on it...get it. You might not be able to find it when you need it.

Hope this helps..

 

[freemotion]

VERY clear, thank you!!!!! I still can't get it locally, so I am hoping and praying, and will be putting it in my fridge asap.

 

[cmjust0]

VERY clear, thank you!!!!! I still can't get it locally, so I am hoping and praying, and will be putting it in my fridge asap.

Glad I could help.

 

[freemotion]

Well, today is day five, so from what you all have told me, I'd say she is out of the woods now.....thanks!!! I can rest easy now, until the next crisis!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Great! I'm glad she came through okay!

 

[cmjust0]

Yeah, I'd say she's fine now.. Glad to hear it.

It's always something....I've got one at the vet's right now with urinary calculi.