Category Archives: Goat Vet Corner Files

Three stages of Labor, Distress Signs, When and How to Assist. Kidding is stimulated by the fetus release of corticosteroids.This stimulates the doe to release PGF2a (lutalyse essentially) and the process starts. As the time gets close the udder may fill, over a few days or weeks but often quickly over 24 hours. Pelvic ligamentsContinue reading “Doe In Labor”

The following is for NORMAL deliveries for new goat owners. Doe is kidding what should I expect ? Kids will typically arrive within 30 minutes of one another sometimes less time will pass, sometimes more. Within seconds of being born, the kid should start breathing and struggle to become sternal (lay upright on their chest)Continue reading “Goat Kidding Normal Birth”

Goats can be prone to eye injuries, just by the nature of the beast. They are very curious and like to stick their heads where they are not supposed to Scratches on the cornea, puncture wounds, foreign bodies in the eye, torn eyelids, irritation from dust or hay particles that cause conjunctivitis (red eye), andContinue reading “Eye Trauma”

Being present at the birth of goats kids is always rewarding and many times a frightening affair. While majority of goats give birth in a timely manner, they often break in between kids, making it difficult to know when birthing is completed. Fortunately, there is a method called “bouncing” or “bumping” that can help determineContinue reading “Bump Or Bounce Method To Check On A Pregnant Doe”

By Deb Haines – Be Prepared, Be Alert..It’s that time of year ! Hypothermia Which literally means ‘temperature below normal’, occurs when too much body heat is lost or too little body heat is produced, and the result is a drop in body temperature. can be a problem in newborn or sick animals, and isContinue reading “Cold Goat/Kid”

By Dr. Chastine – The Importance of Colostrum In some cases, kids don’t get adequate colostrum – This can be a serious health hazard for the kid › Colostrum contains antibodies (proteins that fight disease) – Newborn kid’s immune system is naïve, hasn’t produced antibodies yet – Mom’s first milk (colostrum) contains these antibodies, especiallyContinue reading “The Importance of Colostrum”

By Deb Haines – Interventions When Things Go Wrong Kid was just born apparently lifeless: Doesn’t start breathing and doesn’t try to roll up onto its sternum. What should I do ? A) Clear face of fetal membranes B) Use blue suction bulb to clear fluid from nostrils C) Open mouth gently to make sureContinue reading “Newborn Kid Tips… Lifeless kid”

By Deb Haines – 1) What is the best things to do for a newborn who is just sluggish/weak for no apparent reason? Answer…..Karo syrup or pancake syrup a simple, rapid sugar blast rub it on their gums. The idea is to give just enough energy to be able to suckle, which then provides theContinue reading “What is the best things to do for a newborn who is just sluggish/weak for no apparent reason? What is a normal poop for a newborn kid, are there ways to avoid the “he was fine last night”?”

By Deb Haines – Teaching A Baby Goat To Take A Bottle. Bottle babies can be frustrating at times, for not all goat babies are eager to take the bottle. This is not natural to them and the nipple is a foreign object. If the baby refuses to take the bottle you must work withContinue reading “Teaching A Goat Baby To Take A Bottle”

The First 24-48 Hours After Normal Kiddingby Deb HainesKeep an eye on the kid(s) for the first 24-48 hours to make sure they are eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping as they should. First meconium poop will be thick, black, and very, very sticky.Most kids will transition from the black sticky poop, to thick, yellow/mustardy stickyContinue reading “After Kidding ..The first 24 to 48 hours”

By Deb Haines – Part 1 ….. A Normal Goat Birth There are three stages of the kidding process. Stage one is the preparatory stage. During this stage, the kid should rotate into the upright position and the cervix will start to dilate. The doe will become restless as her uterus starts to contract. ThisContinue reading “Normal Goat Kid Birth”

By Deb Haines – Welcome to winter ! Winter can be stressful to goats and other livestock, Wind chills and prolonged cold increases their need for shelter, food and water. Now is the time to prepare your farm and livestock for the cold, winter temperatures ahead. A thought out plan for your farm will prepareContinue reading “Frostbite In Goat Kids/Lambs”

By Deb Haines – How does fire smoke affect animals? The flames and subsequent smoke can cause eye irritation as well as watering. These animals are also likely to develop excessive nasal discharge. The association also stated that animals can develop inflamed throats as well as burning mouths as a result of the wildfires. AsContinue reading “Protecting Livestock And Pets from Wildfire Smoke”

By Deb Haines About Banding Goat Buck Kids …Questions and Answers ( Age matters) Banding is a method that goat owners use to castrate their male goats. Banding refers to applying a small, thick rubber band to the top of the testicles with a metal tool called an elastrator. Banding pain starts once blood flowContinue reading “About Banding Goat Buck Kids”

By Deb Haines Symptoms of Urinary Calculi or Urinary Tract ObstructionWith any goat, but especially wethers, it is always a good idea to keep an eye out for signs that he is having an issue urinating. Noticing any of these signs, especially if multiple signs are noticed at one time, are indications that something needsContinue reading “Urinary Blockage – How To Snip The Pizzle”

By Deb Haines Listeriosis, or Circling disease, is a sporadic bacterial infection that affects a wide range of animals, including people and birds. It is seen worldwide, more frequently in temperate and colder climates. There is a high incidence of intestinal carriers. Encephalitis or meningoencephalitis in adult ruminants is the most frequently recognized form. SometimesContinue reading “Listeriosis: Circling disease”

By Deb Haines The vast majority of lambs and kids that are born during favorable weather conditions will not require additional care or assistance at birth. However, there are several risk factors that you need to consider when animals are giving birth during cold weather: milk supply, kid/lamb size and vigor, maternal behavior and weatherContinue reading “How To Tube Feed Goat Kids/Lambs and Adults”

This article was written by GVC volunteer vet Dr. Timothy Snider explaining the importance of the CD-T vaccine. We hope all of you will take a moment to read and understand the importance of this life saving vaccine. Please please please vaccinate your goats for Clostridial enterotoxemia and tetanus. You may know the vaccine asContinue reading “Importance of Clostridial Enterotoxemia and Tetanus Vaccine.”

By Deb Haines Keep in mind that not all goat kids are alike and some may take more time in the weaning process. 1) How do I go about the weaning process? Ken Brown Dvm…….. slow down on bottle as get older and that weans them – 8 weeks old so can go down toContinue reading “Weaning Bottle Babies”

By Deb Haines1) What is the best things to do for a newborn who is just sluggish/weak for no apparent reason? Answer…..Karo syrup or pancake syrup a simple, rapid sugar blast rub it on their gums. The idea is to give just enough energy to be able to suckle, which then provides the energy theyContinue reading “Common GVC Questions”

By Deb Haines BoSe is a selenium and vitamin E booster often given to goats residing in known selenium-deficient areas.Since selenium deficiency exists at different levels throughout the United states. Google “selenium deficiency” to see the general locations in the USA. Bose is being recommended all over the internet for the use on newborn kidsContinue reading “Bose and Newborn Goat Kids”

By Deb Haines How premature are the kids ? This is very dependent on each situation, If they are 10 days or less premature, the chances of survival are much greater. but if they are over 10 days premature, more problems will surely be encountered. keep in mind, A kid born at 140 days isContinue reading “Newborn and Premature Kid Tips: Interventions When Things Go Wrong”

By Deb Haines Facebook goat groups and throughout the web can be very beneficial, but you must be very careful in what you read, because it is stated does not mean it is true or that you should do the treatment. The subject of constipation is discussed almost daily during the past few years forContinue reading “Constipation In Goat Kids/Newborns”

By Deb Haines STOP SWINGING NEWBORNS ! Throughout the Facebook groups old school veterinary techniques are passed around and not always correct and land in the wrong hands in which harm or death occurs to the newborns in many cases. in time comes studies and we all learn from our mistakes and then pass newContinue reading “Stop Swinging Newborn Babies: Reason Why”

By Deb Haines There are alot of mixtures out there on the internet and from breeders that you can mix up and raise baby animals of all sorts on. And many of those animals grow up to live happy productive lives. But they were designed to grow up on a specific formula with specific nutrientsContinue reading “Raising Healthy Bottle Babies by Proper Formula”

By Deb Haines Nutrition is about the kid, not how convenient it is to feed – ask any human mom and they will curse the late night feeding, but also say it is required. Feeding is based on an assumption that 20-30% of body weight is to be consumed the first few weeks to supportContinue reading “How Much To Feed Bottle Babies”

By Deb Haines When a goat kid is born, the rumen is small and the abomasum is the largest of the four stomach compartments. The rumen of a goat kid is about 30 percent of the total stomach area, while the abomasum is about 70 percent. Hence, digestion in the goat kid is like thatContinue reading “Development of the Four Stomach Compartments in Newborns”

By Deb Haines Lesson one: Heat goes from high heat *TO* low heat – so the heat has to be higher than the goat temp and it will equalize. For example, if the kid is 96 degrees and the heat source is 104, the eventual kid temp will be 100 as the kid absorbs heat.Continue reading “How To Warm A Cold Goat Kid Correctly”

By Deb Haines Keep in mind…. Early bleating and suckling activities are crucial for the development of maternal bonds between the newborns and their mothers. If a newborn is unable to stand up, suckle and bleat soon after birth, there is slim chance of developing a maternal bond, especially in the case of maiden does.Continue reading “Intervention When Mom Won’t Accept The Kid(s)”

By Deb Haines Shedding is different from hair loss. Shedding in goats is regularly observed in the Spring, but tends to be rather inconspicuous and slow. Goats may even go through several shedding stages depending on factors such as day length and weather. Sexual cycle, function of the thyroid and adrenal glands, and nutrition mayContinue reading “Flakey Skin, Hair Loss, Irritated Skin”

By Deb Haines Baby goat’s poop changes a lot within the first week, so it’s always important to know what’s normal so you can spot a potential problem. For the first day or so, a goat kid’s poop will be tar like – black and super sticky. These are meconium poops and will usually passContinue reading “Goat Kid Poop”

By Deb Haines The vast majority of lambs and kids that are born during favorable weather conditions will not require additional care or assistance at birth. However, there are several risk factors that you need to consider when animals are giving birth during cold weather: milk supply, kid/lamb size and vigor, maternal behavior and weatherContinue reading “Tube Feeding Goat Kids/Lambs and Adults”

By Dr. Timothy Snider Please please please vaccinate your goats for Clostridial enterotoxemia and tetanus. You may know the vaccine as CD-T. The first two letters indicate the subtypes of Clostridium perfringens (C&D) the bacterin is protective against; the T is a designation for Tetanus protection. In the whole spectrum of animal health supplies, CD-TContinue reading “Clostridial Enterotoxemia and Tetanus Vaccine: Importance”

By Deb Haines Pregnancy is maintained by a structure on the ovary known as a CL (corpus luteum ), not same thing as the abscess problem. Lutalyse is a hormone (prostaglandin) that disrupts the CL, lysing it, so that the ovary no longer produces the hormone (progesterone) that maintains pregnancy. Lutalyse is a brand nameContinue reading “Termination Of Goat Pregnancy with Lutalyse”

By Deb Haines The lactating doe has very high nutrient requirementsDoes should be fed at a maintenance level when they are dry and during the first two thirds of their pregnancy. As the doe goes through pregnancy her requirements will begin to increase during the last third of her pregnancy. It is critical to provideContinue reading “Requirements For The Pregnant And Lactating Doe”

By Deb Haines Lice are divided into two main groups: The Anoplura (sucking lice) and Mallophaga (chewing or biting lice). Biting lice have chewing mouth parts and feed on particles of hair, scabs and skin exudations. Sucking lice pierce the host’s skin and draw blood. Louse-infested animals may be recognized by their dull, matted coatContinue reading “Lice And How to Treat”

by Deb Haines AZALEA — ( Rhododendron Indica): Azalea Toxicity in Goats. Serious poisoning, even death can result. Azaleas can be toxic to goats, and even a small amount of the plant’s foliage can result in poisoning. The poisoning may be from an animal “browsing” among the azalea or occasionally, poisoning occurs due to well-Continue reading “Toxic/harmful plants to goats and sheep”

by Ken Brown DVM “Why does my goat have hair loss around her eyes?” Let’s first consider hair in general and how and why it grows the way it grows. When there is a mucus membrane (a moist area) there is no hair naturally, so the edge of an eyelid is not going to have hair.Continue reading “Hair loss around the eyes”

By Deb Haines Winter can be stressful to goats and other livestock, Wind chills and prolonged cold increases their need for shelter, food and water. Now is the time to prepare your farm and livestock for the cold, winter temperatures ahead. A thought out plan for your farm will prepare you for unexpected emergencies and willContinue reading “Goat Kid Tips : Winter and Cold kids”

By Deb Haines Healthy goats are usually quiet, yet energetic and playful. They do not cry a lot accept for their normal bleating for food, or the doe in heat and buck during mating times. You will learn these to be the healthy sounds of your goats. Goats that are ill can usually be noticed easily,Continue reading “Serious Illness In Goats: Signs”

By Deb Haines Winter can be stressful to goats and other livestock, Wind chills and prolonged cold increases their need for shelter, food and water. Now is the time to prepare your farm and livestock for the cold, winter temperatures ahead. A thought out plan for your farm will prepare you for unexpected emergencies and willContinue reading “Cold Weather: Be Prepared”

By Deb Haines Many times we don’t expect to have sick, weak or even preemie goat kids and we are unprepared for them. These kids need to be monitored carefully and kept warm. This is when many find it difficult to keep these weak babies in a sternal ( upright position). Keeping these sick, weakContinue reading “Keeping A Sick/Weak/Preemie Goat kid Up Sternal: How To”

By Deb Haines One of the best ways to identify an impending kidding is to feel the both (two) tail ligaments located on each side of the tail. Goats have two cord-like ligaments that run along each side of the rear portion of their spine towards their tail. Most of the time, these ligaments areContinue reading “Checking The Ligaments On Pregnant Doe Ligaments: How To”