Bloat in Goats

[Tensing]

Well the goats are just waking up to their third morning with us, and I have been up all night with the smaller of the two Nelson. I went into check on them before going to bed, and Nelson was foaming nasty brown stuff at the mouth, and thrashing about, he kept doing these amazing back flips and spins mid air, and was crying out, he also seemed to be grinding his teeth. Have to admit I thought at first he was fitting.

Mangaed to calm him down, and massgae his side which seemed to help while hubby grabbed the goat book. He reminded me very much of a baby with Colic.

After some massage of his throat and some vegtable oil he calmed down, and his breathing eased. This morning he looks like he has a hard night on the town, but otherwise seems fine.

[Bonniegirl]

First impression.......what has he eaten? Sounds very like poisoning.

What did the vet say?

[Tensing]

He has had a change in feed having only been with us a couple of days, also differant hay. They went out for the first time last night, and he had a little nibble of raspberry leaf.

The vets (2) that I have spoken too, both said as he seems to be over the worst of it, just keep an eye on him. Both vets are pet vets though, trying to find a good "farm" vet.

[Bonniegirl]

Have we met somewhere before!

A good list of good and bad plants for goats, worth bookmarking

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/poisonousplants.htm

[Tensing]

Definatly nothing off that list in our garden

[Bonniegirl]

Hows the goat today?

[fenwoman]

Hows the goat today?

the lack of a reply is ominous. Bloat and torsion is the same in a goat as any other animal and throwing themselves about as described is not something I would ignore. A twisted gut will result in certain death and they go very quiet before they die from sheer agony and despair.
Symptoms such as throwing themselves about and doing back flips in the air are very very serious and not to be passed of as merely 'like baby colic', which is not life threatening and just a case of wind.

[yugogypsy]

Baking soda and water, mixed the same as for a human with indigestion will work in a goat too, then feed some watered down yogurt to restore natural stomach PH

Lois

[fenwoman]

Baking soda and water, mixed the same as for a human with indigestion will work in a goat too, then feed some watered down yogurt to restore natural stomach PH

Lois

it might work in the early stages of bloat but it won't do a thing for the torsion bit if it is left too long or gets so bad that the animal is throwing itself about in agony.

[yugogypsy]

Yes, I know it won't help a torsion, mine never got that bad. Just a bit of gas from over-eating.

Lois

[Tensing]

No lack of reply was due to lack of internet.

Sadly Little Nelson didn'y make it. The bloat was masking other problems including Listerisos and Vitimin B defiency, both missed by the first vet. Also turns out later from conversation with the breeder that he had been a weak poorly kid from birth and that she had need to help him as he almost died at birth, something she had failed to mention before.

The vet says he had almost certainly come to us with the illness. So I have certainly learned my lesson I thought buying from a registered breeder would be better, but it wasn't.

[red]

ah sorry to hear this - sounds like it was nothing you did wrong. I guess these things happen.

[the.fee.fairy]

Aw, sorry to hear about your goat.

Is there anywhere you can check up on breeders before you use them?
I know that when i had rats, there were a couple of forums that had registered breeders, and you could discuss a local breeder there - are there similar things for goats? Might be worth finding out for next time - or finding out whether she's had this kind of problem before.

[Tensing]

I have since found out she is a fairly newly registered breeder.