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  • Sounds like the breeder jumped the gun on the first shot. It is normally given at 5 to 6 weeks of age -- so they should now be getting the first one -- and the second one 3-4 weeks later. If you asked ten people about this, I'm sure you'd have people on one side saying that that first shot was wasted because the kids still probably had some passive immunity from their dam, and you'd have people saying that it doesn't matter. The fact is that this shot does not have a great history with goats, which is why a lot of people don't even bother to use it any longer. But plenty of people do still use it. Since I worry about the problem of over-vaccination, I'd probably just cross my fingers, hoping that the first one wasn't wasted and do the second shot 3-4 weeks after the first. However, the fact is that entertoxemia and tetanus are pretty rare in goats, so either way, they will probably be fine. I quit vaccinating about 13 years ago, and I've only had one case of enterotoxemia in all that time, and it was due to human error in feeding. However, if you have a bunch of rusty old metal sitting around where the goats could cut themselves, the tetanus part might be more important to you. Since the breeder gave the first shot too early, there simply is no "right" answer to this question now. It's a personal decision.

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