Does this look like external parasites on my 6 month old goat? The skin is raised, dry, flaky, cracked, in 2 patches on his body. Thanks for the advice
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Does this look like external parasites on my 6 month old goat? The skin is raised, dry, flaky, cracked, in 2 patches on his body. Thanks for the advice
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So possibly parasites that just took advantage of his stressed state or an infection if it was done surgically. I don't know if it makes you feel better or not to know that this is the first time I've heard of a kid dying after castration. Might make you feel better for the future at least. It probably won't happen again. So sorry!
He was 4 months old
Sounds like he might have had something going on before the castration, as you said. Or if it was a surgical castration, maybe he got an infection? Too bad you didn't take his temperature. That would have given you an idea of what it was. How old was he?
Not sure, really. he was up and walking the next morning, albeit slower than normal, but I expected that. Then I was away for 2 days and when I came back he was very weak and lying down, he couldn't walk or even stand. I brought him into the house and gave him fluids and he seemed to get a little stronger. His mum wouldn't feed him, though, so I don't know how much or little milk he'd had when I'd been away, although he was big enough to drink water and eat grass. We did manage to sneak him in under her for a quick drink once when his twin was drinking. Anyway, at 8 that evening (4 days post-castration) I went out to give him the fluids and he seemed just like he'd been that afternoon, but when I went out at 9 he was gasping for breath and died as I watched. It was sad......... The day before the castration he'd been looking a little funny in the evening - standing with his back knees together, head down........but on the Friday morning he was fine again so I thought maybe he'd just gotten wet in the rain and not liked it. But maybe there was some other sickness happening and that weakened him to deal with the castration.
Oh, no! I'm so sorry. I've never known anyone who lost a kid to castration. What happened?
I'm so sorry you lost your goat! Did he have a bad reaction to the anesthesia?
Deborah, I finally got this goat to the vet who reckoned it was a fungal skin infection and that I should dilute some bleach at 10 or 20% and wash him a couple of times, keeping him away from his mum for a while so she wouldn't lick him and injest the bleach. I never got to do it though, because at the same appointment the vet castrated him and sadly he died 4 days later..............at least I know what it is now in case it comes up again.
Thanks Deborah, I'll ask around here and see how I get on. He has a few patches of it so I'd like to work it out. Thanks
My goats haven't had anything that looked quite like that. Lice don't really do anything to the skin that's obvious to the naked eye, and mites usually cause hair loss. I wonder if it's some other type of insect bites that we don't normally associate with goats necessarily, especially since you're in Africa.