Cocoa had triplets 2 weeks ago tomorrow, and today she's got thick mucous snot in one nostril. She's always been a "goat that coughs" since we got her, but this is the first time any nasal discharge has been present. I worry because of her babies, and the strain on her system, I don't want anything to lead to bigger issues.. Should I be concerned? Is there anything I can/should do?
We are in Wyoming, and the weather is now going back and forth - yesterday it was 60 degrees and lovely, today we got 3 inches of snow and blowing a bizillion miles per hour.. it's been like this the past week or so, don't know if that could have anything to do with it. I've also started them back on probios now that they have a warmer place to eat/live (other shed water froze all the time). Thanks.
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I've never used any kind of odor absorber. I've only ever put DE on the floor under the bedding, hoping to keep the fly larva and parasites down. I don't even know if it does that, but I thought maybe...but reading all this is making me think I'll try the lime. I'm interested in seeing if it makes a difference.
My husband found the absorber at our local feed store, in large and small - he got us the small to try out.. wise decision I guess. What really upsets me, is I locked them out of there for 3 - 4 hours just to let it air out and STILL something happened!! She is my sensitive girl though.. good thing I have lime already for my chickens!!
Julia Stephens said:
Thank you for your post, however, will keep it in back of my mind if anything else weird happens down the road. Good to know about the gradual worsening, and if I see anything like that I will be taking her!!
Patty Meyer said:
Barn lime is a fabulous odor absorber and is only made of crushed limestone which can't hurt them (unless they breathe it)-- they can even eat it. Best to put it down when no one is in the barn and then cover with straw. I would be nervous about any kind of chemical deodorizer as that may bother the goats. I'd switch to barn lime personally.
Yay! It's such a relief when something turns out to be nothing. :) Best wishes for the babies!
No sign of snot this morning, so I am wondering if it is the odor absorber. She's acting normal, loving on her triplets, who are headed to the vet in 2 hours for their debudding appointment!
There usually is dust when I put the straw down, and being inside and insulated building, maybe it's getting trapped in the air? It was also the very first time I used the absorber, and it does have a soapy smell when you first put it down.. maybe she's sensitive to it? They were all outside for the afternoon after I mucked out barn, but maybe it's too strong for her. I'm going to check her out today ( too dark this morning when I milked Butterscotch) to see how she's doing..
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Does the barn lime work for odor? I am also using the stall deodorizer but have had no issues with it, perhaps because I put so much straw down over it.
Is (or was) the fresh straw dusty? I would also wonder about the odor absorber. We've only ever used barn lime, and we put it down when the goats are outside, then cover it with straw.
I've had a doe with a similar history, so I'll throw this out there just because...I'm not actually trying to say I think this is your doe's trouble. If she's up and active, no fever, eating well, making plenty of milk (or a normal amount for her), maintaining good condition...she's not in immediate danger. You can take her in to the vet to get a culture of the mucus if it continues, and they might be able to tell you what's causing it.
Here's our story:
My doe had a mild cough since I got her in 2011. Before her 2013 kidding she got a snotty nose, usually whitish and occasionally yellowy. In summer, it was better. Fall of 2013 it was worse again, and in January I finally decided this was getting very slowly worse. I took her to the vet (the closest one who will see goats being 3.5 hours away, hence my not bringing her sooner). He took x-rays and checked her all out. Found that her lungs and esophagus, teeth, heart, all were fine. Looked perfectly healthy in every way, but had a sinus infection. He had been advising me by phone, and she had already had pen-G and Naxcel. He took a culture which revealed no abnormal bacterial growth.
He said he thought it was a strain of mycoplasma, but not to be real alarmed, as it is not a particularly contagious strain, and not particularly harmful. She would most likely be fine until she kidded, and then I should treat her with LA-200 (a tetracycline drug that is the only antibiotic that can kill mycoplasmas). I can't tell you the final outcome yet, because she's not due to kid until late April. She's doing fine. She has never been unwell aside from the slight cough and snotty nose. Has triplets regularly, makes lots of milk, maintains great physical condition, never a fever, never off feed. If it clears up after she kids and gets the drugs, I'll assume he is right.
Don't freak out! Don't search mycoplasma in goats and read the horror stories! There are many strains of mycoplasma, but most people either don't know about it a at all, or only know about the extremely deadly strain that causes abortion, mastitus, and a painful arthritic type condition that causes fast death and races through herds affecting up to 100%. THIS IS NOT THAT KIND.
I do want people to be educated about it because of my experience. I went into a panic at the mention of mycoplasma, and was really feeling like giving up on goats, and trying to make sense of how I could possibly have this horrible thing in my herd and not be having all these awful problems, and were they just beginning??? Tons of questions. I have done some research since then that has reassured me that things are fine, but I was really horrified. Many, many goats, it turns out, have some form of mycoplasma in them that usually causes no problems for them whatsoever.
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