Hi all! When we got Buckwheat at 4 wks old...he had a cyst on his cheek which the vet lanced and flushed and drained. He's been on antibiotics for 2 wks now and it's gone. However...last night, I discovered another one on his side up top near the top of his front leg....does anyone know why this keeps happening? He's seeing Doc Johnson tomorrow morning...but it seems like this goat is going to cost me a fortune!!! Help!!!
Views: 348
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
Iforgot to tell you that he now weighs 8.4 lbs....that's up from 6.6 on March 11th...so he's thriving!!
Beverly Almeida said:
Is there anything special I should be giving him to keep him healthy? I bought a mineral salt block, but he doesn't like it, is there another form for his minerals?
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
It could be CL. The vet needs to have the exudate (puss that he drains out) tested. If it's CL, it is highly contagious, and he will be forever a carrier. Considering the conditions he came from, it wouldn't be surprising. This is why I recommend people only get goats from reputable sources. There are no guarantees in life, but if you get from a tested herd, the odds are more in your favor that you will get a healthy goat. When we first moved out here, I accepted a few "free" animals, but I quickly learned that the old adage is true -- you get what you pay for.
Loose minerals are better for goats than solid blocks as their tongues aren't rough enough to be efficient on a block. I do have a mineral block in my barn and the goats do work on it, but they really love the loose minerals. I can't find loose goat minerals around here so I'm giving loose dairy minerals. I've compared it to the recommended minerals for goats and it's fairly close. I may have to supplement extra on a few of minerals though.
Goats also commonly need extra copper and selenium. There have been pretty thorough discussions about these on this site, you might want to do a search. Other supplements sometimes offered are baking soda, kelp powder, and salt. If these are offered free-choice then the goat will eat what they physically require.
I looked it up on google after I got your message earlier... :) Just wanted to print out some info for the vet...I ordered the vaccine from Jeffers, he lanced and drained it for me, and told me when the vaccine comes in, to just bring it to him and he'll vaccinate him for me. When I bring him in for his shot, I will ask about the other diseases....thanks so much for your help! Hope everything works out, he's such a sweet little guy, we just love him!!!!!
CL is caseous lymphadenitis. We've never had it, so if you google it, you'll know as much as I do. It's not deadly (unlike Johnes), but it is highly contagious. Considering the conditions this little guy came from, I'd suggest having him tested for CAE, Johnes, and CL at a minimum. Ask your vet if there are any other diseases in your area that you should be concerned about. Brucellosis is one that some people test for, but Illinois is brucellosis free, so I don't. If he tests positive for any of those, I wouldn't bring any new goats onto the farm until he's gone.
Loose minerals are better for goats than solid blocks as their tongues aren't rough enough to be efficient on a block. I do have a mineral block in my barn and the goats do work on it, but they really love the loose minerals. I can't find loose goat minerals around here so I'm giving loose dairy minerals. I've compared it to the recommended minerals for goats and it's fairly close. I may have to supplement extra on a few of minerals though.
Goats also commonly need extra copper and selenium. There have been pretty thorough discussions about these on this site, you might want to do a search. Other supplements sometimes offered are baking soda, kelp powder, and salt. If these are offered free-choice then the goat will eat what they physically require.
Is there anything special I should be giving him to keep him healthy? I bought a mineral salt block, but he doesn't like it, is there another form for his minerals?
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
It could be CL. The vet needs to have the exudate (puss that he drains out) tested. If it's CL, it is highly contagious, and he will be forever a carrier. Considering the conditions he came from, it wouldn't be surprising. This is why I recommend people only get goats from reputable sources. There are no guarantees in life, but if you get from a tested herd, the odds are more in your favor that you will get a healthy goat. When we first moved out here, I accepted a few "free" animals, but I quickly learned that the old adage is true -- you get what you pay for.
I realize now that that is so true...but when I saw him and saw how he was living...how could I possibly leave him there? Impossible for me...I felt so bad for him....what is CL? So I can inform the vet today, he's going at ll:45 this morning. The last time he was there and had the one drained from his cheek, the vet did say if he got one again, he could use some of the fluid from it and make a vaccine. (Have you ever heard of this) Is this expensive? I am inclined to do this if it's going to stop it altogether...and he needs to be disease free before we even consider getting him a friend or two....gosh, I hope he's alright!!!!!
It could be CL. The vet needs to have the exudate (puss that he drains out) tested. If it's CL, it is highly contagious, and he will be forever a carrier. Considering the conditions he came from, it wouldn't be surprising. This is why I recommend people only get goats from reputable sources. There are no guarantees in life, but if you get from a tested herd, the odds are more in your favor that you will get a healthy goat. When we first moved out here, I accepted a few "free" animals, but I quickly learned that the old adage is true -- you get what you pay for.
Replies
Beverly Almeida said:
Marin Waddell said:
Loose minerals are better for goats than solid blocks as their tongues aren't rough enough to be efficient on a block. I do have a mineral block in my barn and the goats do work on it, but they really love the loose minerals. I can't find loose goat minerals around here so I'm giving loose dairy minerals. I've compared it to the recommended minerals for goats and it's fairly close. I may have to supplement extra on a few of minerals though.
Goats also commonly need extra copper and selenium. There have been pretty thorough discussions about these on this site, you might want to do a search. Other supplements sometimes offered are baking soda, kelp powder, and salt. If these are offered free-choice then the goat will eat what they physically require.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I realize now that that is so true...but when I saw him and saw how he was living...how could I possibly leave him there? Impossible for me...I felt so bad for him....what is CL? So I can inform the vet today, he's going at ll:45 this morning. The last time he was there and had the one drained from his cheek, the vet did say if he got one again, he could use some of the fluid from it and make a vaccine. (Have you ever heard of this) Is this expensive? I am inclined to do this if it's going to stop it altogether...and he needs to be disease free before we even consider getting him a friend or two....gosh, I hope he's alright!!!!!