Goat Health Question

I'm new, so I'm not quite sure the ropes yet, but I'm going to just jump right in...

Last year (Jan 2008), my husband and I purchased a doe (Jaime) and her doeling (Maggie). Little did we know, it was more of a "rescue" than a rehome. The seller had kept all of her goats - bucks and does and kids - together in a small space, sleeping on horse blankets, with chow thrown on the ground. Jaime was very stand-offish, crying quite a lot (Maggie was one of a triplet set) and head-butting. She calmed with time and love, but showed (and shows) signs of trauma: she hates the wheelbarrow, rake and pitchfork.

Anyway, due to the close proximity of the animals, we also later discovered that Jaime was pregnant. She had birthed Maggie and her siblings in early-mid December; we purchased them in late January; twins were born on June 23 - a doeling, Summer, and a stillborn buck.

Jaime was - and is - a good mama, definitely favoring Summer. But she was not having any of the milking...and we were new enough goat owners that we gave her her space. Summer was not bottle fed at any point and all seemed "normal" and smooth.

So here is my question: One of Jaime's udders still seems to be enlarged. At first, we thought maybe Summer was still getting milk - she goes down and "butts" Jaime like she is trying to nurse, and Jaime allows it - but my husband was able to (briefly) manipulate her udder recently when he had her pinned for a hoof trim, and he said that it felt "kinda solid." She will NOT let us touch her behind about mid-back, although it seems more out of irritation than pain. Her coat is bright and beautiful, she eats well, and has quite the alpha-matron attitude. She doesn't exhibit any other signs of distress.

I would appreciate any and all advice!

Sounds like Jaime has had a really tough life. I can't imagine a goat being terrified of a wheelbarrow and tools. That's really sad.

It is entirely possible that Summer is still nursing, and if she has a favorite side, Jaime could be producing on only one side at this point. Once a goat dries up, her udder completely deflates and the skin is sucked back up close to the abdomen. If the goat is eight or nine years old, there might be some loose skin hanging there, but if there is some sort of udder there, she is still producing. Some does have an udder that is sort of hard, which is why we get so excited when our does have a buttery-soft udder. (It's just easier to milk a soft udder.) It is incredibly rare for a doe to get mastitis with kids on her.

If she was not milked, she has no idea why you're touching her back there, so it's not surprising that she'd freak if you tried to milk her or even touch her udder. First fresheners always act like that when you try to milk them the first few times, if they have kids nursing. In their mind, only their kids are allowed to touch their udder.

Another thought, which only occurred to me since this doe came from such a bad situation is CAE. A symptom of CAE is a hard udder. Since this is your first goat, it's tough for you to know if her udder is a normal-hard or CAE-hard. You might want to get all the goats tested for that just to rule it out. If you do it, make sure it's an ELISA test, as the AGID has quite a few false negatives. We use Washington State's lab for our testing.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/caefaq.aspx

Good luck, and keep us updated on her progress. I'm glad you have a lot of patience. Sounds like she needs it. I hope she warms up to you!

Deborah

Replies

Deborah Niemann-Boehle May 1, 2010 at 8:45pm

This lab also does the ELISA test for CAE, and there is a link on this page to "How to bleed a goat." It's really not that hard. I've done it myself. Of course, it helps if someone shows you first.
http://www.biotracking.com/cae.php
Gayle Prentice Wood April 30, 2010 at 8:09pm

Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
You might want to get all the goats tested for that just to rule it out. If you do it, make sure it's an ELISA test, as the AGID has quite a few false negatives. We use Washington State's lab for our testing
Deborah

Thanks Deborah! I looked into the CAE testing and think it is a good idea for all three; unfortunately, since we live in the city, we have limited access to good, affordable vet care. The closest one is about 25 miles away and with travel fee, exam fee and testing, it would cost us >$500!

Hubby is very "practical" about our farm animals (we keep chickens and rabbits, as well as the goats), so I'm sure he will like the cost of testing directly from an Ag University - WSU, as you mentioned, or OSU. I also am very realistic that these will probably not be our only Nigerian Dwarf friends (so addictive!), and since we are pretty avid DIYers, it would be a very handy skill.

So...anyone in the Portland (Oregon) area willing to help a newbie learn how to draw blood for CAE tests? = )
Deborah Niemann-Boehle April 30, 2010 at 8:23am

Sounds like Jaime has had a really tough life. I can't imagine a goat being terrified of a wheelbarrow and tools. That's really sad.

It is entirely possible that Summer is still nursing, and if she has a favorite side, Jaime could be producing on only one side at this point. Once a goat dries up, her udder completely deflates and the skin is sucked back up close to the abdomen. If the goat is eight or nine years old, there might be some loose skin hanging there, but if there is some sort of udder there, she is still producing. Some does have an udder that is sort of hard, which is why we get so excited when our does have a buttery-soft udder. (It's just easier to milk a soft udder.) It is incredibly rare for a doe to get mastitis with kids on her.

If she was not milked, she has no idea why you're touching her back there, so it's not surprising that she'd freak if you tried to milk her or even touch her udder. First fresheners always act like that when you try to milk them the first few times, if they have kids nursing. In their mind, only their kids are allowed to touch their udder.

Another thought, which only occurred to me since this doe came from such a bad situation is CAE. A symptom of CAE is a hard udder. Since this is your first goat, it's tough for you to know if her udder is a normal-hard or CAE-hard. You might want to get all the goats tested for that just to rule it out. If you do it, make sure it's an ELISA test, as the AGID has quite a few false negatives. We use Washington State's lab for our testing.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/caefaq.aspx

Good luck, and keep us updated on her progress. I'm glad you have a lot of patience. Sounds like she needs it. I hope she warms up to you!

Deborah

This reply was deleted.