Hi all being the new goatie person I really love this forum and all the sage advice. My six week old doeling was debudded a few weeks ago...(oh that wasn't fun for a newbie goat owner)...all seemed to be well but just in the last couple days she keeps scratching the scabs off and making them bleed..I spray with iodine and use that blue blood stop powder, but she keeps doing it...I am concerned. Her hooves are muddy and I don't want her to get sick...any suggestions. I thought of giving her a tetanus combo shot like I give her mom but the woman at Del's feed store said not until she is 8 weeks old. We have a lot of rain and much here...the stalls are clean and dry but I am still concerned.
Help Please
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We have never (knock on wood) had a kid get any type of infection from a disbudding scab. Most leave the scab alone, but when one won't stop scratching it (usually with their dirty rear hoof) it still freaks me out.
My babies have scratched off their scabs too, and it didn't hurt them. I understand your concern, seeing as you're in mud season, and if she's getting them muddy, she could be getting bacteria in them. I personally would probably just keep the area as clean as I could and call it good.
When did you give her mother her vaccination? I ask because if it was in the last two months of her pregnancy (and my vet even said before getting pregnant), then the doeling should have some immunity from tetanus for a few months at least. I am sure it would still be fine to give her a dose of tetanus antitoxin if you wanted to. It protects for a few weeks starting immediately, while the tetanus vaccine takes a few weeks to become effective and is effective for a year. Does that make sense?
I personally wouldn't worry about her though. It isn't a puncture wound, so it's really exposed to the air when she scratches it off. Also, you're disinfecting it regularily. But that's just my opinion. :)