Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Toxemia is more likely to occur in a fat goat, so it is best to keep milk goats slightly thin and
not feed them concentrated food during their dry periods before they are bred. Goats are less
prone to toxemia when they get ample exercise. Feed them the best possible roughage during
the last few weeks of their pregnancies, but do not start increasing their ration of concentrated
food until the last two weeks of pregnancy.
Milk fever:
Milk fever is caused by a calcium deficiency brought on by milk production right
after the birth of kids. The goat's body fails to draw on calcium reserves in its bones, espe-
cially if the goat has been fed calcium-rich alfalfa or concentrate during the final weeks of
pregnancy. The goat exhibits a weak, limping gait before the birth and may sink into a coma
and die after the birth. A veterinarian can rescue a goat even in acute circumstances by giving
a calcium infusion. Avoid overfeeding calcium in late pregnancy, and compensate for
calcium-rich food with increased amounts of phosphate in the diet.
Johne's Disease:
Johne's (Yoh-neez) disease is an incurable, contagious, antibiotic-resistant
bacterial disease that infects the intestinal tracts of ruminants. Afflicted goats are dull, de-
pressed, and thin, and they eventually die.
Poisoning
Eating or licking lead-based paints, ingesting pesticides and fertilizers, or eating poisonous
plants inadvertently mixed in with chopped feed, can poison goats. They may eat toxic orna-
mental plants along fences or wilted leaves of trees in which toxins are concentrated during
the fall. Symptoms of poisoning are vomiting, frothing, staggering, rapid or labored breathing,
changes in pulse rate, labored breathing, cries for help, and sudden death. If you realize early
enough that a goat has been poisoned, you may be able to induce vomiting with a drink of
warm salt water or with 2 tablespoons of salt placed on the back of the tongue. A veterinarian
may be able to administer an antidote to the poison if it can be identified.
Respiratory illness
Poor air quality, especially with a high content of ammonia fumes from urine, and cold, damp
living quarters can bring on inflammations of the respiratory system. Goats lose their appetite,
run a fever, breathe hard, have a nasal discharge, and sneeze or cough.
It is easier to prevent respiratory illness than to treat it. Maintain a well-ventilated but draft-
free stable and dry, warm sleeping quarters. In winter, a cold, dry stable is preferable to a
