Buck shaking and a little blood

PsychoRoo

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I've got a buck and a doe approximately a year old. I went out to feed them this morning and he looked a little off. He was laying down, which he never does, under the hay. I didn't think much of it, he ate fine and looked fine. Came home and he was standing up in the barn and shaking a little. When I got close to him he had what appeared to be blood on his abdomen. My son and I finally corralled him and laid him on his side. He has no obvious wounds but there is bloodaround the opening of his sheath. He is fed 1/2 cup Purina Noble goat and 1/2 cup alfalfa pellets twice a day as well as free fed hay all day and plenty of clean water. Is there anything I should be checking on or feeding him? Should I be worried about urinary stones? He did just start doing his rut thing, peeing on himself, trying to attract the lady, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

alsea1

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I would not feed him alfalfa pellets. Only good hay and water.
I learned the hard way about urinary stones and bucks.
The calcium to phosphorus ratio is critical.
Alfalfa can upset the balance.
 

Pearce Pastures

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If he is bleeding, I would be in a hurry for treatment. If you don't have much experience with goats, getting a vet involved fast would be wise. If the urethra is blocked, his bladder could rupture.Get some powdered ammonium chloride asap and get it in him. Do not force water. Take out the pellets and offer hay and water only, and a quality loose mineral.
 

PsychoRoo

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Nobody in my little slice of heaven has ammonium chloride, and no one in a 50 mile radius does either. I did get banamine from the vet and administered that as well as drenching with ACV. Came home this afternoon and he was back to his usual self. I am thinking the blood was from him actually passing the stones. It was a small amount and was gone this morning.

So my next question, do bucks just need hay, water, and loose minerals? No alfalfa pellets or noble goat?

Thanks to everyone for their responses and help, it is greatly appreciated.
 

alsea1

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Just hay, water and loose mineral.
If you have brush for him to eat that's great.
 

elevan

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I disagree alsea. Alfalfa is high in calcium and you want a high calcium ratio to prevent UC. You want your calcium to phosphorus ratio to be at least 2:1 at 2.5:1 ratio is even better. Alfalfa pellets help if your hay is low in calcium. I would discontinue the grain unless he's under conditioned as it tends to be higher in phosphorus. Make sure you have plenty of clean, fresh water. Lots of free choice hay and a good loose mineral with ammonium chloride added to it to help prevent urinary stones. You can order ammonium chloride online. In a pinch (emergency) you can use Fruit Fresh by Ball from the canning section of your grocery store.
 

Sweetened

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I have read their pizzle can be cut so a stonecan pass but i wonder about fertility implications? Anyone able to give more info on that?
 

elevan

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Never done it and don't know about fertility implications but I would consider it a last ditch effort as most "stones" are not so much stones but more sandy sludge that clogs up the system. Ammonium chloride as a preventative in the minerals and proper calcium to phosphorus ratio of at least 2:1 in feeding is a much better practice.
 

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