Sick Goat please help!!!

Hi There,

Left message with vet, no response very worried!

I have a 7 year old pygmy goat. Yesterday he was fine. This morning he seemed a little "off " when I went to feed them. I only have 2 and the other is fine... but I am jumping ahead....

Henry, (the sick little goat) is listless and lethargic. Since this morning he has stopped moving around, seems off balance, is complaining somewhat. He is eating and drinking but not very much. His poop is normal and he is urinating . He does not have a temp, but his gums are pale.

Please can anyone tell me what is going on...he is such a spunky little guy...my little menace...and today he is just not the same little goat...very scared and worried! His diet has not changed and he hasn't gotten into anything naughty since he has been penned and sheltered due to the weather

Thank you for any help you can give me

Can you gather up some fresh poop and take it into the a vets office in town this afternoon to get a fecal done?

With pale gums it seems that it could be a parasite problem.

If you can't get a hold of the vet, worming with some ivermectin really wont hurt anything.
What wormers do you have on hand or available to you?

What about overall body condition?
Hair coat quality?
Lice can cause anemia as well, but normally they itch pretty bad and people notice that they have a lice problem.
You can see little tiny bugs crawling around near the base of their hair if it is lice.

pale gums means anemic. if he was here, we would start on red cell.it is a liquid supplement designed for horses, but works for goats.can be found in quart and gallon sized. then would worm him with a mild wormer, and when he is stronger, hit him with something stronger. we like levimasole, hard to find, but good. cydectin would work also. do not worm with the strong one first, he may bleed out internally if a real heavy parisite load. best to contact your vet

Thank you so so much for your help...we have fenbrendazole de wormer at the house....Can I get red cell at feed store?...is that de wormer too strong?

Calling vet now to see if fecal can get done..but have to wait until I know it is really his!

mrsbubulz said:

Thank you so so much for your help...we have fenbrendazole de wormer at the house....Can I get red cell at feed store?...is that de wormer too strong?

Calling vet now to see if fecal can get done..but have to wait until I know it is really his!

Click to expand...

Fenbendazole is considered a mild wormer, you can give it at 3 x the dosage on the label for 3 to 5 days, and then give a stronger wormer after that if need be. Get the fecal first. Then worm, then take fecal in and see what they say. Some fenbendazole isn't going to hurt anything at this point.

Red cell is sold at feed stores. It is high in copper so don't give too much. Maybe 10 cc's a day for 5 days. I would talk to your vet. Personally I prefer givin injectable pig iron and B-complex injections for the anemia.

Pale gums could indicate shock too. I'd be taking his temperature and if it's really low, he needs to get warm and inside the house pronto. He also needs probiotics into him in case his rumen tries to shut down. I really recommend ivermectin over fenbrendazole because a lot of worms are resistant to it. Red cell will help, but you need to get the parasite load down too.

Keep an eye on his skin color, especially around the inside of his eyelids. They should be deep pink or red, not white.