Buck with a dry cough

[Mini-M Ranch]

I have a buck with a dry cough. He has no muscus, no fever (yes, I took it...he didn't like it. it's 102.1), clear eyes, no eye-boogers (as my son calls them) but he started Sunday with a dry cough. I can hear nothing in his lungs.

He was wormed with Ivermec on December 7 and December 17. I had a doe see the vet on January 13th to see if she is preggers. He said her parasite load seemed a little high and recommended Cydectin Sheep Drench for all the goats that are not pregnant. So, the buck got Cydectin on 1-13. His eyelids and gums look great, so I don't think it is lungworm.

I'd rather not take him in to see the vet. He is sometimes difficult to deal with and gets stressed out WAY too easily. This week, we don't have the extra $50 to pay for the vet to come here. I have Pen-G and Bio-Mycin in my medicine "cabinet" - which one of those is best for respiratory problems. What dosage should I use?

**Please, I know I should get him to see the vet, but if you don't have the money, you don't have the money, and I don't have it until Monday. I don't want to wait that long to do something**

 

[ksalvagno]

I have been dealing with mycoplasma on my farm which is a bacteria with no wall. My boys were coughing, my girls had runny eyes. Some had temps and some didn't. The only thing that worked was Draxxin. Very expensive but my herd finally seems to be ok now. Not saying that that is it but a possibility. The old drug that they used to use on it was tetracycline.

 

[cmjust0]

I have a buck with a dry cough. He has no muscus, no fever (yes, I took it...he didn't like it. it's 102.1), clear eyes, no eye-boogers (as my son calls them) but he started Sunday with a dry cough. I can hear nothing in his lungs.

He was wormed with Ivermec on December 7 and December 17. I had a doe see the vet on January 13th to see if she is preggers. He said her parasite load seemed a little high and recommended Cydectin Sheep Drench for all the goats that are not pregnant. So, the buck got Cydectin on 1-13. His eyelids and gums look great, so I don't think it is lungworm.

I'd rather not take him in to see the vet. He is sometimes difficult to deal with and gets stressed out WAY too easily. This week, we don't have the extra $50 to pay for the vet to come here. I have Pen-G and Bio-Mycin in my medicine "cabinet" - which one of those is best for respiratory problems. What dosage should I use?

**Please, I know I should get him to see the vet, but if you don't have the money, you don't have the money, and I don't have it until Monday. I don't want to wait that long to do something**

My first suspicion would be aspiration pneumonia from the drench, but who knows.. I just think it's odd that he starts up right after being drenched with Cydectin.

If he were here, I'd have him on Bio-Mycin @ 1ml/33lbs, 1x/day.. If he didn't improve (or got worse) within a few days, I'd consult with my vet.

You could use Pen-G, but the dosage is like 1ml/15lbs, 2x/day, for 10-14 days, and it has to be administered with an 18ga needle to ensure that you're getting an even distribution of the suspended medication with the liquid carrier.. If he's an adult, that's A LOT of Pen G, and a lot of 'stovepipe' needle jabs.. Those are actually the primary reasons I'd choose Bio-Mycin if he were here...not that it works better, but that it's just less stressful for all involved.

I'm interested to hear everyone else's opinion on this situation, too..

 

[Mini-M Ranch]

Hmmm....I hadn't thought that it might be from the Cydectin. I was really reluctant to use it anyway, but the vet said that is what is working in our area right now. I talked to three other farmers "in goats" and theyare all using Cydectin sheep DRENCH (not pour on). So now we have ordered it and dosed everybody (except the preggo ones) and I am still not sure about it. It was expensive, too. UURGH!

I have never given pen-g because I don't really like putting large amounts of chemicals in if I don't have to. Plus, I've got minis and usually use a 22 gauge needle for almost everything given SQ (because I don't like the huge stick - I'm a bit squeamish still. Maybe I'll get used to is as time passes) I will start with the Bio-Mycin in the morning. Hopefully that will clear it up. At least I will feel like I am doing something until Monday when I can actually get the vet out here.

K, I had a doe on Draxxin in September when she had a trachial infection. I THOUGHT that it was the Draxxin that hadn't worked, but it was actually the 5 days of xenel (sp?) that didn't work. Then we did Draxxin and that helped, but MY WORD what a number it did on her stomach. It took probably another month to get her rumen up and running again. I REALLY hope we don't have to go down that road again.

 

[Mini-M Ranch]

Ok, gave him the Bio-Mycin this morning. I first tried it with a 22 gauge needle. Not joking, his skin bent the needle! I have never given him a shot before and was really surprised how thick skinned he is.

The only other size I had on hand was 18, which I usually use to draw ivermec out of the vial. So I used that. He didn't even seem to notice. He didn't even move, just kept right on trying to eat the pocket off my jacket. lol.

Hope it works. Thanks for the advice

 

[cmjust0]

Ok, gave him the Bio-Mycin this morning. I first tried it with a 22 gauge needle. Not joking, his skin bent the needle! I have never given him a shot before and was really surprised how thick skinned he is.

Are you, by any chance, SQing up around the shoulders or over the ribs close to the topline? I used to SQ there, but it's harder to "pinch and inch" up there, so to speak, and the hide seems much tougher.. That goes double for bucks.

I generally give SQ's antibiotics in the "axillary space" now...at least I think that's what the area is called anyway. Basically, the looser skin just behind the shoulder, down about midway or maybe a little lower on the side. For the most part, they don't seem to mind shots as much when given in that area.

The bad news is that if a shot does sting or cause them to become sore, they can act a little lame in that leg. Matter of fact, I just gave a doe a dose of dark, oxidized Bio-Mycin there the other day and she got REALLY mad at me.. The darker it is, the more it stings, and she came out of the hay feeder and stood in the corner for a while, picking her leg up and setting it back down.

I felt really bad and I bought new Bio-Mycin after that..

Generally speaking, though...it's a good site to inject antibiotics.

Vaccines still go over the ribs, though, as they're more prone to cause soreness.