Can you hurt a goat during hoof trimming and how?

[lengel]

We have had two Nigerian Dwarf goats for about 14 months now. I took them to the vet six months ago and she wrote on the exam sheet that they were "ideal".

However, I went down to trim their hooves today and I think I'm being much too shy about it. In particular, I noticed that Thelma's rear right hoof is lopsided but I was concerned about trimming off too much at once so I only went down about a quarter of an inch or so on that side then started doing more research. It seems that the video I originally watched was a really conservative one so I started watching more and decided that I'm not being aggressive enough. I realize that it's because I'm afraid of hurting them somehow.

Is that possible and, if so, how would it happen. One of the things that concerns me is that I'll cut into the quick and then the hoof will get infected.

Clearly I'm new to this. Thanks for your patience.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Welcome to BYH!!

It is completely understandable to be cautious about this. You can hurt them but they will not likely die or get an infection from a trimming. We trim ours a little more frequently than 6 months though and it is likely that they are a bit overgrown (I hope that doesn't make you feel bad but just to let you know). if they are grown over, it could take a few trimmings to get them back into the right shape.

Start by cleaning them off, or even soaking them for a few minutes in a mild soap solution. Then start with the toe ends (the heels do not need to be trimmed much and I made that error when I first got goats). Cut each side, a bit at a time, but stop if you start to see pinkish looking tissue. Then lightly trim the heal so as to make it even. I actually use a rasp to even out one of my goats because her hooves are ridiculously uneven all the time.

You may also want to dip their hooves into a solution to treat/prevent hoof rot.

Should you nick the hoof and get bleeding, do not panic. Just have the goat stand on it for a few minutes and it should stop. You might also use blood stop powder if you have it.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Trimming goat hooves is easy. There is nothing to it really.

You don't need to be aggressive if they aren't bad. If you decide to do trimmings all the time then they never get bad and you don't need to be aggressive. I like to let them go past what they should go, that way I can go deeper and cut the whole layer off, not just the side. I like to be able to make the hoof completely flat and all white when I do them.

Yes you could hurt them. You could cut to deep and they could bleed out. That would be quite a strange thing though. When you trim one day you will get blood. If you let them get bad then you will have to go far enough back that they will bleed. A little blood is fine and even a drip is ok. I don't do anything for mine when I cut them. I even had one that was drip, drip, drip, drip and I thought about it but decided not to do anything. As long as the goat is not anemic it should be ok. When the goat goes back on the ground it will pack it full of dirt or grass etc and that will stop the bleeding. So trimming is easy. You will do fine even if you are more aggressive. If you get some blood, it's fine. Everyone is scared when they first start trimming and doing a better job, instead of maintaining them.

If by any way you ever did get a real bad cut and it was really bleeding you can use Quickstop or other blood stopping stuff. Also, teabags work well and so do cobwebs. If those are not enough get a carriage bolt and use a blow torch to heat the end glowing and cauterize the hoof. It's that easy. You'll do fine and not need to worry.

 

[lengel]

Thank you. That makes me feel better. I should clarify that I have been trimming them back and we also have a concrete block pile for them but I'm not doing enough each time so while they were fine six months ago, they're getting progressively more overgrown even though I'm supposedly trimming them. I'm just afraid of hurting them. I'll go at it again tomorrow and see if I can make them look more like the video in the sticky.

There should be a class.

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

I wish that everybody that sells goats to new owners would teach them how to trim.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I agree SHK. I show ours how to do shots too. After having to learn so much on our own (thank goodness for this site), I think sellers should at least model the basics.

Glad you are feeling better about doing this. If you were wanting a tutorial, you could look up your county's 4H extension office and I bet they would direct you to some goat people nearby you. I have found that most people who own goats or more than happy to share what they know with others.

 

[lengel]

They didn't know either. We got them from a family that was getting rid of their animals.

I knew that it wasn't a very good situation so I should have asked the vet if I was doing it right. It's my bad.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

They didn't know either. We got them from a family that was getting rid of their animals.

I knew that it wasn't a very good situation so I should have asked the vet if I was doing it right. It's my bad.

No, not your bad at all because you are taking the time to learn. We didn't know it all when we first started and sure don't know it all now either.

When you have a chance, you should toss an introduction for yourself on the new members page. Glad to have you on board here.

 

[lengel]

Thank you! I'll go do that.