Cough that won't go away

[manybirds]

Is it going to be bad for her to just give her some antibiotics? And if it was lung worm would it spread to any of my other goats? Because it hasn't. I can get oxytetracycline This Saturday

 

[Latestarter]

Most will tell you it's never a good idea to just medicate "because", as that tends to allow the nasty bugs to build up a tolerance and then that drug is no longer any good for use against that bug... However, that being said, your doe has a persistent cough, and based on what others have shared, it seems like the oxytet would be a good thing to do in this case. Just follow the dosing instructions on the package when you buy it.

It doesn't "sound" like a lungworm issue. If it is lungworms, then yes, it is contagious as the effected animal's feces will deposit shed eggs which can then be eaten by other goats/sheep whereby they will get infected.

 

[Southern by choice]

Lungworm doesn't spread as in contagious... It needs an intermediary host ie the snail.

Personally I don't ever give anti-biotics unless there is an absolute need and I confer with my vet.
One, I want the right one for the job.
Two, I hate throwing anything at a goat without knowing why.

 

[babsbag]

I agree with Southern but pneumonia is hard to detect. It doesn't always present a temp and I can't usually hear it (I am really bad with a stethoscope). Truth is we should all consult with our vets but reality in my world is I don't. Finding an antibiotic with a label for a goat is next to impossible so technically none of us are supposed to use them without a vet telling us too, but again...

I am not a vet and I am going out on a limb here, this is from my experience last summer...

Most Oxytets are long acting meaning administered every 72 hours. Goats being goats and having the high metabolism that they do need it more often. 36-48 hours being the norm. The dose is 4.5 ml per 100 lbs every 36-48 hours for three shots. Some people give 3 ml every day but I don't and I don't know how long you would do that regime; my guess would be 5 days.

If the cough doesn't go away after this treatment then you may need to get a stronger drug from a vet, but goats that need Nuflor or Naxel are usually pretty sick. Or look at treating for Lungworm.

I vaccinate for pneumonia every winter so I never see it in my does and seldom in my kids. This last year was just a bad year for me and coughing kids.

 

[manybirds]

It may make me sound bad but I had a really rough 2 or 3 years with goats where vet calls were constant so now I like to avoid spending more there than I have to. At this point they should have a portrait of me in there labeled as their main contributor or name a building after me or something! haha. Generally I just worm them when they look like they need it and right after they kid (or if i just purchased them before they go in with my other goats) and they only get CD and T. I think I'll do a round of antibiotics. If that doesn't work is there a way to test for lungworms without doing a vet call? I will do a vet call if it's the only way

 

[Southern by choice]

Don't bother with a vet call for lungworm or the Baermanns float... if you suspect it treat it. That is what every vet has told me and the labs I work with have said the same.

On an earlier post I had asked a few questions...

What kind of cough is it?

Something no one has mentioned is whether your doe has been tested for CL?

Another thing is do you know what happened during her birth?
Some goats have issues from being born breech and in the canal too long, lungs get mildly damaged...if there was fluid in there and despite best efforts wasn't suctioned good enough. Can cause them to cough when weather changes, dust etc... not always.
Kind of like people with asthma- damp, dust, exertion, weather change, as well as season changes can cause the coughing. But generally there isn't fever etc.

 

[Latestarter]

Lungworm lifecycle from from wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungworm#Lifecycle
"These animals have direct life-cycles. The lungworms in the superfamily Metastrongyloidea include species that infest a wider range of mammals, including sheep, goats and pigs but also cats and dogs."

"The general life cycle of a lungworm begins with an ingestion of infective larva/e. The infective larvae then penetrate the intestinal wall where larvae migrate into the lungs through the bloodstream. The infected larvae reside in the lungs until the development into an adult lungworm. The eggs of the adult hatch thus producing L1 larvae. The eggs or L1 larvae that reside in the lungs are coughed up and then ingested back into the stomach and released into the environment via the feces."

Though some do use a slug or snail as a step, it is not always the case and seems to be predominate in the family of lungworms that specifically affect dogs and cats.

 

[Southern by choice]

@Latestarter- you stated "contagious" and as to not confuse the OP I was clarifying it is not contagious in the sense of transmission of simply coughing and going from goat to goat. Like pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses.
When someone says contagious the first thought for most people is Oh my gosh all my goats are going to get this...
a goat is not going to get this from another goat by being with or having contact with another goat.
I know you like wiki- so from wiki-
A contagious disease is a subset category of transmissible diseases (can transmit from person to another), usuallyinfections or some non-infection diseases, which are transmitted to other persons, either by physical contact (hence the name-origin) with the person suffering the disease, or by casual contact with their secretions or objects touched by them or airborne route among other routes.[1]

The non-contagious category of infections usually require a special mode of transmission between persons or hosts. These include need for intermediate vector species (mosquitoes that cause malaria) or by non-casual transfer of bodily fluid (such as transfusions, needle sharing or sexual contact). They can also be inherited from parents or caused by environmental or behavioral factors.

Parasites can be transmitted via oral route yes through infected pasture.
The Dictyocoulus filaria is the lungworm (most common) associated with goats.
This is a long life cycle- yes large eggs can be ingested off the grasses, but it is the small lungworm larvae that must be ingested by the snail to continue the lifecycle. Most are embryonated when laid but usually hatch before they leave the host.

Having experience with lungworm there are some tell tale signs of lungworm and discription of environment is key. As well as the sound of the cough, it is very distinct.
Having years in parasitology I can tell you the float is a waste of time... that is why most say to treat if suspected. Years ago we had lungworm... also had swampy ground, lots of streams, and millions of snails. We got geese and ducks- eradicated the snails and we eradicated the lungworm issue. Never had a case of lungworm since.

There are so many causes for coughs that looking at the environment as well as parasitology is important.
Coccidia can cause cough too.
Issues at kidding/breach birth/ not fully cleared lungs
molds
allergies

 

[manybirds]

Don't bother with a vet call for lungworm or the Baermanns float... if you suspect it treat it. That is what every vet has told me and the labs I work with have said the same.

On an earlier post I had asked a few questions...

It is a wet cough like she's hacking up gunk out of her lungs. It almost sounds like the cough they make sometimes when spitting up cud but a little rougher and definitely not the same think. I got her from a menanite dairy goat farm, they knew her damm/sire but no details on her birth. I tested for cae and all that fun stuff but she wasn't living here at the time I did the testing

 

[rochelle~loves~goats]

Oh my...I bought a 4 month old Nigerian female & she's got a cough, all the goats that this lady bought from another lady (like 4-5 goats) all had coughs, she mentioned to the lady too & she told her that she didn't know why her goats coughed???? Now me reading this...makes me scared about lungworm??? What do I do? She don't cough all the time & it's a small little cough once in awhile...in fact since I've had her for 3 weeks now her cough has seemed to be getting better?? I guess I better take notes on this!