coughing

[dwbonfire]

if anyone recalls my other threads i have a 10 month old billy i borrowed from a friend to breed to my doe. i have noticed since i had him a little cough going on. its a dry cough and its not constant, but i feel like i have heard it more so the longer i have him. i have not exposed my doe to him yet, hes in solitary with my turkeys right now. i think i read to give ivermectin for a dry cough, but i want to double check if thats what i should do. whats causing his cough? and howcome ivermectin is what people use? do i use the injectable or paste orrr?
he was wormed with cydectin the day i picked him up which was not quite 2 weeks ago. is it still ok to give him ivermectin? would the cydectin have taken care of the cough also, could this be something else?
my doe is due to cycle soon so i will have them together, im hoping to clear this up before then so i wont pass anything around here.

thanks!

 

[cmjust0]

People use ivermectin when they suspect it's lungworm, which usually isn't the case. It's usually dry hay, or an upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, something like that. I'd take his temperature.. If it's 104 or above, start him on antibiotics because it's probably an infection. If it's above 102.5, watch him closely over the next day or two because it could be the beginning of an infection. He may fight it off on his own, or he may spike a fever and need antibiotics.. If he's 101 - 102.5 or so, it's probably dry hay or something like that and nothing needs to be done.

Other than that, just watch him. If he seems off and is coughing but his temperature's normal, I'd probably go ahead and start something just in case cold weather is preventing him from registering a fever.

You could give ivermectin, but people are going to have different ideas about whether to give it orally or inject it. Personally, I believe it needs to be injected for something like lungworm because ivermectin given orally in goats doesn't really get into their bloodstream very well, and unless it gets into the bloodstream, it's going to have ZERO effect against lung worms. But then some people will tell you that you shouldn't inject ivermectin because then any gastrointestinal worms he has will begin to develop immunity to ivermectin -- which is true. And you don't want that. What to do, what to do...

Well, what *I* personally have done is give it both ways, simultaneously. Injected at a rate of 1ml/110lbs of bodyweight and drenched orally at about 3-4ml/100lbs. I figure if it doesn't absorb well from the gut, then the chance of overdose is practically non-existent, and besides that ivermectin is really safe in mammals even at high blood levels. And when given both ways, you not only satisfy both crowds, but you also get BOTH lungworms and gastrointestinal worms..

But then, of course, some people call that overkill..

In any case, to reiterate...I'd start by taking a temp, and if he's feverish, give him an antibiotic. PenG should be fine, 1ml/15lbs, 2x/day through an 18-20ga needle. Don't use a needle smaller than a 20ga.. An 18ga is better. He's a big boy, he can deal with it. And if he's not feverish, just watch him. See if it gets better. If he doesn't within maybe a week or so, post back...or, start him on PenG and/or do the ivermectin thing. I wouldn't personally have an issue with doing the PenG and oral/injected ivermectin simultaneously. But then, I'm a well-known "shotgunner" and some people don't like that, either..

 

[Queen Mum]

An occassional dry cough can be caused by a number of things, but just to be safe, treat him as if there is a problem because you don't know his history.

You can give Ivermectin or Cydectin.

Either one will work.

 

[dwbonfire]

well i took his temp lastnight and it was 100.7 not sure if that was 100% accurate the thermo came out for just a sec cause he moved but i think it still would have read right. i will take it again to keep an eye on him. he seems fine really, and i havent heard him today but its hard cause i havent been able to spend much time in the barn to listen for it.

he was already given a dose of cydectin, im not sure i should give it to him again this soon. he got it about 2 weeks ago. i think i will try to monitor him more closely, i just worry about the pnemonia.

thanks, i will update if theres any changes.