Dead kid

[manybirds]

yesterday I noticed a kid pretty down and out so I separated her out gave her copper Bolus and some corrid thinking it was a little coccidiosis or something. Today my mom called me to tell me that she was thrashing around and screaming so I rushed home and by the time I got there she was dead. I hate wondering about what happened and not learning from it so I was wondering about maybe cutting her open? I've never done it before but is there something I could possibly see, as someone with no real training in anatomy, that would teach me anything? I hate to just throw her not knowing. Also, it may sound a little morbid, but I know some people who will butcher a dead or slightly sick goat out so it doesn't just go to waste. Is that recommendable? Answers asap please as it is hot and buggy and it won't take her long to bloat out im sure.

 

[AClark]

If you're going to do a necropsy, do it fast. We used to do horses that died from colic and you could see where the gut had telescoped or had a blockage, but if you waited even an hour, they bloated up fast and God forbid you hit a gut with a knife...not good, and shower worthy.
Not sure that you'd see anything of particular interest, sounds like she went out really rough and painfully so you might notice something that doesn't look right though. Can't hurt to try, and learn, she's already gone so it's not like it will hurt anything.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

You may or may not see anything. If you aren't trained you probably will not know what to look for. Do you have a lab or vet that could necropsy the kid? Putting the goat in a cooler with ice until you get someone to do it would be good.

We ALWAYS necropsy any goat that dies.

Our state lab charges about $30 and it very thorough. Every lab is different though.

So sorry for your loss

 

[manybirds]

The vets around here aren't goat savy at all. We sent a necropsy or two in before and didn't get back anything helpful and it cost an arm and a leg. Immediately after I posted I decided to go ahead and gut her. I put the guts in a bag and, being that she hadn't died of sickness and was fresh I did have my brother in law help me save what I could of the meat. It's fly season though so by the time I returned to the gut bag, they had managed to lay eggs all over the outside of the bag in every crease and a few managed to weasel into the bag (idk how it was sealed off). And when I opened the bag it didn't smell pretty between the stomach acids and heat. Mind you they were only on there for 45 minutes tops. But they are pretty bloated and gross so I'm not sure it would be even worth going through them at this point.... Debating trying but I don't wanna get a stomach acid shower. Poor goats mama is all upset

 

[AClark]

I'm not sure I'd eat it after having Corrid, the label indicates to withdraw usage 24 hours before slaughter. It says not to use in calves intended for veal, so if your goat was still on the mama...? Same principle? I don't know. I'm not super picky, but seems that something that's been treated with a label warning like that might not be a great idea to eat. But I honestly don't know if it's safe or not.

 

[manybirds]

Good point I never thought about the corrid.... I do still kind of think it was a gut blockage, as when I was disposing of the guts I noticed that it was awfully bloated with poop, if that every happens again is there anything you can do? I've heard of tubing mineral oil

 

[manybirds]

Good point I never thought about the corrid.... I do still kind of think it was a gut blockage, as when I was disposing of the guts I noticed that it was awfully bloated with poop, if that every happens again is there anything you can do? I've heard of tubing mineral oil

 

[OneFineAcre]

How old was the kid?
Coccidiosis can kill them that fast.
I've lost kids in the 8-10 week range in the past. Thankfully none this year.
They seemed perfectly healthy that morning and were dead that afternoon.
And, they did not have scours
It was always coccidiosis.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Whenever we do a necropsy we don't just gut them... We like to see where everything was. I lost a buck to a twisted gut a few weeks ago, had we just gutted him like we were processing him we very well could have missed it.

 

[NH homesteader]

Sorry about your goat.... To each his/her own but we don't eat anything that died of natural causes. Or butcher slightly sick animals for food. Dog food? Maybe, but not people food. Maybe that's just me.