finally found out what is killing my goats.

[nightshade]

Well after three weeks and losing half my herd I finally found out what is killing my goats. Your never gonna believe this.... snails. It has been so wet that they are like every where, tiny little orange or black shelled snails. And I was just told yesterday when I had a goat dieing that they can kill a goat in hours if they accidentally eat them. All the more reason to drowned them in beer if you ask me. Luckily we saved Amos but so many were not so lucky and I am just devastated.

It was horrible and frankly they were my friends and I don't know if I can keep going through this. I honestly don't know if I am gonna replace them in the spring or not. Hubby says it is part of being a farmer and having animals. I tell him that is why I tell everyone I am not a farmer, cause I care to damn much.

 

[trestlecreek]

WOW, never heard of such a thing! We have several snails!!
Do you have a link to this info?
Good thing you figured it out!

 

[DonnaBelle]

I am very sorry for your loss, I have lots of animals and feel personally responsible for all of them.....

Having said that, please don't let this discourage you... I guess your husband is right, and as my brother told me, if you have animals you will have losses and heartbreak. His favorite stud horse hung himself because my brother left a harness on him and the horse got it caught on a hinge on his stall door. He still hasn't forgiven himself.... But he has gotten a new stud horse. It can be so sad. anyway I posted to let you know someone is thinking of you tonight.

DonnaBelle

 

[nightshade]

WOW, never heard of such a thing! We have several snails!!
Do you have a link to this info?
Good thing you figured it out!

sorry no link I found out through an Amish buddy who has been seeing it go around. But google may provide some info on it. I am just looking more into it myself because I have never heard of such a thing either.

I called my FIL to get his opinion since he has been around the farm his whole life and he agreed. The wet weather has been really bad for bugs and parasites this year. Snails being just one of the things flourishing in the extra dampness. And one of the MANY things that can kill goats or other grazing animals quickly. But he was alittle skeptical until I told him that I have been finding snails by the hundreds around the goat fence and where they free range during the day now that I am looking for them. At that point he agreed with the Amish Man that the goats are eating them accidentally and getting poisoned by them. So everyone is on strict pasture arrest and eating nothing that has not been checked carefully first. No problems since. But I will keep ya posted as I learn more find out what exactly the snails have to do with it.


edited to add -
okay so far I can find nothing on google. Maybe it is not so much eating the snails but the huge amount of them on the plants in the area? I wish I knew more so I knew what I was dealing with. All I know is I did what the Amish Man told me. Let him vomit his little guts out. Gave him probios, antibiotics and pepto-bismol lots of water and the next morning he was okay much to my surprise. Today we wormed everyone with ivomac plus because in the back of my head I have this little voice saying " the pelleted wormer you are using is not working."

 

[trestlecreek]

huh...you'll have me digging too on this!!
Can you get a picture of one of the boogers? I have the grey/brown ones,...the color you described does sound like you have a strange one out there?....

I know snails carry lungworm and other nasty diseases,,,, and it has been a horrible year for bugs, they are just awful for some reason.

When your goats die, what are the symptoms before they go? Sorry, you may have posted on here, I'm new, so I'm catching up to things,,,

 

[nightshade]

the one this weekend was the first I really got to watch in happen in or at least some of it. When I got down to the pasture in the morning he was outside of the fence waiting for me like he always is. But he was stumbling around and waving as he stood their like he was dizzy or something. As I got closer I could see he had been vomiting and coughing up some very nasty vile smelling stuff. At this point I started calling around. And four calls later got my Amish Buddy (I have not been able to find a really reliable goat vet in my area so he is where I go for help) I did what he told me left for about 2 hours to go pick up a load of hay and when I got back he was standing looking at me. I was a little shocked to say the least. On my way home I was telling hubby how I guessed it was a good thing I had not plated the tree I bought to put over the goats we have lost (like I said they me alot to me) because I guessed I would be burying another one.

 

[nightshade]

found it and it is some nasty ****. There is only two drugs that kill it and one is the Ivomac plus what is the luck in that. But now I feel terribly guilty because if I had realized that the pelleted wormer was not working I would have given the ivomac months ago, I could have saved them all.
here is the link to what I found.

http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=152&Itemid=171

 

[trestlecreek]

Yep, sounds like poison for sure!!

Ahhhh,... I know, it is very hard to loose them!! That is something that will NEVER get easy to see. I have had them for many years and as I strive never to loose one, the truth is, is that it will happen and it breaks my heart even worse now than it did then!! I guess as you age, your heart just sinks harder.

I lost one 2 years ago tragically and I have not gotten over that one. I actually refuse to breed right now for that reason(and many others-I've gotten busy with work/school/kids), I think I have seen just too much, I'm burnt out and prefer to enjoy rather than breed right now, but one thing I do know is that we love these little goats and it is hard.
I don't care who ya are, they are sweet and addicting!!!

 

[trestlecreek]

Oh my gosh, yes!! Snails do carry the liver fluke.
Yes, get the Ivomec-Plus going for sure. I have that too and have been using it for the last 2 years in the spring/fall as a preventative for that and the deer worm..... those can not be detected on a fecal and if you have the snails of deer, it's best to go ahead and worm to be sure...
Good thing you posted your experience, it is an eye opener for others here that may not realize what those ugly things can do.....

 

[nightshade]

I know I will never worm with anything else that is for sure.