Goat kid with poopy bum

[AlleysChicks]

I have a white goat kid that I’ve had for exactly 1 week. She’s eating and drinking fine, and she’s skittish. This morning I noticed she had a poopy bum. It’s on her tail but no where else. I cannot find any trace of wet poo in the pen or hut. She was dewormed prior to me getting her.

Could it be change of feed after a week? I have 2 of her half sisters that I got a month ago from the same lady.

 

[Southern by choice]

Keep an eye on it.
Hold old is the goat?

 

[AlleysChicks]

Keep an eye on it.
Hold old is the goat?

8 or 9 weeks. It was just weaned.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Noticed this morning that there is a bit of poo down her legs. Not a lot. Still not finding her poo in the pen.

 

[Southern by choice]

Have your vet check for coccidia. Take a fecal in. Even if you have just a little. If you can't get any then take her to the vet so they can get some from her.

Coccidia is the most likely culprit in a young kid.
Best to rule that out, if no cocci then it has to be more of a dietary thing but coccidia kills.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Have your vet check for coccidia. Take a fecal in. Even if you have just a little. If you can't get any then take her to the vet so they can get some from her.

Coccidia is the most likely culprit in a young kid.
Best to rule that out, if no cocci then it has to be more of a dietary thing but coccidia kills.

How do you treat cocci in goats? Is there something I can get from a farm store? I do not have a large animal vet close by and the small animal vets will not treat large animals.

 

[Southern by choice]

Just about any vet will run a fecal to check for coccidia.

There are products to use however you need to know if the goat has coccidia or not. Treatment and prevention are two different things.
It may not be coccidia, it could be parasites and that would be treated with something altogether different. It could be a weed that the kid is eating causing the runs.

Depending on the product used there can be other issues. Many of the products used were in powder form and are now not sold OTC. Other products can cause thiamine deficiency which can have affects like goat polio. Then there are products you can order online but accuracy of identifying the problem is key.

You should call the breeder and find out what prevention he/she uses. Find out what vet he/she uses as well. Always good to develop a relationship with your vet. This is an inexpensive way to do that. Because down the road if you have an emergency no vet is going to walk you through via the phone when they don't know you.

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

At that age I would deworm with something that will get tape worm in one dose, like Valbazen. Then I would treat as if she has coccidia and put kids on a medicated feed. Coccidia is especially worrisome because it reproduces within kid's gut and quickly causes damage/death. What has always worked for me is using a creep feeder for kids with medicated feed (Tennessee Farmer Coop #308 Calf Starter Grower ) until kids are bred at 8 months old.
Tapes generally don't bother adult goat, but kids can die from blockage due to mass of worms. Scours can be a symptom. These particular tapes are not same as the dog/cat tape with flea as intermediate host. Goat tapes have snail/slug as intermiate host. Remember I am in eastern Tennessee and my experience reflects our unique climate conditions.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Haven’t really been on. But update.

Finally caught the goat and put her in a small pen by herself. Got a fecal, looks like dog poo. Drove 1hr to large vet office and dropped off. Coccidia for sure. They gave me Di-Methox for all 3.

Now they are in a small fenced in pasture with permanent fence and a house. What can I treat the ground and buildings with? It’s been extra wet here the last month with all the storms we’ve had.

 

[Donna R. Raybon]

Nothing to treat with for coccidia on ground. Adult goats who are healthy have immunity so you don't have to worry unless something else makes them sick and impacts immune system. Immature goats need to be either treated every month or put on a medicated feed (ensure they are eating enough to be medicated) until they are about eight to twelve months old. I generally keep my doelings on medicated feed from birth until about a month after they freshen as yearlings. They seem to do much better through stress of growing pregnancy, kidding, and milking that first time.

Coccidia is not 'worm' so you still have to deworm as needed. That will depend upon exposure, etc.... Here in eastern TN I can get by with deworming each month April through November. Do not have flukes here, so don't worry about them. But, do have menegeal deer worm so have to use an ivomec family dewormer in warm weather. Tapes are a problem in kids, so they get something that gets tapes as ivomec family does not. And, I do FAMACHA (check lower eyelid color) as barberpole worms are deadly here.

For urine odor you can use horse product that is called 'stall fresh' that is a volcanic product which ties up ammonia so that it is later slowly released in compost. Before it was available people used burnt lime (hydrated lime) and it is quite caustic if you get it on skin or in eyes.