Sniffle'y buck - question

[chubbydog811]

My new buck (got him yesterday) has the sniffles. Nothing is coming out of his nostrils though. He just sniffles every once in a while
He was in a stall most of the time before, and now he is in a run-in at my place.
Could this just be because he is too cold, or might it be more serious?
He looks healthy overall. He isn't limping around, or acting like he is hurting or in distress, he just looks cold...He isnt raspy either.
I'm probably going to clean out one of the horse stalls to bring him in at night so he is a bit warmer.

Is there anything I can give him to help him out? I am most likely going to be making an appointment with the vet for all my goats in the next few weeks, but want to make him comfortable until then.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[ThornyRidge]

If you are up for it you could take his temp.. that may give some more information.. a sniffle could be a number of things or it could be nothing.. watch him.. is he eating/drinking/cudding/acting ok? as long as that is continuing I would not panic.. also watch to make sure there is no snot .. clear would be ok.. it is cold and winter.. watch for watery/runny eyes too.. if you happen to have a way to check his breathing go for it (lots of fun on smelly buck when you have to get close and listen with or without tools)..

there is a product called Vet Rx.. kind of like Vicks for humans.. it is a oily substance you could rub a bit around his nose and see if that does anything.. (some say you can even drench them with a bit-yuck).. this will not hurt anything by doing this . It could even be something as trivial as allergies/dust/routin around in hay/etc...

 

[chubbydog811]

Thanks for the response!
I hadnt even thought about allergies...I would almost bet it is between that and the cold - the hay we are feeding out right now is a bit dusty. He might not have been used to it.

He is acting completely normal (for a goat at least, I'm not sure about for him) as far as I can see. He is running around and jumping up to try getting the girls attention, eating grain like he has never eaten before, and drinking better than my other goats. He is active and alert, and very happy. The only thing he isnt eating is the hay.

I will try to check his temp if I can find the thermometer...

Does wetting the hay work for goats like it does horses, or will they just snuff it?

 

[helmstead]

Is this your first buck? I have a sneaking suspicion he's doing the buck snort-sneeze...

 

[chubbydog811]

Nope, he is the 3rd buck I have owned.

It's definitely not the buck snort/sneeze.

He isn't blowing out, he is just...best way put...snorting his snot back in . Like a little kid who hasn't figured out how to blow their nose.

Though that seems like it would be a pretty common question for 1st time buck owners hehe

 

[helmstead]

I would say as long as the snot is clear and he's acting well...it's environmental.

My goats won't eat damp hay...oh heavens, no...even if it just happened to get morning dew on it or something...naaaaaah

 

[chubbydog811]

lol That's what I thought. If 2nd cut weren't so expensive, I would be buying it for everyone. Unfortunately, they have to deal with gross (in my opinion) 1st cut. I'm affraid to wet the horses hay too because they are so picky. I figured the goats would be worse!

I'll just keep an eye on him. He looks good so far, so I am hoping it is just environmental. Hopefully he will get used to the new living conditions!

Is there any other way to get some of the dust out of the hay, or just shake it up and hope that helps?

The goats at the farm he came from all looked very healthy, so I wasnt too worried about brining him home. His issue didnt start until this morning...

Thanks for the help by the way

(Edited for spelling!)

 

[helmstead]

Mmm, not really. The only thing you can do to reduce dust inhalation is feed off the ground (I know, I know, wasteful!) or out of a tub where the hay isn't above their heads. As I'm sure you know, dust and hay go together...

He'll adjust, hopefully without any shipping sickness or developing a real cold/URI. You're being prudent and watchful, you'll know if there's something you need to do, I'm sure.

 

[chubbydog811]

We usually feed from a very low hay manger or on the ground- we had pygmies before the dairy goats, so it needed to be short! Though after having horses, I cant stand to see it wasted, so it either gets raked back up and put in the manger, or used as chicken bedding.

I'm hoping it is nothing serious. He wasn't any better or worse today, but I am only worried now, because he figured out how to jump a 4 foot fence, and right in with my girls. It actually makes it much easier because I wanted him to breed 2 of my girls anyway, but ya. I was going to put them in with him when they came back into heat.

He was so lonely by himself, he just had to jump the fence lol...But then he wasnt exactly smart enough to go inside the run-in out of the snow, so he was freezing from all the snow and wind. Luckily I had a crappy foal blanket on hand that fit him well enough to keep him warm and dry!
Poor boy...

Anyway, thanks again for the advice!

 

[cmjust0]

Goats do stupid things during the rut....things like standing outside all night in the freezing cold, snow, and wind, trying to entice one another to cross into their respective enclosures. If they can see, hear, or smell one another, that's all they think about.

I'd imagine that goes double for a buck if he's alone in his enclosure.. Not only does he want...ahem..."company," he probably also just wants company.

When it's been super duper cold and we've have a doe in heat this year, we lock all the does in the barn far, far away from the buck pen. They'll yell back and forth sometimes, but it's much more likely that they'll all just give up and bed down for the night..

I figure it's much cheaper to treat a broken heart than to treat pneumonia, hypothermia, frostbite, etc...and the prognosis is usually much better right from the onset!