Treatment, prevention, and sample testing

Carla D

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I have had several health related questions that I’m trying to find answers for. Can you possibly help me with one or more of these?

Does anyone do their own fecal sample testing?
1. Do you have any trouble getting medication or treatment orders from your vet if you do find something under the microscope that needs to be treated?
2. What type of microscope do you use? Would a cheap microscope under $50 be of any use?
3. Is there a way to learn how to process your own samples?
4. Is this something worth learning and doing yourself?
5. Would one of the microscopes pictured her be enough to do this kind of testing, or do I need something more complex?

Skin conditions.
I know the pictures aren’t the best. They don’t wish to sit still for a picture or two.

5. Are warts or moles common in goats? Should I be concerned about them?
6. There are four pictures showing a wound or lesion on one goat. There is a similar spot on a couple of others. I’m thinking this was caused by a little fun-loving rough housing between themselves. Is it possible it could be something other than what I’m suspectng it could also perhaps be a wart or mole that has been rubbed and scratched at to the point of looking like this. We are doing our best to come up with the money so we can get them all dehorned ASAP. We don’t need more injuries or to be risking the safety of ourselves or the baby goats.

7. The first three shows some dry stuff on another goats coat. I’m thinking it could be something as simple as dry skin. But I wonder if it could be a nutritional deficiency or worse yet- lice. Do you have any ideas?

Both of these were present before we had overnight visitors, so it can’t be a direct result of them. I’d like to fix or correct these issues before I need to take them to a vet.

8. I’ve come to the conclusion that we need to have a scale on the farm. Not only to monitor growth of the goats, or their weight for appropriate medicine dosing. But it would be really helpful for our pigs as well. Would this low end scale be a decent option or would it be a waste of money in the long run? We don’t have a very big farm, don’t see any reason why we might use it daily either.
 

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Mike CHS

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It isn't hard to learn to do your own fecals. @Southern by choice has a lot of information on the forum about the McMasters Method and I'm adding one link that I just found a minute ago. We do random samples on our sheep quite often. It doesn't take much math to figure out that at paying the vet $20 per fecal that you pay for your equipment pretty fast. I don't like our sheep turning up dead for something that I can prevent so we test. Actually, Teresa does the samples but she is getting pretty fast and good at it. The link has some discussion about which mircroscope.

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/what-kind-of-microscope-do-i-need.35622/#post-485782
 

Southern by choice

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Neither of those scopes have a mechanical stage. You must have a mechanical stage and when doing fecal analysis the Mc Masters Method is ideal. You can make your own solution.

I have several articles and step by step with info.

Digital screen scopes are not good.
Pics od the crusty stuff could be evidence of mites/ lice.
I cannot see well with the pics of the other issue

The scale- I know nothing about the company but I would be skeptical just because of the price alone. However the price may reflect accuratley the size id 12" x 15" and that is inadequate for livestock. IOW they won't fit on it. Using boards and trying to make the platform bigger will not accurately distribute the weight and it will be of no benefit.

there are 2 different articles... this is first
https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/understanding-famacha-fecal-analysis.56/

this is the second article broken into 2 parts because I can only put 10 pics up in a post.
https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/the-mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis.55/
https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis-part2.57/


I sold a young buckling today and he is rutting very hard for such a young buck. We weighed him before he left. We weighed him 6 weeks ago. He has lost almost 20 pounds from rutting so hard!
I also gathered his berries (poop) and ran a fecal so the new owner and I would know his status so she knows what he will need while in quarantine.
Good news he had 0 Coccidia 0 Parasites. His FAMACHA was perfect. His weight is all a result of rut.

Trust me if you want your boys as pets... wether them and soon! ;)
Ask anyone here with goats. :lol:
 

Carla D

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It isn't hard to learn to do your own fecals. @Southern by choice has a lot of information on the forum about the McMasters Method and I'm adding one link that I just found a minute ago. We do random samples on our sheep quite often. It doesn't take much math to figure out that at paying the vet $20 per fecal that you pay for your equipment pretty fast. I don't like our sheep turning up dead for something that I can prevent so we test. Actually, Teresa does the samples but she is getting pretty fast and good at it. The link has some discussion about which mircroscope.

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/what-kind-of-microscope-do-i-need.35622/#post-485782

I was thinking the same way. I paid $46 each for 2 fecals. I did ask a question somewhere about microscopes. I know a person gets what they paid for it. I was wondering if a $50 microscope would be adequate or if it need a certain level of power or capabilities?
 

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