Very sick goat, not eating.

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Goat Talk ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by David on July 28, 2004 at 11:05:46:

Hello,

I am looking for help with a sick goat. I can't afford to take him to a vet. I suspect that it would cost less to cull this animal and buy another than it would to bring him to a vet. I don't want to see it suffer.

I bought my first goat last week and brought him home. He began to work on the front lawn which is why I bought him and after about 5 days he began to get sick. I called the farm where I bought him and brought the goat there yesterday and the guy gave him a shot of antibiotics.

There has been no improvement. The goat is down, he's not eating, he's not defecating. Once an hour I will go out and stand him up and he will urinate, but then immediatly wants to lie down. Yesterday he was silent but today he has begun to bleat softly as if he's got pain.

I noticed the day before this began that his poo was clumpy but still pelletized. Yesterday, he deficated several times. As his illness progressed his poo became more and more of a clump. At this point there is no pellets at all. Yesterday he was eating small ammounts, today he has not eaten at all.

My property has never had any animals on it before. I suspect the goat ate something .... It seems very weak. There is nothing on my property which isn't weeds or grass. There is no houseplants or anything which I recognize as poison. I don't spray poisons either. I noticed the goat hunting for, and eating dollar weed the first few days he came. It's a kind of clover I think.

When evaluating the area for possible poisons, the only thing which I can think of is the fence, which is made of pressure treated wood. I don't think the goat ate the fence. But could it have poisoned the ground? This fence is 2 years old.

Should I be considering culling this animal or should I wait another day or two and look for improvement? It's down, depressed, not eating or drinking, not defecating, last 3 times I checked him, his head was down (nose first), with the exception of the last time where it was up and watching a car pass on the road. I'm about to go out now, help him stand, and he will most likely urinate again as this has been the routine today.

Please help, my email is cruise@poppyseed.org please email me and i'll check this board. I have a digital camera if images will help.

Follow Ups:

Re: Very sick goat, not eating. Kelly 12:58:03 07/28/04 (4)
- Re: Very sick goat, not eating. David 13:59:39 07/28/04 (3)
  - Re: Very sick goat, not eating. Kelly 14:51:53 07/29/04 (2)
    - Re: Very sick goat, DEAD. David 08:05:51 07/30/04 (1)
      - Re: Very sick goat, DEAD. KELLY 00:25:41 07/31/04 (0)

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: Hello, : I am looking for help with a sick goat. I can't afford to take him to a vet. I suspect that it would cost less to cull this animal and buy another than it would to bring him to a vet. I don't want to see it suffer. : I bought my first goat last week and brought him home. He began to work on the front lawn which is why I bought him and after about 5 days he began to get sick. I called the farm where I bought him and brought the goat there yesterday and the guy gave him a shot of antibiotics. : There has been no improvement. The goat is down, he's not eating, he's not defecating. Once an hour I will go out and stand him up and he will urinate, but then immediatly wants to lie down. Yesterday he was silent but today he has begun to bleat softly as if he's got pain. : I noticed the day before this began that his poo was clumpy but still pelletized. Yesterday, he deficated several times. As his illness progressed his poo became more and more of a clump. At this point there is no pellets at all. Yesterday he was eating small ammounts, today he has not eaten at all. : My property has never had any animals on it before. I suspect the goat ate something .... It seems very weak. There is nothing on my property which isn't weeds or grass. There is no houseplants or anything which I recognize as poison. I don't spray poisons either. I noticed the goat hunting for, and eating dollar weed the first few days he came. It's a kind of clover I think. : When evaluating the area for possible poisons, the only thing which I can think of is the fence, which is made of pressure treated wood. I don't think the goat ate the fence. But could it have poisoned the ground? This fence is 2 years old. : Should I be considering culling this animal or should I wait another day or two and look for improvement? It's down, depressed, not eating or drinking, not defecating, last 3 times I checked him, his head was down (nose first), with the exception of the last time where it was up and watching a car pass on the road. I'm about to go out now, help him stand, and he will most likely urinate again as this has been the routine today. : Please help, my email is cruise@poppyseed.org please email me and i'll check this board. I have a digital camera if images will help. : :

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Goat Talk ] [ FAQ ]