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     Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 1081 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.47  Rating: N/A |
The more often you deworm the faster the worms build up resistance. Try backing off now to every 3 months or so. Orally ivermectin will do some good against external lice but not much. I still use a pour on delicer with permethrin. This works with just one application lasting long enough to kill any hatching nits for 3 to 4 weeks. If relying on a bath you will need to bathe at least once a week with a flea shampoo for at least 3 weeks. But I do know how boys do need baths! As the testosterone leaves their system they will become less stinky. I found my best defense against worms, respiratory disease, poor hair coat and other maladies has been proper mineral supplementation. Do not use a feed or mineral labeled for sheep and goats. These do not have enough copper to properly support a strong immune system. I use a loose mineral (goats do much better with a loose mineral than a block) with 900 to 1800 ppm copper and 3000 to 5000 ppm zinc along with other minerals in balance. Alot of feed stores and even vets are still unaware that goats need copper much more than sheep do. For a long time it was thought that goats were "hairy sheep"... Moving them to a separate pen for deworming will not decrease a build up of worm eggs in your regular paddock. The adult worms that are passed during worming are not particularly infective. It is the eggs being passed into the feces by adult worms living in the gut between dewormings that infect the goat. These eggs hatch very quickly when they are out of the goat and the larva crawl up blades of grass (or out onto hay feeders, into hay, onto feed bowls, etc.) Only rotating paddocks regularly and not returning to a paddock for 6 months to a year truly decreases the worm infestation. Eggs can lay dormant that long and larva can be amazingly hardy. Safeguard is pretty much useless unless givien at 4 to 5 times the cattle or horse dose for 5 consecutive days. Even at this dose it no longer works in my herd and hasn't for years. Give the penicillin twice a day. Please join us at Goatworld. If you think you are addicted now just wait.... And since you have boys please go to the Articles page and read up on Urinary Calculi. Male goats are very prone to bladder stones and the condition is most often fatal. A proper diet is VITAL to preventing this condition. Feel free to call or email me privately I have been raising goats for 16 years, I have a herd of over 70 registered pygmies in NC. Where are you? Can you post or email me pictures of your boys? Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 206.246.74.57 Rating: N/A |
Thank you for your suggestions and support. After my initial posting here, I (finally) found a decent vet who will work on goats and make a farm call. Plus, they were kind enough to allow me to make payment arrangements in advance... thank goodness! So, the vet was out in the evening. He redressed the horn sites properly - they were infected - and gave them something for pain and fever. This morning they were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed waiting by the feed trough. Thanks again for the info. I have been using Ivermectin paste for horses at a dosage for about 100 lbs every 2 weeks and Safegaurd monthly. The wormy-poos have decreased markedly. And I move them to a temporary paddock for deworming to help stop reinfestation. They are getting 1 cc of penicillin once daily, they weigh approx 25 lbs each. I should give it twice daily? Also, I was told the Ivermectin would leach through the skin to rid them of lice if they have any. Is this not the case? If not, I will wait for the wounds to heal then give them a good bath, they certainly need one anyway. I will get some Redcell for them and I have some bute I can give for pain. I know it's pretty wacky but I never knew how sweet goats are. They are wonderful little animals with great little personalities. After my horse and my dog, goats are now my next favorite! Thanks again for the help. This is a great site and I seriously considering joining. Ginny | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 1080 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.216.47 Rating: N/A |
You can pull the gauze redress the wounds and cover them again. Otherwise flies will lay eggs in them. Give the penicillin at 1 cc per 20 pounds twice a day. Perhaps you aren't giving enough. You can give Liquid Children's Motrin at 1 cc per 10 pounds every 6 hours for pain and fever control. They likely were considerably older than 3 to 5 months with horns that long. Maybe 6 to 8 months maybe even older. Normal temp for goats is 101.5 to 104. Are they really running a fever? Dehorning and castration at this age is very painful. They may really perk up with some pain relief. If you dewormed with Safeguard or Panancur you may have killed some worms but not enough. These two dewormers (they are actually the same active ingredient) do not work in most areas of the US. Look at the lower inner eyelid for color, it should be very bright rosy or salmon pink. If it is pale or white these goats are still heavily infested with worms. Try deworming with Ivermectin Injectable for Cattle, give 1 cc per 25 pounds orally as a drench for 3 days repeat in 2 weeks. Ivermectin is quite safe be sure to give enough. Check for lice and use a delicing pouron if needed. You can give Redcell for Horses (use half the horse dose), Geritol or Goat Nutridrench once or twice a day for 2 to 3 weeks to help rebuild the red blood cells. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| Kim Miller New member Username: radioflyer Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 148.78.245.12 Rating: N/A |
I'm just getting started with goats but if they were mine, I would get some probiotics, NutriDrench and B complex into them ASAP, to start. I don't know about re-dressing the horn area but I think I would but I don't know what you should use on it except maybe peroxide and some kind of triple antibiotic ointment. (don't let the peroxide run down in their eyes). If you can't afford to continue the care they need, I would either have them put down or maybe give them to someone that can handle the financial end of it. I'm sorry you're having such a bad experience with this. I sure hope some others will reply! | ||
| Ginny Lance (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 206.246.74.37 Rating: N/A |
I rescued 3 billys in very poor condition. They are the first goats I've ever had. I don't know their ages but I would guess 3 - 5 months, looks like just weaned, stuffed into a dog crate and taken to auction. Starved, dehydrated, heavy worm infestation, not castrated, and with horns three to four inches long. After one week of Naxcel and 8 weeks of serious de-worming, I had them castrated and horns sawed off. I used the "discount" vet... as big a mistake as rescuing goats. The smallest one did not survive. Now, four days later, the remaining two are running fevers, eating some but still loosing weight even though they are on Penicillin. The horn sites are packed with gauze. I was told by the discount vet not to change it yet but it looks infected. I can't get a good look at the castration sites so I don't know how bad that really looks. Obviously, I have no confidence in this vet. Aside from the lesson learned about the great deal I got at the auction and the ethical correctness of saving these little guys, I have other bills to be paid and cannot continue to pour money into them. Any and all advice and suggestions are appreciated. Ginny |