| Author | Message | ||
     Maggie Leman New member Username: mleman Post Number: 44 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 72.154.75.17 Rating: N/A |
It is extremely unlikely it is CL and CL doesn't usually show up in young kids. | ||
| C Newlin New member Username: typicalgirl Post Number: 6 Registered: 09-2006 Posted From: 12.44.167.110  Rating: N/A |
An update on this kid - I caught him today and had a good look under his throat. Unfortunately, its not milk goiter. Its an abscess - golf ball sized, and right in the middle of it is a tick. I'm pretty squeamish about ticks, so I didn't pull it out. I put a drop of ivermectin on it and it should be dead soon. He seems fine. Eating well, growing, playing... I'm thinking I will put some drawing salve on it and see if I can get it to drain. I've only had one goat ever that had abscesses, years ago. She tested negative for CL, and I have a very small, closed herd to which I have not added a new animal in about 7 years. I'm in Ca, and one of my geldings just went through Pigeon Fever, but my reading says that CL is not the same organism as the one in PF, and they are species specific. Does this sound right? Is it possible that this is CL even with the evidence of the tick, and my closed herd? Is CL transmitted in ways other than infected tissue/pus? Thanks... | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 1591 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.215.105  Rating: N/A |
It could be either I suppose, but poor quality milk in any quantity would still equal poor growth. So she probably has very good butterfat and solids in her milk and makes plenty of it! Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| C Newlin New member Username: typicalgirl Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2006 Posted From: 12.44.167.110 Rating: N/A |
Thanks Maggie! I'll catch them up tomorrow and have a good poke around tomorrow. Hmmm - is there any correlation between milk goiter and the quality of a doe's milk? I mean, is this just an indication that the kids are well fed, or does it perhaps point to better milk quality? | ||
| Maggie Leman Moderator Username: maggieleman Post Number: 1590 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 71.111.215.105 Rating: N/A |
Milk goiter is pretty much a sign of a kid that is growing and being fed exceptionally well. I have had several pygmy kids with it, mostly well fod singles but a few twins that had it too. It is not a problem but actually a sign that things are almost too good. There is no treatment nor is any necessary. Milk goiter is a soft swelling, not hard like a real goiter or defined and hard like an abscess. The kid will look and act exceptionally healthy and should continue to grow very well. Do what you need to do (catrating, dehorning) when you need to do it. When you wean at the appropriate time it gradually goes away. If this swelling is slightly to one side or enlarges to the point of making breathing or swallowing difficult, it is not milk goiter but an abscess. Have a vet look at it and drain it if necessary. Fiascofarm.com has some very good pictures and a good article about milk goiter. Maggie Leman Goat 911 Capri Medic | ||
| C Newlin New member Username: typicalgirl Post Number: 4 Registered: 09-2006 Posted From: 12.44.167.110 Rating: N/A |
Hey folks... I had a first freshener (Nubian) kid 3 weeks ago tomorrow. She's young, but really a great little mother, and looks to have a really lovely udder  2 buck kids - 1 nice and robust, but the other was smaller and a little hard to start. He nursed fine, but got wet and cold and stopped nursing. I kept him in, warm and dry, the second night and gave him small amounts of Kayro to avoid hypoglycemia. After a couple days to recouperate, he was back with Mom and in no time caught up with his sibling as far as weight, activity etc. I noticed yesterday that he has a lump under his throat. I've had kids born with hypothyroidism before and this does not seem to fit that criteria (no buggy eyes, plenty of coat etc), so I Googled "Goat" and "Goiter" and found a condition called Milk Goiter. Seems pretty straight forward and appears to be what this little guy has, but I wanted to ask a couple of questions... Apparently iodine is not the way to treat it? In fact, I'm getting the impression that benign neglect may be the best medicine for this. Does that sound right? Can I go ahead and castrate and disbud when the time comes? Is there any reason to believe that those stresses might exacerbate the problem? Would he be helped by switching him to a milk replacer? Lastly, assuming this is indeed Milk Goiter, and that it should clear at about 4 months old, are there any signs of distress I should be aware of that would indicate I should have him seen by a vet? Thanks everyone! Learning something new today |