HELP FOR SICK OR INJURED GOATS

When you request help for a sick or injured goat, this is what I am going to ask you when I respond to your first email, post, or phone call. You will get help much quicker if you are prepared to provide this information.

Your full name and location (city/state/country). Your phone number and time zone, along with timeframe *not* to call. I tend to pick up the phone, dial, and then look at the time. If you are outside the United States, I likely cannot call you unless we can Skype.

Age, sex, breed, weight of goat.

If goat is a doe, is she pregnant, and if so, when is she due to kid? If she is nursing kids, how many, how old, and what is the male to female sex ratio of the litter? Any problems during pregnancy, delivery, or lactation? Has she recently weaned kids, and if so, when?

If goat is a buck, has he recently been castrated or disbudded/dehorned? Has he recently been or is he currently breeding does, and if so, how many and for how long?

If goat is a kid, is it nursing its dam, and if so, where is it in the pecking order of siblings? Where is its dam in the pecking order of does in the herd? Was it a difficult birth? Did the kid get sufficient colostrum? Has the kid recently been weaned? Is the kid a bottle baby, and if so, what are you feeding it, how much, and how often? What is the bottle baby's age and weight?

Is the goat new to your farm? Was it born there? Did it come from an auction or from a private farm? If so, what distance did it have to travel to get to your farm?

When was the goat last dewormed, with what product, at what dosage, and how administered? Have you done fecals, and if so, when? What vaccinations have been given and when?

What is the goat eating/being fed? I need specific nutritional details.

Have you changed your feeding regimen recently, including grains, pasture, and hay, and if so, how?

Recent changes in weather conditions, including rain, temperature, wind, etc.

Recent changes in herd's membership: Have you added new members or moved goats from herd to herd that would change the pecking order?

How many goats are in the pen/pasture with the goat when it became ill? What is the size (acreage or dimensions) of this pen/pasture?

Description of symptoms and when they began. What do you think might be the problem and why do you think that?

What is the goat's rectal temperature? Is it eating/drinking/peeing/pooping normally, and if not, what is different?

What medication, if any, has been given to the goat, and why? Include veterinary visits and details of treatments given and medications prescribed. If you didn't ask the vet what he was doing and why, call and find out. You paid for it. You need to know what was done and why.

What medications, both prescription and over the counter, do you have on hand?

Do you live on the property where the goat lives, and if not, how far away and how often do you visit?

As you can see, there is much information I want about your operation before you ever tell me about the sick goat's problems. This information is crucial to helping you figure out what is wrong with the goat and attempt to help it. I've learned that about 95% of the people who contact me about sick goats are wrong in their diagnosis of the problem -- including those who've gone to a vet with the goat.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 4/2/17

The author, Suzanne Gasparotto, hereby grants to local goat publications and club newsletters, permission to reprint articles published on the Onion Creek Ranch website under these conditions: THE ARTICLE MUST BE REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY AND THE AUTHOR'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE REPRINT. We would appreciate notification from any clubs or publications when the articles are used. (A copy of the newsletter or publication would also be a welcome addition to our growing library of goat related information!)

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