By Dr. E. A. B. Oltenacu Revised April 1999 by Dr. Tatiana Stanton Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 The feeds that are fed to goats can be broken up into two different groups. Basically, these two groups are roughages and concentrates. Roughages are high in fiber (18% crude fiber or more). Fiber adds bulk to the goat’s diet and [...]
Tooth fractured below the gum line. About a year ago our hospital began taking dental radiographs. So some folks ask me, Why do this in our pets? Even with bad teeth they don't act like their mouths hurt? It just adds to the overall cost of the dental doesn't it? All [...]
It's the holidays and with that always comes an influx of new puppies and kittens. Puppies and kittens, like all baby animals including humans, need a series of vaccinations that will prevent them from getting major diseases. In puppies we are most worried about distemper and parvo which can be deadly. In kittens we [...]
How many of you out there have ever heard of Coccidia? Well in the goat world I guess I should ask who hasn’t? That’s right, every one of us knows that Coccidia is a problem in our kids. But, do we all understand the why and what of Coccidia? That is what I am [...]
It approximates the nutrients in colostrum, but without the antibodies. It makes a good first meal for kids that have no colostrum source. A good rule-of-thumb is one to two ounces of colostrum for every pound of body weight during the kid's first twelve (12) hours of life. - 1 pint milk - 1 [...]
Q fever infection in our livestock may be way more common than we have previously considered. This disease can cause serious problems in humans. Read the links below to find out more about this zoonotic disease. Q Fever and Animals Q Fever fact sheet Coxiella burnetii in Bulk Tank Milk Samples, United States link to [...]
Currently, there are no non-chemical dewormers (including herbs and diatomaceous earth) which have been shown to be effective at controlling worms in livestock. There are three families of drugs which are used to treat internal parasites in goats: 1.Benzimidazoles-Fenbendazole, Albendazole, Oxybendazole, Thiabendazole 2.Nicotinics - Levamisole, Pyrantel, Moratel 3.MacrolyticLactones-“avermectins” Ivermectin, Doramectin, Moxidectin The Benzimidazoles (Safeguard®, Panacur®, [...]
In the 7th grade my son did his science project comparing herbal dewormers for goats to chemical dewormers. The reason he did this project was because intestinal worms are a huge problem for goats and the worms have a very good ability to become resistant to our chemical dewormers. Dewormer resistance is when the drug [...]
Let's look at the lower eyelid color! It should be really pink or red. The Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control has developed a system of choosing which animals are in need of deworming. This system, FAMACHA, aids in preventing parasite resistance to our dewormers.Information on this page was taken from their website [...]
Goats need the abiltiy to get minerals free choice. Even though a fed mix is said to be for goats, it is rare that they eat enough to get all of the minerals they need. Feeding free choice minerals in a block or loose form allows the goats to get the minerals they [...]