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(Editor's Note: As we reopen a jazzed up Braveheartfarms website, we will also start carrying new features to help our fellow goat raisers. This section will feature tips from fellow goat raisers based on their experiences in the farm that they would like to share with us. With the permission of Dr. Fred C. Homeyer, known in the American goat breeders circle as "The Rabbit Twister", we will start printing starting this week some of his articles on goat health management and tips on how to handle our goats' diseases. Dr. Homeyer is not actually a veterinarian but a holder of a PhD in computer science but his years of involvement with goat raising and his researches have made him one of the most knowledgeable persons in goat health and herd management. He is one of the resource speakers in the 2008 Philippine Goat Raisers Congress July 23 to 25 at the Davao Convention Center in Davao City.)
Tips on Goat Health
MEDICAL TIPS FOR GOAT RAISERS
By Dr. Fred C. Homeyer
Antelope Creek Boers, San Angelo, Texas
Email Address: fred.homeyer@angelo.edu
Anyone who has raised goats for any length of time has had a sick goat. When we have a sick goat our primary concern is doing whatever is necessary to get the goat well as soon as possible. Most of us can't take our animals to the vet every time they get a runny nose, therefore, unless we happen to be extremely wealthy,we must learn to doctor our sick animals when they come down with minor health problems.
The following goat medicine tips were developed from positive experiences with my goats during the past three years. If you have some effective procedures that you would like to share and add to this list, please let me know. You should also be aware that I am not a vet and that I am not advocating that you use any of the techniques that I am going to describe below. This article is simply the documentation of my experiences with my goats. Some of these things may not work with your animals. The last thing tht I would recommend before relating my experience is that you should always consult your vet.
This week's topic: Deworming
I use injectable IVOMEC. The directions specify to use 1cc per 100 pounds but I use 1.5cc for nannies and 2cc for larger billies.
I draw up the IVOMEC in a syringe and then remove the needle and shoot the liquid on the goat's tongue. You could also inject the liquid intramuscularly if you want.Every other time that I worm my goats, I use a colored drench rather than a clear drench.
If I have more than a few goats to worm, I use IVOMEC sheep drench instead of the injectable type and I use a standard drench gun to administer the drench in their mouth.
I am careful not to injure the goat's mouth when inserting the drench gun.
Being from dry West Texas, I normally drench my goats twice a year. If I lived in a wetter climate, I would have to drench more often. Collecting a fecal sample and taking it to your vet for analysis will determine when you need to worm your goats.
The type of parasites present in the fecal sample may also determine which drench to use.
I would contact my vet before using IVOMEC since it is not labeled for use on goats. There are parts of the world where goats are becoming resistant to various worming drenches. Some efforts have even been made to try to develop moreworm-resistant goats through selective breeding.
(Braveheart Farms experience: We also use IVOMEC but we inject it. After the first deworming, we follow it up after 15 days. We alternately use IVOMEC with Albendazole which is administered orally. We deworm every 45 to 60 days. This continuing deworming cycle is important especially when the goats are in the grazing fields in the Philippines and other Asian countries where the grounds are often wet following the rain.
Warning: Do not ever attempt to deworm a pregnant doe as it would cause a miscarriage or even death if the kid inside the womb is so big that the mother could no longer flush it out. Deworming of the does should be done prior to mating. If you are not sure whether a doe is pregnant or not, stay on the safe side - do not deworm.
Also, never attempt to administer IVOMEC on young goats simultaneously with other injectables, vitamins or anti-biotics. It could kill the kids.
For those who would like to stay organic, you could try betel nut.)
