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(Editor's Note: In our previous installment, Dr. Homeyer discussed about deworming our goats. In this 2nd installment, Dr. Homeyer will talk about his experiences with scouring (pagtatae in Pilipino). This is a very serious problem especially among kids. Following Dr. Homeyer's recommendations, Braveheart Farms will also share our experience with scouring and how we were able to address it. We would like to clarify again that Dr. Homeyer is not a veterinarian but a holder of a doctorate degree in computer science. His long involvement with goat raising, however, has made him one of the known experts in goat health management in the US today.)
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
2ND INSTALLMENT
SCOURING (PAGTATAE)
I initially give the goat 5cc of Probiosis (go to Hoegger's Goat Supply.com to know more about this) if it is an adult goat and 1 cc of Spectam (Spectinomycin) for young kids.
Watch your kids closely as e. coli (a disease of the gut) can kill a kid very quickly. If the color of the scours is green, it may be caused by overeating on new feed or feed that is too high in protein.
In the case of kid goats that are still nursing or on a bottle, I would suspect e. coli and I would give them Spectam immediately. If this does not clear the situation up in two days, I would contact my vet.
For adult goats, if the scours does not clear up after giving probiosis, I will give from 5 to 10cc of pepto-bismol drawn up in a syringe and shot into the goat's mouth with the needle removed from the syringe.
If the condition continues in an adult goat for more than 4 to 5 days, I will contact my vet. There are products such as Baytril which your vet may prescribe for extreme cases of scours. Baytril has been banned by the FDA for use in animals that are to be used for meat.
If the scours look bloody, either red or perhaps dark like dried blood, I would suspect coccidiosis and would contact my vet immediately. Products like Corid may be helpful in dealing with coccidiosis but your vet will advise you on this. I isolate any goat with coccidiosis from the rest of the herd to prevent its spread through the herd.
Coccidiosis can normally be prevented by feeding specially formulated rations that contain a coccidiostat such as rumensin or decox. I also make sure that the special ration contains ammonium chloride to prevent urinary calculi (water belly) in the male goats.
(Braveheart Farms Experience: Scouring or pagtatae is the most common and pestering problem among Filipino goat farmers. For goats that are grazed in the open fields, scouring could be caused by allowing the goats to graze on wet grass early in the morning.
The first rule then is: do not allow your tethered goats (nakataling kambing) to graze on wet grass early in the morning or right after the rains. Make sure that you bring them out to the field when the sun is high and the grasses are dry.
Second, make sure you deworm. A soft manure could be an indication of the presence of intestinal worms in the goats.(Please refer to Dr. Homeyer's 1st installment.)
For penned goats (nakakulong na kambing) which are dependent on feeds, make sure that you do not change your feeds abruptly. Just like human beings, the goats' (or any other animal for that matter) digestive system is disrupted by any abrupt changes in the kind of food that they take in.
If scouring still occurs in spite of these precautions, try Neomycin Oral solution and Bio-Mycin 200 injectable. Just follow the instructions for application printed in the label. This combination has proven to be very effective for us, especially in addressing scouring among young goats.
The medicines recommended by Dr. Homeyer such as Corid, Baytril, Spectam and Decox (especially for prevention) have also proven to be effective.)
