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Author Topic: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin  (Read 4974 times)

Minimilton

  • Joined Aug 2017
Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« on: August 11, 2017, 11:12:44 am »
Hi i'm a newbie here. I have a very large 8 year old goat. He has free access to 10 acres of hilly land with a large variety of natural forage. He had been losing weight and I thought it was his horns pressing against his temple slowing his eating. I was feeding him sheep mix, alfalfa chop and beetpulp to try keep his weight up while I figured out how to remove part of his horn without sawing his face off.

I eventually managed to get the horn trimmed and I was expecting his apetite to pick up but it has actually declined and he wont eat mix, beetpulp or alfalfa at all and he is gravely thin.
He is wormed with panacur and after speaking to my vet I dosed him with tribex incase it was liver fluke. My vet said that as we have ticked off the worm or liver fluke boxes, we just wait to see does he survive/die.

He is still mobile but clearly less energy than before. The only things he will eat with any enthuasiasm are carrots, apples and celery, and he manages to trot over to me when he sees them. I am afraid to give him too many of those in case they give him bloat so i hand feed them to him a couple of times a day.
He has a field buddy the same age and breed as him who is very healthy looking so I would think its not just old age decline.

Any suggestiobs on how to perk him up? I dont know how he is still standing with such  poor body condition

Minimilton

  • Joined Aug 2017
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 02:16:20 pm »
Thank you for the reply.  I have him 8 years, since he was a few weeks old (unwanted male kids from a dairy herd) castrated when I got them. Toggenburg x saanen. I'm in the Dublin mountains in Ireland. They havent been exposed to other goats since I got them. There are deer that come into the field from time to time.

The 10 acres he is on is mainly grass but also shrub, gorse, bracken etc. I have horses also so ragworth removal always up to date. So as far as I know the only thing he could be eating that is not good for him is bracken, but he doesnt tend to hang out up higher on the hill in the brackeny areas.

He has access to a goat mineral lick, I had been giving him my horse coarse mix and alfalfa but when he went off that I went and bought the sheep mix in the hope he would eat it. (I thought alfalfa would be the best option to give him because of more protein, but I do have straw chops I can try him on - eitherway he hasnt been eating the alfalfa)

My vet is an equine and bovine specialist with a good bit of experience in sheep too. He readily admits to having little experience with goats as so few people have them, but honestly I dont know of any specialist goat vets in my county or the neighbouring counties. I havent had bloods done or a worm fecal count done (mainly because my vet hadnt suggested it)

Definitely not heat stroke/sun stoke in Ireland! and he has access to a goat house for shelter and fresh water. Monitoring the fresh water intake is a problem as I have streams and automatic drinkers dotted around the 10 acres. so to restrict that I would have to isolate him in a very small paddock with short grass. I'm reluctant to do that as he will nibble on the longer grasses out on the hill.

The weight loss has been gradual. He is a poor dooer from time to time, but usually if I see him drop weight he has a good appetite normally and would hoover up whatever feed I gave to him and the problem was fixed.

I havent checked his teeth but I assume (possibly incorrectly!) that if he can munch on carrots no problem then there cant be that much wrong with his teeth.

I have willow and ivy in another field that I can try him on if you think it can help. He's definitely not getting bullied by his pal, he is the alpha goat and still manages to be alpha despite feeling so poorly.

I must check out to see can he pee ok! I hadnt noticed or thought to check.
I do have tumeric (again for the horses!) so I must see will he try some of that. With black pepper I assume.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply


clydesdaleclopper

  • Joined Aug 2009
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2017, 07:35:43 pm »
I would try a probiotic and some combivit to stimulate his appetite.
Our holding has Anglo Nubian and British Toggenburg goats, Gotland sheep, Franconian Geese, Blue Swedish ducks, a whole load of mongrel hens and two semi-feral children.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2017, 09:57:26 pm »
I hope he picks up soon.

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2017, 01:27:35 am »
My thought was teeth, he may be able to chew but what is his bite like  front teeth and pad.

Minimilton

  • Joined Aug 2017
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2017, 07:46:11 pm »
Hi, i've been half afraid to update. I'm ashamed to admit he is missing teeth. 3 front ones. I'm not sure how I hadnt noticed before.

I would feed him beet pulp and soaked grass or alfalfa nuts if he would eat them but his poor appetite means he is turning his nose up at most things (and i've tried to tempt him with pretty much everything at this stage). He started picking at hay and dengie healthy tummy over the past few days (which has probiotics in it) but really he's probably only consuming less than 10% of what i'd like to see him eat.

I've had to separate him from the other goat who is getting very fat on all his leftovers. Is it time to call it a day with this goat? I dont want to give up on him too easily, but I also dont want to watch him slowly starve to death  :'(

Penninehillbilly

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • West Yorks
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2017, 10:26:28 pm »
If you have a lawn mower try him with small handfuls of cut grass.
Obviously not if it's had anything on it, and a little at a time, only fresh so it doesnt heat up or sour.

Melmarsh

  • Joined May 2014
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #7 on: August 15, 2017, 11:19:16 pm »
Hi ! Does he eat the bracken ?? I always understood it to be carcinogenic !?!?  The other thing I would add to previous replies that goes with the FEC recommendation is if you used panacur to work at what rate ?? Back in the 80s when I started with goats panacur was not working even at double and treble sheep doses and I've never used it since , most Wormer's should be used at higher doses for goats as your vet should know if he is knowledgeable about goats. Hope he feels better soon.

Backinwellies

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Llandeilo Carmarthenshire
    • Nantygroes
    • Facebook
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2017, 07:31:35 am »
I would do FEC go check if wormer worked......... Am surprised vet didn't suggest this ..... Also surprised vet didn't mention teeth!   
Linda

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Melmarsh

  • Joined May 2014
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2017, 01:38:55 pm »
Any news ?? How is he ??

Minimilton

  • Joined Aug 2017
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #10 on: August 24, 2017, 11:31:03 am »
Update on my poorly goat.
I sent off a poo sample for worm count. Liver fluke plus rumen which requires 2 different testing methods (so I was told)
Getting the poo sample was virtually impossible at this stage as his poos were so tiny and getting lost in his straw bed.
Anyway those came back all clear.

I twice booked in the vet to put him to sleep as he looked literally hours away from death. Then he would start nibbling again and I would cancel the vet to give him another few days to see can he pull through.

I gave him rumen probiotics and a vitamin mineral booster which I had to forceably put down his thoat as he wouldnt eat anything. I rugged him up as he was shivering and I'd say his body condition couldnt get any less and I didnt want him wasting precious energy.

I have been searching hedgerows to find tasty leaves to feed him and beech and ivy has tempted him, he has started eating those and nibbling longer grass too (he seems to be able to get decent mouthfuls of grass despite his missing teeth). He then got up enough energy to go browsing himself for short periods (there were a few days where he didnt leave his house at all or eat at all)

So where we are at now is he is still very very poorly but now eating again (in very small quantities) and able to venture out of his house for short periods. I'm none the wiser about what is wrong with him. Perhaps he did have a very bad worm burden prior to me dosing him and he's just trying to pull through and recover. Fingers crossed the old boy continues to eat and get some strength back! So now i'm still at the will I/wont I get him PTS
« Last Edit: August 24, 2017, 11:32:52 am by Minimilton »

Melmarsh

  • Joined May 2014
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #11 on: August 24, 2017, 09:15:24 pm »
Good news then although he's obviously not 100% by a long chalk. Ivy , goat willow and other brows as you have been doing. Don't know what you give him to eat and drink but warm water with a bit of molasses might get him to drink , if his droppings were that small he's probably dehydrated as well.  Try any moist fruit , most goats like bananas , skin as well , grapes , peaches etc Good luck with him , when he stops trying then you should .

Minimilton

  • Joined Aug 2017
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #12 on: September 06, 2017, 09:14:23 pm »
A sad update. I have booked the vet to come tomorrow and have him put to sleep. He's just not improving and he looks miserable. I keep hoping he'll start to improve properly but he doesnt and the weeks are just going by where his quality of life just looks like a struggle.
He'll pick up one or two days and I get hope, then he has another set back.

Aside from dreading getting him PTS, it'll leave his buddy all alone that he was bottle reared with. I have no other goats and my horses can be pretty mean to him so that would be a risk. I'm getting sheep in a few weeks but I cant speed up that process until I get an inspection for a flock number. So I have a rough few weeks ahead with the remaining grieving goat!

Dogwalker

  • Joined Nov 2011
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #13 on: September 08, 2017, 06:37:28 am »
 :hug: :bouquet:

A tough decision, I hope the next few weeks aren't too difficult.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Mature goat loss of apetite and very thin
« Reply #14 on: September 10, 2017, 11:16:10 pm »
So sorry. It sounds like you made the right decision, hard though it is.  :hug:

 

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