[angie]

Hi has anyone got any ideas on natural remedies that I could use to help relieve the  coughing my goats
Have?

 They don't have an infection, vet thinks it is either asthma type cough or they have copd.
Both the vet and I are loathe to use steroids, which would be a very last option to use.

Angie

[Anke]

Please rule out lungworm - it is definitely an autumn thing…


My goats would not be too pleased with wet hay…and you risk it going mouldy very quickly.

[angie]

Thank you for your ret
Scarlet Dragon, they won't eat damp hay, very fussy, I was thinking about getting some hay nets and hang them up to catch the wind, considering using olbus oil,

Anke  Last year they tested positive for lung worm, unfortunately the type of worm is muellerius, been informed by the vet that there isn't a wormer that will eradicate the larval stage of development,they can also burrow into the allveoli and stay there for a long time. Used eprinex but not effective. Goat veterinary society recommend panomec given three times at three week intervals, we have now had two all clear results so keeping fingers crossed. Trouble is two of the adults and five kids have now got coughs when exercising or stressed. They have had ADE vitamins which helped for a few weeks, but now coughing again. Also tried metacam repeated every four days for two weeks but had no effect. The vet has said steroids may help but risk them becoming vulnerable to the lung worm again.
The vet has done a lot of research into lung worm lifecycle, treatment and recommendations about when to retest.
We now have ducks which we put in the small paddock we have fenced off a few hours before we let the goats out. Until all the rain last year wasn't a problem in the area. We can't let them out into the big field at the moment to browse in case they become reinfected.
This particular worm can live in a snail for up to two years.

Angie




Which is why I am looking into alternatives.

[Rupert the bear]

Home made steamer,
plastic dustbin with lid, wallpaper steamer , the type with a flexy hose to steam pad.
make a hole in bottom of dust bin suitable for steam hose. fit hose , fill steamer with water .
hay in bin ,fit lid, dont worry there isnt a seal so bin wont pressurize and steam will still escape.
Steam hay.... 15 ish mins  keep eye on water level in steamer !
when done turn off , wait a couple of mins & remove lid , voila steamed hay ! Oh did I mention put hay in a net first !!

[Anke]

I think you are probably dealing with long-term damage as a result of lungworm. Good quality haylage will be nearly dust-free.

[angie]

Thank you all for your helpful comments.

Won't use haylage/silage as we don't have enough goats to use it up in time and very wary of using it in case of listeriosis.

Like the idea of the homemade steamer, might give that a try.

Yes Anke I think this is unfortunately due to damage to the airways, was looking for ideas on the possibility of relieving the coughing for them.

Again thank you for all your input

Angie