Major infectious causes of abortion in goats are chlamydiosis, toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, Coxiella burnetii, and listeriosis. Campylobacter causes abortions but is not nearly as important in does as in ewes.

Chlamydiosis (Enzootic Abortion) in Goats In naive herds, up to 60% of pregnant does can abort or give birth to stillborn or weak kids. Abortions can occur at any stage of pregnancy, but most are in the last month.

For those who haven’t hand-milked an animal before, it takes some practice. Unlike a cow, which has four teats, a goat has only two. To milk them, you usually use both hands — one per teat — and move your fingers in a specific way that coaxes the milk down and into the bucket.

Signs include stillbirths and late term abortion. Some aborted goats will have a retained placenta. Tetracycline is the drug of choice and may be used under veterinary supervision. The aborted placenta, fetus, and birth fluids should be buried or burned.

Three hundred and sixty goats, pregnant from an estimated 72 days to almost full-term, aborted between 30 and 50 hours after receiving 0.25 or 0.5ml c1oprostenol§ by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.

Weaning kid goats When kids are offered a good quality hay or pasture plus a creep feed, they can be weaned as early as 30 days of age, but it is better to wait until 6 to 8 weeks.

Holding a baby goat is simple, but you want to make sure that their legs are dangling so that they cannot use your body as a springboard to jump off of you! Hold them tight so they feel secure. They will know that you will not drop them, and will they will not fall from your arms, and they will then relax.

Floppy Kid Syndrome in goats is a new condition that was first reported in 1987 and affects primarily kids, or young goats in meat goat herds. Floppy Kid Syndrome causes extreme muscular weakness or paralysis in goat kids 3-10 days old.

Symptoms of Listeriosis include depression, loss of appetite, fever, lack of coordination, salivation, facial paralysis, and circling.

Enterotoxemia, also known as overeating or pulpy kidney disease, is a condition caused by Clostridium perfringens type D. These bacteria are normally found in the soil and as part of the normal microflora in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy sheep and goats.

Baking soda can be a useful addition to your goat’s diet. It can aid in digestion issues and help to prevent bloat, a sometimes deadly condition caused by overeating or eating the wrong food.

Rupture of the ventral abdominal muscles occasionally occurs following trauma or abdominal distension, resulting in abdominal swelling and dropping of the udder. Congestive cardiac failure can arise in goats from a number of causes including cardiotoxic plants and thymoma.

Treatment generally involves placing the calf in dorsal recumbency and inserting a needle or catheter into the abomasum to relieve the gas. Attempting to deflate the bloat in a standing calf is often unrewarding.

What to do about goat bloat. The best course of action is to call your veterinarian. Common traditional treatments include mineral oil to try to settle the foam, but your veterinarian will have much more effective surfactants that will decrease the foam and allow your goat to belch away the problem.

Treatment

1. Passing a stomach tube is the best treatment for gassy bloat.
2. In a few cases a trochar and cannula punched through the side into the rumen will relieve gassy bloat when a stomach tube has not worked.
3. For frothy bloat, antifoaming agents that disperse the foam should be given by stomach tube.

It is important that you stab the animal on the LEFT-HAND-SIDE, as the rumen is located in the left side of the abdomen. The landmarks for the bloat stab are one handwidth down from the transverse processses of the spine and one handwidth behind the last rib.

Visual signs of bloat in cattle include:

1. distension of the left side of the animal as the primary sign,
2. discomfort as indicated by stomping of feet or kicking at the belly,
3. labored breathing,
4. frequent urination and defecation, and.
5. sudden collapse.