For New Goat Owners

The most important tip is to check your goats as often as you can - ideally at least twice per day. If something seems off, check them out more closely, usually starting with a temperature. Have as many supplies and medications on hand as you can. It’s better to have something rarely needed than to be in an emergent situation and not be able to properly treat the animal.

I also love this video from UC Davis demonstrating body condition scoring for goats. This is an incredibly useful tool for assessing and maintaining healthy goats. 

1. Nuflor, Draxxin (vet script antibiotics)
2. IV fluids and IV tubing (vet script)
3. Respiratory Vaccines (I use Once PMH INH for bacterial and Inforce 3 INH for viral or Nasalgen 3 INH for both)
4. Livestock Ketone Meter & Test Strips
5. Excenel or Excede (vet script antibiotic)
​6. Hibiclens scrub
7. Drench/dosing syringe with metal tip (I have both 60 mL and 30 mL)
​8. Bovi Sera
​9. Replamin Plus gel
10. Paste Gun
11. Calf Bolus Gun
12. Copper Bolus (2g & 4g)
13. BoSe (vet script Selenium and Vit E supplement)
14. Meloxicam

Please note that we are not veterinarians. We have posted charts and information based on evidence-based research as well as our own experiences for some of the most common ailments and questions regarding raising goats. Please find a vet who will treat goats and will use the latest supported data to treat them and establish a valid client relationship with them BEFORE you have a problem. It is always best to have a qualified and goat-savvy veterinarian involved in treatment and prevention of illness or issues. Reactions or failure to respond to treatment are always possible and we are not responsible for any results.

We give almost all injections SQ on our farm with the exception of hormones and the VIMCO vaccine, which we give IM, usually in the neck.

I’m a big fan of natural management for prevention of parasite overloads, and when I say “natural” I don’t necessarily mean homeopathic - I’m talking about utilizing nutritional management (feeding them enough and the right ration, especially hay and minerals), avoiding overstocking when possible, watching animals closely using the five point check and intervening before they go down, and copper bolusing and dry lotting if necessary.

 Current best practice indicates that we should not deworm on a schedule as worm resistance is becoming a huge issue. If dealing with barber poles, it’s especially important to be aggressive. Don’t forget to treat the anemia.

Here we don’t usually have serious worm issues, but when we do need to deworm we select the goats that are thin, pale, have high worm loads, etc. and only deworm those or leave a refugia of worms not exposed to the dewormer. It is best practice to collect a fecal before deworming, but if a goat is rapidly looking condition and becoming anemic due to parasites, time is of the essence so in my opinion it is better to go ahead and deworm and treat aggressively in those situations. You can still collect a fecal at the same time so that you can compare the eggs per gram (make sure a McMaster’s slide is used for suspected strongyles such as barberpole!) before treatment and ten layers later to evaluate the dewormer efficacy, but I would not delay deworming and treating the anemia when the case is more urgent. 

On occasion a heavy worm load can cause enteritis. If this occurs and scouring is not relieved after deworming, we will also treat with Spectoguard (giving a dose daily for three days past symptoms stopping). Please consult with your veterinarian if you are experiencing issues with your herd.

If a goat goes down from parasites, we recommend the down goat recipe, feeding the goat whatever it likes to eat, aggressively treating the worms and anemia, giving cud transfers from a healthy goat, probiotics, giving SQ fluids if the goat is drinking enough, and consulting a vet for consideration of a blood transfusion and IV fluids. Be sure to keep the goat sternal (on its chest) and prop it up if necessary.

Living in wetlands, we raise our kids on coccidiosis prevention until they are well grown (usually until around 50 lbs for us). We personally use calf pro drenched to each kid daily (1 mL per 10-11 pounds) or  dimethox 40% 1 ml per 15 lbs, but others have success with calf pro mixed in the milk. As always natural prevention is also still important - keeping feeders clean, avoiding feeding on the ground, keeping young kids separate if bottle/lambar raising, etc. 

Find out why the goat is down (don’t forget to check temperature as it needs to be over 100* before feeding the goat especially kids) and treat the cause. This recipe helps with recovery as additionally does cud transfer, probiotics, and SQ and/or IV fluids - be sure to consult your vet.

Respiratory illness, including pneumonia, can present in a variety of ways. This can include being off feed, fever, low temp, lethargy, fast or labored breathing, and even propping themselves up on their front legs to breathe in very serious cases. 

Some illnesses are viral and can only be treating with supportive care. Bacterial illnesses require appropriate antibiotics which may need consultation with a vet. We keep LA 200, draxxin, nuflor, and excenel on hand among others. Banamine can help with fever and inflammation, and sometimes dexamethasone may be indicated when a goat’s lungs need a serious boost. Keep in mind that prolonged use of steroids and anti-inflammatories are not recommended together due to the possibility of gastric ulcers, and steroids can cause abortions in pregnant goats. However, a seriously ill goat may abort anyway and if you lose the dam, you will also lose the kids.

Additional supportive care may be needed, including vitamin B complex for rumen function, down goat recipe, vet Rx to open the nostrils, ulcerguard, cud transfers, and whatever yummy treats will keep them eating. 

In serious cases, admission to a 24/7 veterinary hospital such as a university may be indicated for further support such as oxygen and breathing treatments.