Expert: Goatlady - 9/5/2008

Question
my Neighbor and I live in Virginia, Gate city .   has  a few goats left I noticed he started out with 17 and now is down to 4 some kind of parasite is killing them I know it they get really sick and have really bad diarrhea and with in a a day its two late. I know he warms them and gives them a shot of warmer  I think what ever stuff he bought just don't work and that stuff is expensive  he asked me if knew of any think he could do I told him I would check the internet what would you recommend  us get my number  is 4233672918  cell home is 2763866608  thanks and god bless

Answer
Hi Shawn,
Sounds to me like  he is either dealing with coccidiosis or  bad wormload - A veterinary fecal exam really needs to be done to see exactly what he is dealing with.

This is my article on worms- read through it  and look at the details of how to check for anemia- photos are included in the article-
http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=46

As you can see I prefer Ivomec PLUS because  it not only gets the gastro intestinal worms but the liver flukes as well that regular Ivomec does not get-

Coccidiosis is medicated differently than worms-

Part of my article on coccidiosis:

Treating Coccidiosis!
Deworming will not treat coccidiosis! Let me restate this
DEWORMING WILL NOT TREAT COCCIDIOSIS!
Treating coccidiosis is always oral and always with a product called a coccidiostat, usually called a "sulfa drug" by goat owners. There are a few out there from which to choose: Sulmet (Sulfamethazine Sodium 12.5%), Di-Methox (Sulfadimethoxine) 12.5% Drinking Water Solution by AgriLabs, or Albon Liquid (Sulfadimethoxine 12.5%)(Which has recently been discontinued due to marketing - not that anything was wrong with the product itself)

NOTE:Do NOT, DO NOT use Corid, even though it says that it is used for cocci
CoRid is a thiamine (Vitamin B 1) inhibitor. Thiamine in the goat's system is essential for keeping the goat in good health, using Corid will undo anything you are attempting to do in getting your goat healthy!

Treating coccidiosis is a 5 day process
1st day: 6 tablespoons (3 fl oz) for each 100 lb body weight
providing approximately 112.5 mg/lb (247.5 mg/kg) body weight.
2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th days: 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 fl oz) for each 100 lb body weight,
providing approximately 56.25 mg/lb (123.75 mg/kg)body weight.
NOTE:1 TBSP (tablespoon) equals 15ccs or 15mls, so when you draw this up into a syringe you can figure this easily
Even though this is a "drinking water solution"- adding it to the water as opposed to using this directly from the bottle undiluted- you cannot gauge how much each animal is getting- do Please - use this directly from the bottle undiluted in the amounts stated above (adjust as needed per your goats approximate weight) so you are sure of the amount your goat has ingested.

In addition to treating the coccidia, you will also need to treat the gut for inflammation and try to stop the scouring without the use of anti-diarrheal medications.
To stop inflammation in the gut:
Over-the-counter people medication, Tagamet 200 can be given to your goats:
For kids the dosage is one half of a Tagamet 200 tablet daily for 5 consecutive days.
For Adult goats, use one Tagamet 200 tablet daily.
Pills and tablets can be crushed in 2 spoons and a very small amount of water added from a dripping faucet to wet the dry powder and then give this on the spoon orally to the goat. OR an Unbroken pill can be hidden in a rolled up piece of bread and allow the goat to eat it- Make sure the pill doesn't get spitted out. Also, a small amount of Pepto-Bismol given orally may also be used to coat the lining of the stomach reducing gut irritation.
To stop watery scouring:
By far the best (although a vet prescription is required) is called TMP-SDZ
Generic Name
Trimethoprim/Sulfadiazine
Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole

read the entire article here:
http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=155


medications used to treat cocci:
http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=146&Itemid=30
http://goat-link.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=147&Itemid=30

In addition to deworming or treating for cocci- B12 vitamin is helpful in helping the body produce more red blood cells. Vitamin B Plus or Fortified Vitamin B injectable is needed and can be found at most feed stores. I use 1cc/25lbs in severe cases - injected Subq daily-

I wish you would have found me before he lost so many goats- I am SO very sorry for the losses- how devastating!

I hope this can save the last 4 goats- Again I am very sorry..
goatlady
Goat-Link.com