Need help- sick goat kid?

[Kayla]

We bought a Nubian buck kid a week ago. He is just over 3 wks. of age now. I've had goats for years but no kids for the last 5 yrs and am rusty on my kid raising knowledge so could use some help.

Last night he sounded just a tiny bit raspy when he got his last feeding. This morning at 6 he sounded almost "gurgley" and after he ate he coughed a few times and kept shaking his head.

Temperature is exactly 104.

No nasal or ocular discharge, no diarrhea. He is peeing plenty and poop is normal.

Just gave him another feeding and can just barely hear the rasping now, there was no more coughing. I'm concerned about the rasping.

He looks great, standing normal with no hunching, eyes are bright and he is inquisitive and nibbling at everything he can get ahold of. He seems to feel fine, in fact is extremely active, racing through the house, leaping, doing high dives and bouncing off the walls.

Since we got him he will only take about 1 c. (goat) milk per feeding. He eats 5-6 times a day (no middle of the night feedings). This seems a little light to me but maybe my memory is faulty? He is definately gaining weight. We're using the Pritchard nipples and he doesn't seem to have any problem with it.

He's been in the house since we got him as our weather is nasty, 65 degrees one day and snowing the next, or freezing weather and terrible winds. He has a lot of room so gets quite a bit of exercise and also goes outside for exercise as weather permits.

Am I being overly concerned or could this little guy possibly be in the very early stages of pneumonia? I'd prefer not to pay the vet $150 to tell me he's fine, but I don't want to discover he's terribly sick in the middle of the night either or pay for a $1000 emergency vet call.

[Summerthyme]

I'm of two minds on this one:

First, are you certain he got adequate colostrum shortly after birth? That is THE main reason for problems in babies, and it's something which can show up (lack of immunity) for weeks or months afterward.

IIRC, 104° is marginally high for a goat kid... not exactly a "fever", but at least something to watch.

Is it possible he's just choking on the milk? A nipple that releases milk a little too fast can cause problems.

I'd probably just observe him and not treat with anything- yet. Between his behavior, and lack of any clear symptoms, I just don't see "sick goat" here. Even one just starting to get sick usually SHOWS it... droopy, etc.

One thing, though... you're really better off having him outdoors (in a draft free barn or shelter). You're describing weather the old timers (and farmers now) call "pneumonia weather".. because that "up and down" unstable weather seemed to "cause" pneumonia in livestock (and people). We know that it's not quite that simple, but it still does happen... almost certainly because of the stress.

Watch his temp, get him outside (even if you have to put a blanket on him on a chilly night or two) as soon as you can, and I suspect he'll be fine.

But.. if he starts showing any signs of "droopiness", or backs off on what he's eating, or if that temp goes up even half a degree... I'd say a course of penicillin would be called for.

Summerthyme

[Kayla]

Thanks, Summerthyme. It's 2 p.m. now and he still seems ok. Bouncing around like a wild goat and still eating. The raspiness seems to be improving.

The raspy-gurgley sound is similar to what you'd hear from a kid who's aspirated milk, which is what was worrying me. However, I don't know how that would have happened as he is quite a slow and mannerly eater. The nipple isn't letting out too much milk at one time either.

Something that just occurred to me - he was disbudded Thursday afternoon and of course did the usual screaming bloody murder...could he possibly have irritated his throat enough to cause a temporary raspiness?

The breeder I bought him from has a small herd of Nubians and has raised goats for many years. She starts all the kids out on colostrum. I spent quite a bit of time with her and am convinced her kids all get a good start. There were 7-8 kids from several days to 3 wks of age and all seemed very healthy and active. The reason we have our kid indoors is she was keeping the kids in a greenhouse. With the weather so awful (and ours being a lone kid) we figured the change from the greenhouse to a cold barn would be pretty drastic. He'll be moving out to our goat barn ASAP, as soon as the weather improves a bit. I'm not at all fond of goats indoors!

We'll keep a close eye on him for now and see what happens. I thought the temp was just a tiny bit high too but he sure doesn't act sick. Hopefully he'll continue to improve.

[momof23goats]

giver him a shot of bitamin b complex, 1 cc, 3x's a day, and a couiple of squirts of nutri drench for goats. see if that doesn't help. IF he is raspy, could from disbudding, maybe. you could always give gim an antibotic, but I would try the vitamins, and nutri drench first. IF no improvemnet, in a couple of hours, I would give him the pen g. most likely.
He should be taking much more than 1cc 5 x's daily. I have nubians, and at 3 weeks, mine are taking about 20 to 25 ounces 2x's a day. some thing is wrong for sure.
might want to have the vet check him out for sure.
i would say he's got upper respatory problems.
If you have any pen g. might want to give him a cc. until you can get the vet to take a look.

[Kayla]

Thanks. We have both on hand so I can do that.

He is drinking a cup (8 oz.) 5-6x a day. Which would be close to what yours are getting daily except he's getting it in multiple small feedings. He simply will not drink more than 1 cup or slightly more at a feeding. But in a few hours he's hungry again. No sign of cleft palate or anything so I don't know what the problem is.
Even when he goes all night with no bottle (6-7 hrs), he still only drinks a cup or so first thing in the morning, so I don't think letting him get hungrier between feedings would help.

At any rate, he is definately growing and gaining weight.

[Freeholder]

He might have gotten raspy from screaming, but it sounds more like a respiratory problem. Goats that have been moved are under stress, and sometimes need a round of antibiotics. Have you taken his temperature again? I'd keep a close eye on that. Also, put a spoonful of yogurt (live cultures) or kefir, if you have it, in his bottle once or twice, just to make sure he's got the necessary gut flora. I agree with momof23goats on the vitamin B shots -- that would be a very good idea. You should be able to get the Vit. B at the feed store; if they don't have it, see if your vet will let you buy some from him/her.

I also agree with Summerthyme on getting him back outside as soon as you can. I normally bring newborns in the house until they are dried off, then they go to the baby pen (in the garage right now, but it's not insulated or heated). As soon as they are old enough to avoid the adult goats, they go back to the main goat pen, usually around two or three weeks old. We have a lot of 'up and down' weather at this time of year, too -- was in the sixties the other day, snow today. But being out in the fresh air seems to be best for them, no matter what the weather is like.

He seems to be getting enough milk -- my standard-sized kids are getting about six cups of milk per day, each (and would like to have more!). They are three weeks old, and only getting two feedings now. You might need to cut a feeding to half, then cut it out entirely, in order to persuade him to drink more at a feeding. Do this until he's down to two or three feedings per day. It won't hurt him any to go on with the feeding regimen you have him on, but it will certainly be a lot more convenient for you to get the number of feedings down to a more reasonable number! He should be starting to nibble on good, fine hay, and also to nibble on grain (calf manna or calf starter pellets are good baby food), and will also need to have clean water available.

Kathleen

[Kayla]

Just wanted to thank you all again for your suggestions. They are all much appreciated. I've had a sick (human) kid the last couple days so have been busy caring for her.

The buckling seems to be doing fine, no more raspiness and no temp. I've been getting him outside as much as possible every day. He still only drank a cup per feeding even when we cut back on the amount every other feeding, so we're back to 5-6 one-cup feedings to make sure he gets enough to eat. It's a pretty strange eating pattern and takes a lot of my time, but he's growing and filling out nicely and absolutely bursting with energy. I'm hoping the weather mellows soon as I'm more than ready for him to go to the goat barn. I've been taking him out to get him acquainted with the goats - so far he's terrified of them.

[Animal Lover]

Glad he sounds like he is doing better Kayla. I can't stand to think our animals are sick and can't tell us where.