VETERINARIANS AND GOATS
What do you need to look for when hiring a veterinarian? Well, the first thing is to establish their experience with treating goats. There has been rise in goat keeping of late basically for their meat and milk production. However, the number of goat herds kept commercially is far lower than farmers keeping cattle, in the main.
If you are unable to locate a veterinarian with experience in handling and treating goats, choose one that has the desire and enthusiasm plus willingness to learn more about goats. It is very important to choose your veterinarian wisely. This person is the most important person for the health care of your goats after yourself, or the goat keeper.
Another thing to keep in mind is how well you get along with the person. The veterinarian will be the person you turn to in the worst times. They will be the ones you call in the middle of the night, when there is an emergency, so it is best to get someone, who you can work with positively.
Veterinarians should provide advice and guidance and offer preventative health care. In addition, they should be contacted regularly for general and herd health care needs for your goats, so they become familiar with the species and temperament of your goats.
Goat Veterinarians may be involved with your goats from even before purchase, in order to provide you with the advice you need to make the right choices and by doing breed quality tests, to validate the good health of the proposed new goats. This is essential when you are planning to introduce new goats to your existing herd, to prevent unwanted diseases from entering onto your farm.
In terms of preventative health, the vet will also advise you on everything from vaccination, de-worming programs, and to daily nutrition. They should be aware of the diseases that are affecting goats in your area and if there are common dietary deficiencies relating area grazing practices.
If you are planning on breeding your animals, consult the vet in advance, so you know what to do and what to expect. The vet should attend to the producing goats roughly 24 hours after kidding, to make sure that everything is alright with both the mothers and new born kids.
If your goats do develop a disease or any infection of whatsoever, the veterinarian will play a key role in diagnosing and treating the condition, as well as advising on farm management to prevent further issues. The vet begins with a thorough physical examination, checking for signs like fever, swelling, or discharge, and may take samples for lab tests to identify the pathogen. Depending on the infection, they prescribe antibiotics, antifungals, or antivirals, and may recommend supportive care like fluids or pain relief. On the farm, the veterinarian advises on maintaining proper hygiene, such as cleaning and disinfecting pens, troughs, and equipment, to reduce the spread of infection. They also stress the importance of good nutrition, parasite control, and regular hoof trimming. If needed, the vet might suggest isolating infected animals to prevent outbreaks. In more severe cases, they may perform minor surgeries, like draining abscesses or treating foot rot. They’ll also monitor the goat’s progress, provide follow-up care, and educate the farm owner on biosecurity practices to protect the entire herd.
GOAT CARE
- Physiology of Goats
The typical lifespan of a goat is approximately 12 to 14 years. However, most sanctuary animals come from abusive factory farm conditions and, consequently, may have more health problems and shorter life spans.
Mature female goats (“does”) of the larger breeds (including Alpine, Nubian, Saanen, and LaMancha) generally weigh between 45kgs and 70kgs . Mature male goats (“bucks” if uncastrated, and “withers” if castrated) of the same breeds generally weigh between 65kgs and 100kgs. Females and males of smaller breeds local Mubende goats in Uganda weight between 20kgs and 45kgs. Normal body temperature for goats is 38.4°C to 39.3°C.
- Nutritional Needs of Goats
Water. Clean, fresh water must always be available to your goats. Use heavy containers to prevent spilling. Although expensive, an automatic watering system can be a good investment because it greatly reduces water waste. Such systems are especially helpful during the winter in areas where temperatures drop below freezing.
Minerals. Essential to daily nutrition, minerals should always be available to your goat. Goat minerals come in multiple forms, including loose minerals and mineral blocks. If you are keeping sheep and goats together, make sure that the minerals you use are formulated for both species because sheep cannot tolerate copper. Goats, however, do need cooper and can have many health problems without it, so goats kept with sheep should receive a supplement.
Feed. As ruminants (animals with stomachs that have four chambers), goats rely mainly on hay or pasture to fulfill their dietary needs. They need at least eight hours of grazing time per day.
The best pastures include clovers and mixed grasses. When using only pasture for roughage, be careful not to overgraze. The best system for grazing is to use two or more pastures and rotate as needed. This method not only allows unused pastures to regenerate, but it also cuts down on parasite problems. Before giving your goat’s access to a pasture, be sure to remove all plants that are poisonous to them. Contact your County Agricultural Extension agent for a complete listing of poisonous plants in your area. Never put goats on a very rich clover or alfalfa pasture that is wet with rain or dew because this can cause bloat. If adequate pasture is not available, feed your goat grass-type hay such as timothy. Alfalfa hay is very high in calcium and protein and should be used only for sick, pregnant or debilitated animals. To locate a source of hay in your area, check with your area Agricultural Extension agent for a listing of hay/straw auctions or look in the farming section of your local paper. Because hay is less expensive per bale when purchased in large quantities, building some type of hay storage structure or loft can be well worth the investment if you have more than a few goats.
Goats are born browsers and actually seem to prefer eating leaves, weeds, briars, and other plants to grazing only on grasses. Make sure you have a full list of plants that are toxic to goats because they are numerous. Many ornamental plants, such as rhododendron, can be fatal to goats. Because grain is very high in fat and causes kidney and bladder stones in goats, especially wethers, we discourage feeding it regularly to healthy goats. It may, however, be used to supplement hay or pasture for goats with dental issues or other ailments that cause unhealthy weight loss. When feeding grain to wethers, use a grain that contains ammonium chloride to help prevent stones from forming. Monitor all goats for obesity, which is very unhealthy for them. Older goats can easily gain too much weight on even small amounts of feed or hay.
- Handling Goats
When working with goats, be very calm and gentle in your approach. Goats are nervous by nature and will spook easily if you yell or handle them roughly.
When handling your goats, use a rope halter (available at farm supply stores or through catalogs). If your goats have horns, these can also be held to control them, although some goats do not like this. It is best to have a second person to assist you. Handling your goat too roughly will cause him to struggle more, so the best amount of restraint is just enough to keep him still.
- Shelter Requirements for Goats
Building. For goat housing, we recommend the use of a pole barn, not a shed. We also recommend dirt floors over wood ones, which can be slippery and therefore put goats at risk of torn ligaments and joint damage. Allow at least 25 square feet per goat, and be sure the shelter has good ventilation and no direct drafts. Always provide your goats with plenty of clean, dry straw for bedding. Remove damp and soiled straw daily, replacing it with fresh straw. Lightly spreading hydrated lime on any wet areas will help control moisture and prevent the spread of bacteria.
Fencing. In addition to adequate shelter, goats need a fenced-in outdoor area. The ideal fencing to use for goats is 4-foot-high, woven wire, “no climb” horse fencing, available at farm supply stores. High tensile electric fencing can also be used, especially if you are housing cattle and goats together. Field fencing, which has large, square openings, puts goats, especially those with horns, at risk of getting their heads caught. Regularly walk along your fence line to check for holes dug under the fencing by predators.
Tethering. Tethering your goats (putting them on a long leash) is not recommended as it can be stressful for them. Tethering is also very dangerous because a goat can accidentally hang himself on a tether.
Pasture. We recommend one acre of land for every two goats, although the amount of pasture necessary varies according to the quantity of hay the goats are fed. For warm weather, the fenced area must have plenty of shade. Erect fences around any shade trees you want to keep because goats are great landscapers and will destroy unprotected trees.
- Health Care for Goats
Maintenance. Goats are relatively easy to take care of, and sanitary housing, good quality pasture, nutritious food, and plenty of sunshine will greatly help to reduce health problems.
Goats need to have their hooves trimmed every four to six weeks. This is very important because neglect of hooves can lead to lameness and infection. Hoof trimming is a simple procedure that your veterinarian can teach you. Hoof trimmers are available through farm supply stores or catalogs.
During your daily contact with your goats, always be on the lookout for any physical or behavioral changes. Symptoms indicating illness include loss of appetite, limping, listlessness, labored breathing, diarrhea, discharge from the eyes or nose, and abnormal body temperature. If any of these symptoms occur, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Vaccines. Make sure your goats are vaccinated for rabies, tetanus, and clostridium
(CTD). The rabies vaccine can be hard on goats, therefore the other vaccinations should be given at least one month before or after the rabies vaccine.
- Common Health Issues of Goats
Upper Respiratory Infections. A respiratory infection is any infection that affects the goat’s breathing apparatus, including the nose, trachea/windpipe, bronchi, and lungs.
Symptoms include nasal discharge, excessive coughing or sneezing, loss of appetite, and increased body temperature. If any of these symptoms occurs, consult with your veterinarian immediately.
