Goats and bloat, help?

[abluechipstock]

are they truly bloated or just have that pot belly, if they are eating and drinking they wouldn't be bloated, when my does come in from browzing they are humungus, the nexy morning they are small again, if they are chewing cud they wouldn't be bloated either, they might just be as you say pigs

 

[Chatychick]

Are you sure its Bloat? Before treating with oil I would make sure thats what your treating and not a healthy rumin. Mine love to go browse and when they come in they are so stuffed they dont want their evening grain. I always keep Bloat Release on hand just in case. You can tell when its bloat as they dont want to eat or drink anything. And they just lay around in pain. The left side will swell first and they will act like they are in pain also.
I dont use oil unless I have to and when you do you need to give them someting to restore the good flora bacteria in the rumin that the oil kills, like probios or steal anothers cud...not easy to do either. Sounds like to me they have a healthy rumin and why most dont feed bucks and wethers is that some grain can cause Urinary Calculi..or UC and you have to treat it. My boys get oats and alfalfa pellets and all the hay they want to eat.

 

[OHMYCHICKIES]

not sure this morning I went out and the stomach was soft and mushy. Yesterday it was tight and hard but sounded like a drum.

 

[cmjust0]

If it's mushy today, there's no bloat. The thing to watch out for now is 'overeating disease,' which is basically caused by a bloom of clostridium perferingens bacteria. If your goats are current on their CD&T, you're probably fine.

For reference, the c. perf bacteria are normal to a goat's gut, but if the digestive system stalls out, levels may (not shall -- may) grow out of control to the point that they begin producing harmful levels of toxin. The toxin strips the lining of the intestines and your goat will have a case of bloody squirts.

Again, I doubt you'll see overeating disease, but if you do, run (don't walk) to tractor supply and pick up a bottle of C&D *antitoxin*. Not toxoid, mind you -- ANTITOXIN. The antitoxin will clear the system of bacteria's harmful toxin, but it's short acting. It needs to be administered frequently.

Some people give the antitoxin as a 'just in case' measure after any signs of bloat, but it's expensive.

For what it's worth, I bloated a couple of kids by mixing heavy cream with their milk once (...duh...), but about a half a bottle of pepto got'em moving again. They had the squirts for a little while after that, but no blood and they seemed to feel OK.. No occurance of overeating disease that time.. They settled out in a day or two and all was well.

Best of luck!

 

[mekasmom]

Almost all goats will eat grain like they are starving. It's candy to them. Always give hay first, then just a little grain.
If they bloat, you walk them and bounce their belly to get them burping. I had a pregnant doe that we were out walking and bouncing when it was -4 last January. She burped a dozen or more times, farted like goats do, and came through fine. She had gotten into the grain in the bins when my child failed to close the door.

 

[goatlove94]

I have a question.my baby goat is 2weeks an hes really bloated i just gave him a shot how long after the shot do i know if hes getting better?

 

[cassie]

I have a question.my baby goat is 2weeks an hes really bloated i just gave him a shot how long after the shot do i know if hes getting better?

Give him a tablet of GasX NOW!! GasX is the most effective thing I have found for bloat and I have tried them all. What kind of a shot did you give him? Was it clostridium perfingens antitoxin I hope? Entero is a very common cause of bloat in goats and that includes young kids. Some kids fed on replacer will bloat suddenly and without warning. If that is the case, GasX, available at the grocery store, will fix it.

 

[celtic red]

I am so glad people like you all are out here to help, much of the time starting something new is so much like walking around in the pitch black!