Can anyone Suggest a Diagnosis?

[drdoolittle]

I have a La Mancha wether that an aquaintance of my husband practically begged him to take. They were moving to town, and couldn't keep the goat, and everyone else interested in him just wanted him for butcher---he was raised with the family dog, and thinks he IS a dog. I agreed to take him (what's one more) and am regretting it. There is something wrong with him, and either the woman knew it, or didn't spend enough time with the goat to know----either way, it's complete ignorance. Well, enough background, on to the symptoms.

First thing I noticed was what appeared to be an abcessed tumor-looking lump on his chest between his front legs----now being treated with triple-antibiotic ointment and blue kote----starting to shrink in size and healing.

Second, is some waxy discharge from both ears----not a lot, not really smelly----treated with peroxide.

Third, is severe weight-loss----but he eats as well as the other goats, seems happy, although he is slow to get up in the morning until it is almost time to be given his feed, then he's right there. I did worm all goats in the fall and am going to again this weekend.

The strange thing is that other than those symptoms, the goat seems o.k.-----the weight-loss really bothers me though. There is no discharge from eyes or nose, no coughing or sneezing, no crying as if in pain. I was considering giving penicillin, thinking maybe he has an infection of some kind----but no fever. I don't really know the age of the goat, although I thought he was no more than 2----but maybe I just thought the woman implied that. She claimed he was her baby and that she raised him from a kid----if that's true, why didn't she know anything was wrong with him, when I noticed the lump w/in 10 min. of her leaving? Could this guy just be elderly? Or is he very, very sick?

None of my other goats have developed any symptoms of any kind since he came here, and are all very healthy.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I say worms.. I use either cydectin if not bred or safegaurd if pregnant or very young. Worms in goats have developed immunity to alot of wormers.

 

[CapricornFarm]

The lump is probably CL, and if it ruptures then your other goats can contract it. There is a blood test to confirm it if you are interested . Personally, I would get rid of him as he isn't going to contribute any good genes to your herd anyway and he seems to have a lot of issues. CL stays in the soil for years as well, waiting to show up and infect some other goat. Worms are a huge issue with goats and he may have several types if he is very skinny, or maybe they didn't feed him well. Good luck.

 

[Akane]

Could just be some neglect through ignorance. Has he been dewormed and do you know his exact age? It's pretty easy for some people to go from raising this cute little baby livestock to spending 2mins throwing it hay once a day and refilling the stock tank once a week but they still view the animal as that little baby they raised even though they never pay them any attention anymore. I see it a lot with horses that "suddenly" have become difficult to handle and the person has no idea why. When you really start questioning them it turns out that while they spent hours upon hours with them as foals or yearlings the horse is now 10 years old and they haven't so much as brushed it in 5 years. They still see it exactly the same as they did 8 years ago though. People get busy and since our lifespans are so much longer sometimes we just don't realize how much time has gone by and how it's been spent.

 

[Skyesrocket]

Without seeing the goat it's hard to say what is going on. I'm not sure how much experience you have had with goats. If this seems oversimplified it's because I usually start by looking at the basics.
He is a dairy goat so he won't have a filled in look unless he is overweight. You can't compare body weight to that of a meat goat.
Older goats can have a callous on their chests from laying on the ground. Could that have been what your talking about?
I have Lamanchas and they do get the ear wax. As long as it isn't foul smelling it's normal. I just pick it out with my finger if I notice it.
If he has had a lot of recent weightloss then it is time to consider worming. Pull his bottom eye lid down and check the color. If it is pink then he isn't wormy. If it's white then worm him. Another thing to watch for is if the other goats are chasing him off of the food.
Good Luck with him. I love my Lamanchas!

 

[drdoolittle]

I have asked my hubby to find out exactly how old the goat is the next time he sees the woman. I don't think they gave him a lot of attention once he got big. I have the feeling he was probably an impulse purchase, and they had no clue about proper care.

I have had several pygmy goats over the years, and got lots of care info. from a couple of friends of mine----both who have years of experience raising goats and other livestock BEFORE getting my first goats. I did worm this guy along with my other 5 goats this past fall----I am glad I posted here before buying any more wormer for their worming this weekend.

Yes, Skyesrocket, it is possible that the lump could have started from where his chest touches the ground when he is lying down------I just can't believe that once it got infected she didn't treat it. No, the pygmies and NDs don't ever chase him away from the food-----he seems to have top ranking in my small herd, but is not a bully. He and my lowest ranking goat (my tiny little pygmy doe, Adia), have seemed to have formed a close bond with each other.

Hot2Pot, I originally thought it could be CL too, but it would probably be too late to prevent my goats from contracting it. I'm not planning on getting rid of the La Mancha, Max, as my small herd is just here to be pets. I don't breed, and don't plan on breeding any of my 3 does, and the 3 boys are all wethers. 2 of my pygmy does I purchased from a breeder for pretty cheap as they had both had single-kid pregnancies that resulted in C-sections and neither kid survived. My third pygmy doe is very, very tiny, and I would never breed her.

Thanks again for all the input, it has made me feel better. I will definately worm everyone, and hopefully will see a litlle improvement. Just wondering, what would be a decent weight for a La Mancha?

 

[lockedhearts]

I have LaManchas. My Whether has a lump on the back of his neck, it is where he sticks his head through the fence . The waxy discharge, as I have learned is normal for them, my whether has it, my doe does not, so it is kind of like some people produce more ear wax than others. I would definitely worm him and give him his shots, since it is likely that he has not had those either. Both of mine are really sweet and loving, albeit, they are goats and get in to everything when I let them out