New Pygmy Buckling Lethargic

[Willow2009]

So we are extremely new to keeping goats and I have no idea what to do at the moment .

We picked up two three month old pygmy bucklings on Saturday . So far they've been doing very well , active , eating and drinking well , urinating and pooping normal (nothing runny or off, just proper dark little balls) . They are staying at my dads , twenty minutes away from where we live , so technically they are his goats but I'm doing a lot of the care . When we came by today to check on them and do some things around the yard I noticed one of the bucklings was acting a little off . He just seemed kind of lethargic . We were there about an hour and he was drinking and eating , got up a few times but for the most part he was just laying around which isn't typical of him . He just looks depressed and sluggish . His brother is acting like his usual self . I talked to my father and he said they were both fine this morning . Apparently he's still acting a bit lazy but is eating and drinking still .

What could cause the lethargy ? I obviously can't monitor him myself as closely as I'd like but I have my father watching him closely .


I was planning on deworming them tomorrow , should I still ?

 

[misfitfarm]

Yes worm them! Give him a bit of molasses and oil mixture. Is it nasty looking yep sure is but it will give him a boost of energy. Make sure that the change in diet isn't too extreme you will have to watch for bloat. Put out baking soda for him to eat, they will usually regulate their stomachs pretty well. Just a couple of Tablespoons of the molasses mixture should help. They love it

What was he eating before that has changed?

 

[Willow2009]

Thanks for the reply .

Just an update on his condition . We went back to check on him and he has really perked up . He's walking around more now and was playing with his brother but he's still a bit sluggish compared to his usual self . His gums and eye lids are a nice healthy looking pink colour , I checked them earlier and they seemed a bit pale but they've really pinked up . He is still eating and drinking , no diarrhea from what I can tell . Now my main concern is he has a fever , 104.9 . No discharge from the nose , no coughing not at all weezy .
Not sure how to proceed . I can't go back till morning to check on him . If his temp is still up (fingers crossed it's gone done on it's own) , I'll give him some asprin . Should I grab some vit b ?

No goat vets in the area so I'm likely just going to have to treat him myself .


I was going to worm with Invermectin .

Edited to add :

They have free access to baking soda .

They are on the same brand of goat food that they were from their previous home but the hay is different . They also have free access to the grass and weeds in their pen , nothing toxic . They are around the chickens but it's unlikely they could have gotten into their food as I have it pretty secure .

 

[misfitfarm]

Quote:
Mine eat the chicken food!

Its hard to stop them when they live together. How hot is it where you are? If there is a horse vet you should be able to call and get some ideas. I have never given my goats aspirin so I can't comment on that one "sorry" Worm them worm them worm them . You cannot and I mean cannot overworm a goat

Remember to switch up the wormer every six months or so. I worm mine every 60 days.

 

[HorsebackandHappy]

Lots of things from very simple to very very bad can cause a baby to feel bad. Worming him was good. If he is feeling better, then he probably had an upset tummy, maybe a little acidosis.

Have they had their CDT shots yet? They need an initial shot, and then a booster 1 month later.

3-4 months of age is prime time for Coccidiosis as well. You should get a fecal done for this parasite. Normal wormers do not kill cocci, a sulfa drug like sulfadiamethoxine is best. It is typical, but not always the case, for them to have diahrea when they have an overload of cocci though. And believe me, when a goat has diahrea, you know it!

Also, you need to worm 3 times 10 days apart to kill everything on worms.