Safeguard Dewormer for Goats - One time thing? Or 5 days in a row?

[hysop]

I have two Nigerian Dwarf kids that I think are having hay belly. They just randomly got a big belly within the last 2 or 3 days. I've never wormed them before. They were born October 21st so they're already 5 to 6 weeks.

I bought Safeguard Dewormer for Goats. I am thinking of just following the instructions on the bottle as far as dosage. My question is more as to how many times do I administer this dosage?

Is it a one time thing or 5 days in a row like with chickens or one time thing then again 10 days later?

Thank you for all your help. I will keep doing research in the meantime.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have never wormed a goat that young. I would do a fecal before worming personally.

When you worm goats it's generally once unless they have a heavy parasite load, generally confirmed by a fecal, or by checking the mucus membranes. If necessary you can worm them again anywhere from a week to four weeks later.

With goats it's best to only worm when necessary as to avoid parasites becoming immune to the wormers through overuse.

 

[hysop]

I have never wormed a goat that young. I would do a fecal before worming personally.

When you worm goats it's generally once unless they have a heavy parasite load, generally confirmed by a fecal, or by checking the mucus membranes. If necessary you can worm them again anywhere from a week to four weeks later.

With goats it's best to only worm when necessary as to avoid parasites becoming immune to the wormers through overuse.

Thanks. I’ll inspect them better tomorrow and see if it’s them just growing or if it is what the internet describes as hay belly.

They still drink from the mama so I would think they get antibodies from the milk and worms shouldn’t be an issue. I’m just being overcautious probably.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They are at the age when the rumen begins to develop more, especially if they are now eating hay. A bigger belly in a ruminant isn't the same as a big belly in something like a puppy. Goats when wormy, will get a rough coat, and they become thin in the back, and pale. They also may cough more.

 

[hysop]

Their stomachs look perfectly normal today. I don’t know if it was the lighting that made them look fat last night. So I do not think they have worms. They’re evenly filled out and running and jumping off things.

Blurry picture but here is one of the twin kids and they both look the same. Healthy I just took the pic two mins ago. He already jumped off and we closed the hood.

Thank you again for the replies. I guess I was just freaking out for no reason.

Spoiler: Kid Twin 1 on Tractor

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

With goats if you see a big belly than check for bloat first. They have sensitive digestive tracts. If they have access to grain that could cause problems. So limit grains, and offer baking soda free choice which can help keep the rumen from getting too acidic.

Very cute kid.

 

[hysop]

With goats if you see a big belly than check for bloat first. They have sensitive digestive tracts. If they have access to grain that could cause problems. So limit grains, and offer baking soda free choice which can help keep the rumen from getting too acidic.

Very cute kid.

my husband gives them sweet feed as a treat not as a primary food source, their main food is grass and/or hay. And it’s mostly for the adults but of course the kids eat some too. I’ll start providing some Baking Soda just in case.

But I will check for bloat next time before jumping to conclusions on worms.