Shivering Buckling this morning

[dlamb82]

Hello! I’m looking for a few goat experts. I am fairly new to goats and just started my herd this summer. I have 2 Bucklings (both will be 1 year old in Jan/Feb) 2 doelings (both will be 1 year old in May) and 2 wethers (both will be 1 year old in April). We had a really bad situation with worms several months ago with 1 wether and 1 Buckling. Everyone has worms (as I understand is common) but 2 were really bad. Every one was wormed and follow up deworming 21 days later. My 1 Buckling took much longer to recouperate and still isn’t 100% but is definitely on the up and up. His winter coat is not as thick as everyone else’s and I know this could be because he’s been dealing with worms. I am hoping this is the reason I saw him shivering this morning when I went out to feed everyone as it was the first really cold night we’ve had (it got down to around 34 degrees and we had frost this morning). He has access to hay, minerals and baking soda at all times along with water. Any thoughts or advice? My husband wants to Get a goat coat for him?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Is he really thin? Have you checked his mucous membranes for color, usually you pull down the bottom eyelid to see the color around them to see if they are anemic. You can check gum color too, but the eye is more accurate.

I have had goats die from worm overload. There are so many that feed on goats, lung worms, barberpole are one of the worse, liver flukes, roundworms, tapeworms, I could go on.

Sometimes they get too far behind to ever catch back up after a bad worm infestation. Have you given any b vitamins? They can help a goat build up red blood cells.

Also sometimes the worms cause so much damage to the intestinal walls that they can't process food properly.

I don't generally recommend a coat because it can interfere with a goat building up a good coat, and with their ability to regulate their body temperature. If he's very thin you may have no choice.

If he isn't too thin he may just need to acclimate to lower temperatures. Sometimes my goats shiver after a temperature drop until they get used to the new lower temperatures.

Do you have a vet that could possibly see him if he doesn't improve?

 

[dlamb82]

Is he really thin? Have you checked his mucous membranes for color, usually you pull down the bottom eyelid to see the color around them to see if they are anemic. You can check gum color too, but the eye is more accurate.

I have had goats die from worm overload. There are so many that feed on goats, lung worms, barberpole are one of the worse, liver flukes, roundworms, tapeworms, I could go on.

Sometimes they get too far behind to ever catch back up after a bad worm infestation. Have you given any b vitamins? They can help a goat build up red blood cells.

Also sometimes the worms cause so much damage to the intestinal walls that they can't process food properly.

I don't generally recommend a coat because it can interfere with a goat building up a good coat, and with their ability to regulate their body temperature. If he's very thin you may have no choice.

If he isn't too thin he may just need to acclimate to lower temperatures. Sometimes my goats shiver after a temperature drop until they get used to the new lower temperatures.

Do you have a vet that could possibly see him if he doesn't improve?

We have vet that has been treating him. He was very thin but has put on weight since treatment started. He has had antibiotic shots twice and also Vitamin B shots twice. Additionally I have been doing probios mixed with his feed and he’s on a 16% protein feed ralong with some sunflower seeds mixed in. We just bought some oats to mix in as well to help boost His weight as well. He has had 3 fecals over the past 2 months and his worm load was coming down. I am also treating with Geritol daily to help with his anemia to build his system back up. Everything has been at the vets recommendation. I am supposed to schedule another vet check up in about a week for another goat so they’ll check on Fabio as well. He has minerals and baking safe available at all times free choice, hay as well and we let them out of their pen to graze in the yard since they don’t have any grass left alive in their pen.....

 

[dlamb82]

We have vet that has been treating him. He was very thin but has put on weight since treatment started. He has had antibiotic shots twice and also Vitamin B shots twice. Additionally I have been doing probios mixed with his feed and he’s on a 16% protein feed ralong with some sunflower seeds mixed in. We just bought some oats to mix in as well to help boost His weight as well. He has had 3 fecals over the past 2 months and his worm load was coming down. I am also treating with Geritol daily to help with his anemia to build his system back up. Everything has been at the vets recommendation. I am supposed to schedule another vet check up in about a week for another goat so they’ll check on Fabio as well. He has minerals and baking safe available at all times free choice, hay as well and we let them out of their pen to graze in the yard since they don’t have any grass left alive in their pen.....

Sooooo many typos. I think you can figure out most of what I was saying...but to clarify he has baking Soda available

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What type of shelter do they have? You are lucky to have a vet that sees and understands goats.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If housing is good, I probably would wait a week or so and see if the shivering continues. I generally see it stop after a few days as they acclimate. Shivering is the bodies way of warming itself up.

 

[cassie]

The shivering may be a sign of anemia. Anemia is usually caused by worms. It wouldn't hurt to have a fecal run to make sure the wormer that was used is working. Also, keep an eye out for pneumonia.

 

[dlamb82]

If housing is good, I probably would wait a week or so and see if the shivering continues. I generally see it stop after a few days as they acclimate. Shivering is the bodies way of warming itself up.

The housing for the bucklings is a 4 sided structure we built out of pallets. We went and bought plywood today and and started lining the inside walls to help it stay warmer and tomorrow we are going to build a door for the opening on the front side. The floor is just ground but they have hay in the ground from their feeder which I have spread around for added warmth. He was not shivering later in the day, just early this morning when we were feeding

 

[dlamb82]

The shivering may be a sign of anemia. Anemia is usually caused by worms. It wouldn't hurt to have a fecal run to make sure the wormer that was used is working. Also, keep an eye out for pneumonia.

He was anemic, hence the vitamin B injections he’s had and then the geritol
Supplementing. All of them were showing signs of anemia as the inner bottom eyelid is pale...They were all
Worked again a week ago on the 27th of October and I am starting them all back up on the geritol. The vet said to get a fecal next week as I brought her one on the 23rd of October and his worm load had gone down significantly. I am new to goats and they came from different areas and states so I don’t really know if it’s something from what one of them brought or what was on the ground on my property

 

[chickens really]

Get straw for the shelter. It's hollow and holds in body heat unlike hay. Hay is only feed.