One of my son's little wethers has been acting odd over the last couple days-not wanting to graze, and we noticed yesterday that his right side was all distended (like his rumen on the left), and that he seemed to be straining like he wanted to poo..although he seemed to be pooing fine. Called the vet yesterday and it's urinary calculi (water belly). This particular goat is our "little pig" who pushes the other one away from the feed bunk so he can scarf up all the grain. Anyway, the vet tried to "dislodge" the stones from the end of his penis but didn't seem to have any luck. He told us to watch him all afternoon, and call him in the evening. By 7 the little guy had just really gone downhill, so we loaded him up and ran him over to the vet's office so he could do surgery. He ended up making an incision and shortened his penis and fed its "out the back" (just under its rectum) and sutured it in place so the goat now urinates more like a female. I'm convinced the little guy wouldn't have made it through the night. He's doing a lot better today and it peeing like crazy. His belly on the right side has gone down a lot and is almost back to normal. The vet says we have to separate them when they are fed their grain. That was a close one. I feel bad because I should have watched him closer or something, but he went downhill so fast! Anyone else had to deal with this before?
Almost lost a goat last night to water belly.
never, so sorry you went through all that! thanks for all the details, i will watch mine. we recently put them toegther and i noticed hte oldest is a little pig herself... so, this is a bulge on the right side, is it on the back in front of the hip bone? i know to watch the left sid ethere for bloat...
we have quite a few experienced goat people lurking around here somewhere or other, looking forward to learning more about this.
tf
TF, it was terrible! I can't believe how fast he started to decline. The goat was bloated on both sides, left and right. It looked like it was smuggling two bowling balls on either side of its belly. Apparently water belly (or urinary calculi) is most likely to affect wethers because their penis' are not fully developed after castration. Minerals in the urine crystallize and can block the urethra (kind of like kidney stones). The urine can back up and cause kidney damage, and can even cause the bladder to rupture which is fatal.
From what the vet said, too much grain can cause urinary calculi, and it's the most common cause-VERY rarely it can be caused by enormous amounts of hard mineral deposits in water.
Ours was a typical overfeeding of grain. We put out enough for both goats, but one was consuming most, if not all of it.
The little guy is doing much better tonight. He's alert, and stronger. He's eating and drinking, and his right side bulge has gone WAY down. His backside where all the cutting took place is an absolute mess and it makes you cringe just looking at it, but it will heal in time. I just wish I had known more about it ahead of time, and I would have separated them when they get their grain rations right from the get go. I THINK he's going to be all right, barring any infection or complications. Poor little baby.
well, just to be sure i fed mine separately tonight... wonder what could prevent htis... trace mienrals or probiotics in their water?
I don't know about the goat, but for bladder and kidney problems, there is an herb called "uva ursi" that is great. I take it all the time because lupus can cause some serious kidney problems.
Glad the little goat is feeling better.
Watching my chickens eat, I have had similar thoughts about who is getting what, as far as nutrition goes. The strong dominant ones are right there on top of the food eating everything they can, while some are just wandering around the yard not participating in the squabble. Doesn't seem very fair.
Karen
I guess it's very similar to the condition that male cats get. It can kill them within 24 hours. There again, it is caused by minerals in the urine crystallizing. Because their uretha is so tiny, they can't pass the crystals, causing backup in the kidneys and rapidly deteriorating. Females don't get this in cats, and may not get it in female goats. Of course, not having goats, I don't really know. But, just a thought.
GG
I lost a neutered male cat to it years ago, Granny. It was so upsetting. By the time you notice them straining it is almost too late. I had a female cat with the same problem, but they can still "dribble" enough to prevent kidney damage. It is usually caused by feeding dry catfood--although they have special formulas that are safe.
I was reading that whethers are prone to that condition because the penis doesn't fully form after castration, so it's smaller and it's easier for stones to lodge in the "S" curve inside. Their feed and lack of fresh clean water have been known to lead to increased stone production, but sometimes it probably happens anyway.
This message was edited Jun 25, 2008 11:46 AM
There is a great goat web site at http://fiascofarm.com/goats/stones.htm This link goes directly to their page on stones. That's the term it's normally called. You should add Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) to your wether's diet since he (and bucks) are more prone to stones. Does can get them too but it's usually less serious for them.
btw the people who run this page also sell herbal medications that can be used on goats. Be careful when treating your goats with herbs because they don't all act on the goats as they would on you.
MollyD
Catscan, mine was "dribbling" which is how I noticed it. Actually, I had noticed him running to the litter box about every 5 minutes, and thought something was wrong. I called the vet and they told me to bring him in immediately. Which is what I did, of course. BTW, this cat usually goes "potty" outside, not in the litter box. We have a problem with both cats in that they urinate outside but come inside and use the litter box to poo!! And, let me tell you sometimes they totally STINK!! Yucky stink.
GG
Thanks for the link MollyD...the goat is feeling much better, he's perky and alert tonight, and even gave us an "I forgive you" nuzzle after we gave him his second shot of penicillin tonight.
One thing we noticed right after the vet cut him (he started urinating immediately) was the SMELL! It wasn't a regular urine smell..it was a strong ammoniated stench. The next morning all the bedding around him was soaked and the whole shed smelled of that strong "sick" urine. It was a real stomach grabber let me tell you.
I'm just so thankful we were able to save him. He's such a dear, sweet little thing, and my son would be heartbroken if anything happened to him. The goats started out as 4-H projects (like everything else around here) and quickly became part of our "family".
We've been lucky enough not to have encountered this problem(knock on wood). It helps some if you wait abit before castrating. I'm so glad that he is doing well-he sounds like a sweetie!
:-)
Heidi I'm very glad he's on the mend. We have a little wether named Sammy and we are very attached to him. I can't imagine how we'd feel if he was hurt or sick.
Things like this are another reason for keeping bucks and wethers separate from does. Makes it far easier to feed them correctly and hope to avoid things like stones. I say hope because sometimes in spite of our diligence things happen.
Good luck with your baby!
MollyD
I am so glad your baby is doing well. I have two wethers that my DH was taking care of and when he died it was winter. I felt sorry for them and gave them 2 cups of grain a day. When I saw your story, I immediately cut them back down to a very supervised one cup. Thanks for letting us know.
neofarmer...it's hard not to spoil them with grain, isn't it? They love it so much! I used to hand feed both our wethers a little bit when I'd go out (and I'm guessing my husband and three children used to, as well) but, no more...they'll just have to get spoiled with endless chin scratching!
I picked up a goat block at Tractor Supply today. Must be something good in it cause they wouldn't even let me get the wrapper off it before they wanted to start eatting it! Smells like molasses and is suppose to have most of the minerals they need including selenium. My area is deficient in selenium so it's important to add it to their diet in some form. You can find out if your area is too by contacting your local cooperative extension.
MollyD
Very good. Forgot about that, yes they need that lick block. they love poison Ivy also
Mine also have a salt block
MollyD
Thanks MollyD...mine don't have a salt block...I'll get one. Thanks for the heads up on that!
Heidi if you have a small herd like me you can buy a small salt block in the horse supplies section at places like Tractor Supply. Runs $3.00
MollyD