Oct 2011 – v1:3 - Michigan Boer Goat Association, Inc.

October 2011
Volume 1, Issue 3
B OER G OAT N EWS
Michigan Boer Goat Association
www.michiganboergoat.org
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!
1
By Karen Ibarra
Boer Goats Thiamine Dosage for treating Goat Polio
1
Cydectin (moxidextin)
2
Normal Goat Health Information
2
Kidding Complications
3
MBGA Wether Series
5
Worms
Editor’s Corner
5
7
This past year has been productive for our
Association. Those of you who have become involved
in helping MBGA grow have had the opportunity to:
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See more Youth participate in more Wether
series events throughout the state.
Help 2 deserving college students by donating
to the scholarship fund.
Advance your knowledge thru workshops and
training like those offered @ Spring Goat Days.
Network with other goat growers from around
the world when you hosted the hospitality
table at the American Dairy Goat Association
Convention in Grand Rapids.
Elect 3 new members to the MBGA Board of
Directors, while enjoying a delicious meal @
the Annual meeting and Goat Roast.
Continue our partnership with other small
ruminant growers in this state by working with
the Michigan Sheep Breeders Association to
offer a meat goat series of workshops @
Shepherd’s Weekend in January of 2012.
What new, amazing opportunities will present
themselves to us in this coming year?
I can’t guess, but I’m convinced the opportunities
are endless. We just need to be present and
willing to devote an hour here or there to promote
our breed, our farm and our association. Anytime I
have volunteered or attended an event, I have
reaped benefits far beyond the initial purpose of
that activity from the people I meet there.
Come to the Christmas party in December and see
what plans are already in place for next year.
Meet or reconnect with the incredible people who
have made this year happen and help draft plans
for an amazing 2012 for all of us and our
association.
Karen
Boer Goats – Thiamine Dosage for treating Goat Polio
By Susan Rektorik
Goat polio is a neurological condition caused in goats by a
lack of sufficient Thiamine (Vitamin B-1). Technically, this
condition is known as Polioencephalomalacia. Normally, the
Vitamins B are produced by microorganisms in the gut. The
composition of the gut organisms can change dramatically so
that the goat does not get enough of the Vitamins B to
function normally. Sometimes, the gut organisms die out. In
other cases, there is an overgrowth of a certain type of
organism that prevents the uptake of the thiamine (being
produced by other organisms).
Some of the symptoms of goat polio may include "star
gazing", rapid eye movement, weakness in the back legs,
loss of coordination, and seizures. Goats can fully recover;
however, treatment needs to be prompt and adequate.
When trying to calculate the thiamine dosage, I rely on the
Merck Veterinary Manual guidance and use the mid-range
amount. The Merck information is as follows:
"Treatment and Prevention:
The treatment of choice regardless of cause is thiamine.
Therapy must be started early in the disease course for
benefits to be achieved. If brain lesions are particularly
severe or treatment is delayed, full clinical recovery may not
be possible. The dosage of thiamine is 10-20, mg/kg, IM or
SC, tid. Initial treatment may be administered IV. Beneficial
effects are usually observed within 24 hr and sometimes
sooner; however, if there is no initial improvement,
treatment should
be continued for 3 days... "tid" means three times a day. The
Vet I worked with recommends
treatment every 6 - 8 hours.
To convert Kilograms into Pounds: Multiply the number of
kilograms by 2.2046. So 10 to 20 MG per KG converts to 4.5
Please see Boer Goats- Thiamine Dosage for treating Goat Polio on page 6
Page 2
Boer Goat News
Cydectin (moxidextin)
!
By Steve Hart
There is some confusion regarding the proper use of
Cydectin (moxidectin) in goats. This is because originally
the cattle pour-on was used orally, and
then the injectable route was recommended by the
Southern Consortium for
Small Ruminant Parasite Control (SCSRPC) because of
better bioavailability.
However, FARAD, the government organization that
helps us to avoid drug
residues when we use drugs in an off-the-label manner,
recommended a 120-day withdrawal, which makes use of
injectable Cydectin impractical because of such long
withdrawal. Therefore the recommendation of the
SCSRPC was changed back to oral.
FARAD requires the use of the oral Cydectin
sheep drench since it is the only available form of
Cydectin formulated for oral use. It should be
administered at 1.5 times the sheep dose, which results in
a dose of 14 ml for a 100 lb. goat. The correct withdrawal
Normal Goat Health Information
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time is 23 days.
So, no injections, no injectable given orally or pouron given orally. Use the sheep oral formulation at 14
ml/100 lbs body weight and use at least
a 23-day withdrawal time (don't send animals to
market until 23 days have passed since giving the
Cydectin).
This information is provided to help the industry
avoid drug residues in meat. As always, every year
verify if the de-wormer is working in your herd by
taking a fecal sample from several animals when you
deworm (take to vet to see how many eggs in sample,
you could have none) and take several samples from
the same animals 7-14 days after deworming and have
your vet check it. It should be free or nearly
free of worm eggs. If not, you need to look for another
de-wormer and check it out in the same way.
Temperature = 102.5 - 104 - This varies
depending on the temperature of the goat's
surroundings.
Pulse rate = 70 - 80 beats per minute
Respiration =15 to 30 per minute
Rumen (stomach) movements = 1 - 1.5 per
minute
Puberty = 7 weeks - 8 months (separate
bucks from does at 2 month)
Estrus/Heat Cycle = 17 to 23 days
Gestation = 143 to 155 days
Life span:
o Does = 11-12 years average age,
but... usually the death in does is
kidding related. Does that are
"retired" from breeding around age
•
10 live longer: 16-18 years (and I
just recently found a doe who
was 24; she was retired from
kidding at age 10).
o Wethers = 11-16 years average
age
o Bucks = 8-10 average age bucks usually live shorter lives
than does and wethers due to the
stresses of going into rut each
year.
Full growth size: Most goats do not
Please see Normal Goat Health Information on page 7
“Goat polio is a neurological condition
caused in goats by a lack of sufficient
Thiamine (Vitamin B-1).”
.
Boer Goat News
Page 3
Kidding Complications
By Terri Fryman
Below is the Neocropsy report from my local Doctor, she has approved for me to use this as an
educational piece to help other better understand what can happen with kidding complications
and how much scaring can damage our Does, this particular Doe of ours was an awesome Doe
(A picture is attached of her size, she had no other issues in the past of kidding but this particular
time 2 years ago when she kidded I was not able to be here for her, when I arrived home from
work she had past 3 large kids and one smaller doeling. The 3 larger kids appeared to me in a
pile as if they passed out of her all at the same time, they were tangled, and in a pile and were
dead by the time I got home, the smaller doeling was barely alive but I was able to save her, it
was evident that she either came out last or first because she was off by herself. I knew at this
time I was going to see some bad scaring from Natasha, but had no idea how bad. Last year she
did not take, this year she did not take, then she started squatting as if she had a bad urinary
infection, so I treated her with antibiotics for 10 days still no improvement. Then I put her in our
stand to do a vaginal check on her and could not get my figures 1/2 inch into her, I then called our
local vet, sadly you can see in the report below, we had to put her down. Keeping her alive would
have been consisted of a very expensive surgery, a tube hanging from her the rest of her life
(with infections) and she would never be able to breed again, per the doctor’s advice, we put her
to rest. So my article below is to help others better understand the symptoms of vaginal scarring
and damages and exactly what it looks like from the inside looking out after they cut the scarring
membrane/tissue. It’s a sad event, but I could not find any education anywhere related to this
particular situation, I hope it helps others.
Terri Fryman
Fryman Goat
History: 5 year old Boer doe with 2 week history of intermittent hind end straining. Last
time the doe kidded she had quadruplets, three of which were found dead and tangled
together. Doe had been with buck earlier this year but pregnancy status was unknown.
Owner had given series of long-acting oxytetracycline (LA-200) and penicillin antibiotics
since goat began straining two weeks ago, although no improvement was noted. The
doe had recently become anorectic.
Examination: Pulse was elevated (around 100 beats per minute), but temperature and
respiration were normal. Lung sounds were normal. Rumen contractions were slightly
decreased in frequency and small, hard fecal pellets were passed when goat was
straining. Small amounts of urine were also passed during straining. A transabdominal
ultrasound was performed showing that the doe was not pregnant, although dilated
loops of the uterus were seen filled with fluid. A manual vaginal exam revealed a fibrous
membrane completely covering the vaginal vault cranial to the cervix preventing the
passage of a hand or finger past about 5 centimeters into the vagina. The urethral
opening was unable to be palpated and attempts at passing a catheter into the urethra
failed. A serum biochemistry panel was ran and did not show any abnormalities.
Outcome: Because the doe was suffering and had a poor chance of survival, the owner
elected for the doe to be humanely euthanized. A necropsy (autopsy) was performed
and showed a fibrous (scar-tissue) “wall” blocking the vaginal lumen and preventing
passage of vaginal/uterine fluids out of the vagina. The fibrous tissue was also blocking
>90 % of the urethral opening into the vagina, which prevented urine from exiting the
bladder. The bladder was distended and filled with urine, but was otherwise normal.
The uterus was also filled with clear fluid (hydrometra), most likely due to the inability to
pass normal vaginal discharge over time.
Page 4
Boer Goat News
Discussion: The fibrous membrane sealing the vaginal lumen may have been formed
over time after the doe gave birth to quadruplets. If three of the kids were tangled
together and the doe passed all of them at the same time, significant trauma of the
vagina may have occurred. Ruminants have an amazing ability to heal quickly and
sometimes build scar tissue around injuries before we recognize there is a problem.
This may have been the case with this doe, and over time the scar tissue resulted in an
obstruction of the urethra. Urethral obstruction is more common in male goats and
sheep and is usually caused by uroliths (stones). The doe in this case was exhibiting
signs similar to those seen in male small ruminants that have obstructive urolithiasis
(blockage of the urethra by stones) - straining to urinate, anorexia, etc. Her inability to
become pregnant also can be explained by the vaginal membrane because it would
prevent sperm from entering the reproductive tract.
Natasha 2010
Page 5
Boer Goat News
MBGA Wether Series
By Tina Esham
points for the series. We are working on contacting the
show chairs for each show and then contacting sponsors
who are the core of making the series a great success for
our youth.
It is hard to believe that we have awarded our winners of
our 2011 series and now we are working on the details of
the 2012 series. We are always looking for ideas and
volunteers to help make the series a success every year so Thank you to all our sponsors and volunteers of the past
and we hope that we will see you participating again this
if you have input, award ideas or would like to volunteer
year in this great event for our youth and the industry.
some time by being on the committee we welcome
anyone who is interested in working with myself, Michele
Klingaman and Wendy Walters. We had our 1st meeting in
November and it was great to go over information and
start setting our goals.
We have scheduled a meeting for January 21 at 3:00 pm if
you can’t be there we are working on a way to do a
teleconference as well so hopefully we can make this year
for the wether series a great success. If you are interested
in being a part of the January meeting please contact one
of us on the committee. Our goal is to provide the youth
with 10 shows that we can offer for them to accumulate
Worms
By Frank Welling
Hello, Goat Fans I want to tell you of some recent experiences I have had
in hopes that you can learn from my mistakes.
Let me tell you that having to eat humble pie is a bitter
thing to do. I thought that, with a BS in Biology, many
years of farming, and all of the "how to" books I have
read, that I was doing everything right in raising sheep
and goats. Not!
Last month, an 8-month-old Boer doeling (Fawn)
died a few days from the time she began acting sick. She
had a snotty nose and a cough, as did many of the other
goats and a few of the sheep. That developed when we
brought two goats back from the fair. That's where they
probably picked what turned out to be a respiratory
virus. Shortly after she developed those symptoms, she
stopped eating and was lying down a lot.
I gave her an antibiotic (LA-200), a multiple vitamin
injection, wormed her with fenbendazole (Safe-guard),
and fed her Nutridrench and water.
Our veterinarian, Sherry Teegardin DVM, gave Fawn
and the rest of the sheep and goats a long-acting
antibiotic, some Banamine, and took a nasal swab.
Within another day, Fawn was dead when I went out to
the barn in the morning to do chores. A consult with
“Adam” – Frank Welling’s Buck Kid
Dr. Teegardin was done by phone, and I took Fawn to the
MSU Diagnostic Center for autopsy. The cause of her
death was severe anemia due to massive numbers of
barber pole worms (Hemonchus contortus). The
respiratory virus just made her situation worse. A fecal
exam showed that she had over 23,000 worm eggs in one
gram (about two goat droppings) of feces. Worming is
recommended when the fecal egg count (FEC)
approaches 500/gram.
I had been using Ivermectin drench, and Safe-guard
drench (fenbendazole), along with Valbazan as
wormers. But I failed to have fecal egg counts done,
since all of the goats looked healthy, had healthy babies,
and were gaining weight. The decision not to do FECs
proved to be fatal for Fawn and expensive for me. And I
shudder to think of what a belly-full of worms was doing
to the rest of the herd/flock. I still feel sick when I think
of Fawn and have been mentally kicking my own butt.
By the way, our most resistant doe, Isabelle, had a FEC of
3800 eggs/gram. All of the Shetland sheep appear to be
resistant as well.
I have dropped Ivermectin and Safe-guard from the
treatment plan. Evidently, when we put together our
Please see Worms on page 6
Page 6
Boer Goat News
Boer Goats – Thiamine treatment - from page 1
to 9 MG per LB. The vet I work with recommends using a
mid-range about of 7 MG per LB.
I always use Fortified Vitamin B Complex because the
amounts of B1, Thiamine, and B12, Cyanocobalamin, are so
much higher than regular Vitamin B Complex. Each Fortified
Vitamin B Complex product I have seen has 100 mg per mL
of each B1 and B12. So, if the Fortified
Vitamin B Complex product you have has 100 mg of
Thiamine (B1) per each mL, then the rate of treatment is
700 mg per each 100 pounds or 7 mLs (or CCs) per each
hundred pound. The rate could also be stated as 3.5 mLs or
CCs per each 50 pounds.
Check the label, but, most plain Vitamin B Complex
products simply do not contain enough thiamine to correct
polio.
An alternative to using Fortified Vitamin B Complex is
Thiamine Hydrochloride Injectable (which is available by RX
only). If you do get Thiamine from your Vet, be sure you
check the concentration. It should be stated on the label. It
usually comes in two concentrations: 200 mg per mL and 500
mg per mL. When treating polio, you need to work with the
right concentration when computing the dosage.
Although all the Vitamins B are water soluble and the excess
amounts are excreted from the body, Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
is the only one than cause problems if too much is given.
Worms - from page 5
Boer goat herd, one or several we bought brought in
stomach worms which were hardly affected by those
chemicals.
My granddaughter and I wormed every goat and sheep
with Cydectin drench. We doubled the dose for the
goats, because they metabolize these chemicals faster
than sheep do. A follow-up FEC was done 6 days later,
and found only 75 eggs/gram! What a difference.
Other treatments we are doing is pasture rotation closing some areas for 3-4 weeks before grazing again.
And we will treat with Cydectin every 10 days as a
drench or give subcutaneous Cydectin to last for at least
double that time, as it is absorbed more slowly than
giving the medication by mouth.
And we will do bi-monthly fecal egg counts until after
the first hard frost.
A FEC done by a veterinarian will usually cost under
$20. A quart of Cydectin or other good wormer costs
around $65. If I had been smart, I would have spent
around $100, but so far I have racked up over $600 in
MSU hospital and vet bills. And lost an innocent young
animal which cost me $300.
The money spent doesn't bother so much as the
knowledge that my ignorance has caused our goats and
sheep to become anemic and undoubtedly very
uncomfortable. They deserve better husbandry.
So learn from my mistake - HAVE THOSE FECAL EGG
COUNTS DONE. Do them if you suspect a worm load
is building up, and do them after you have wormed to
make CERTAIN that the wormer is doing its job.
As a post script, shortly after we lost Fawn, the little
buck we were going to use for breeding this fall had to
Overdoses of thiamine can cause seizures.
In a tight situation, another way to get thiamine is to use Overthe-Counter Thiamine tablets sold for humans. I have never done
this; but, I know someone that has. This information for the
treatment of Polio with Thiamine tablets from Wal-Mart comes
from a long-term dairy goat owner--whom I respect very much:
"You can also use B-1 tablets from Wal-Mart. They're a great thing
to keep on hand for an emergency. Read the label. I think each
tablet has 100 mg. of thiamine. I used them recently, but you
need to be careful and not overdose as they go directly in the
rumen. I'd say they'd work
great as a first dose to get directly where you need to replenish
the thiamine. If the tablet has 100mg of thiamine, you'd use 1
tablet for 20 lbs body weight, orally of course."
Polio is one of the illness that require consistent treatment. If
enough thiamine is not given, the goat will linger--often lying on
the ground twitching. These animals may also go blind. The
kindest thing to do is to calculate the right dosage of thiamine and
give it every 6- 8 hours until the animal fully recovers. I usually
give it every 6 hours AROUND THE CLOCK until the goat shows
considerable improvement. Then, I switch to the 8 hour schedule.
Also, giving Probios or plain yogurt can help restore the correct
balance of gut organisms. When a goat is down with polio, it
should not be fed grain or pelleted feed. The animal should be
given plenty of high quality hay, non-toxic tree leaves, etc. Also,
the goat needs water. If possible, electrolytes
also need to be given.
be put down when the vets at MSU found that he had a severely
twisted section of bowel that was dying. Adam had a habit of
crawling under the fence whenever he thought the grass was
greener on the other side. We think that he developed the
torsion by struggling to go in and out. A photo of Adam is
attached on page 5. We hope that he bred some does before he
died.
Dr. Ludlam, you already know how tough the Shetland sheep
breed is compared to other sheep breeds (and probably all
goats)! But, oh that we had listened when you told us about
FECs!
So anyway, folks, please know that barber pole worms are
becoming resistant to many kinds of wormers. And the best way
to determine if YOUR wormer is effective is to check the
"nannyberries" for egg load. And build a good relationship with
your veterinarian.
I am indebted to Dr. Sherry Teegardin of Central Michigan
Equine Veterinary Services of Sheridan, MI. (989) 304-1395.
Though she specializes in horses, she is very knowledgeable
regarding small ruminants (sheep and goats) and enjoys
working with them. Without her intervention and advice, our
losses could have been much greater. Dr. Sherry makes farm
visits, and I recommend her highly.
Now go check on your pets and give Dr. Teegardin a call if you
need help!!!
Page 7
Boer Goat News
Normal Goat Health Information from page 2
reach their full size until they are about three
years of age. (They keep growing for about
three years)
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/index.htm
Thank you to all the members who
participated in this month’s
Newsletter!
I couldn’t have done it with out you!
Please send me emails or drop a note
in the snail mail to me anytime!
Membership Dues:
Membership with the MBGA run
Jan 1st to December 31st
Re-Enrolling members need to have their
membership renewed by January 31st in
order to continue their member listing on
the MBGA website – the Website will be
updated the 1st of February
Membership benefits
*** Member listing on website
*** Quarterly Newsletter
*** Advertising on website
*** Youth scholarships
*** Youth wether series
*** Opportunities and events to mingle with
fellow goat lovers
Newsletter@boergoat.org
Or
eshamfamilyfarm@live.com
The Editor’s Corner
By Tina Esham
I find myself being asked how are
you and my reply being “busy” lately
and it reminds me of a busy dial on a
phone when you are calling someone
and I’ve decided that I need to
change my response because I am
busy but I am happily busy. I hope
that this article finds you happily
busy in you operations of everyday
life!
Out in the barn we have 18 does due
in January, 4 does due in February
and 10 does kids and 3 does that will
be bred in May for October Kids. And
that’s just my barn… Our children are
growing up in front of us and I
remember the days of having time to
wonder what the future will hold and
now it is flashing before our eyes
faster than I could have ever
imagined.
“However, FARAD, the
government
organization that helps
us to avoid drug
This fall we have had overwhelming
requests for goats. I have learned
about the Islamic holiday that falls in
relation to the full moon and have
customers wanting to insure that we
will have 6 month to year old goats
available for them next fall. Then we
had one customer request to have a
Please see The Editor’s Corner on page 8
residues when we use
drugs in an off-the-label
manner, recommended a
120-day withdrawal,
which makes use of
injectable Cydectin
impractical..”
Editor’s Corner from page 5
MBGA Newsletter
58 N Concord Rd
Albion, MI 49224
goat for them once a month… The demand is greater
than our supply so we are happy to be able to provide
the quality meat that they are requesting.
Phone:
517-795-5386
Fax:
888-432-9191
E-Mail:
newsletter@michiganboergoat.org
Getting News & Events
to you!
This coming year for the Michigan Boer Goat Association
is going to be full of exciting things and I hope that I see
you there at some of them! We have our Holiday
membership meeting on December 9th at Aldaco’s
Restaurant in Lansing, Shepherds’ Weekend January 6-8th
Our First Wether Series show on May 5th and Our MBGA
Spring Goat Sale on May 5th I am sure the calendar will
fill up between January and May with activities that will
be announced on our Web Page… Not to mention all the
goats that will be born in that time!
We’re on the Web!
Visit us at:
www.michiganboergoat.org
MBGA Newsletter
58 N Concord Rd
Albion, MI 49224
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