Usually Caused by too much of a good thing- too much rich hay or too much early spring
pasture and is usually green to bright green.. If you have just started
putting the goats out to pasture in the Spring.. if the pasture is
extra rich from a good rain, or if the hay is especially rich; all of
these things can scour a goat. (Pneumonia can also be a cause of adult
scouring, so make sure to look at all the possibilities before you try
to diagnose.)
Rule of thumb in early spring is to allow goats to
pasture time in small increments daily until you have worked up to the
full time allowed in the pastures daily- Do this over a long period of
time.. a few weeks if at all possible. Allow them to browse pasture in
late morning and afternoon when all dew have dried (this is to reduce
the possibility of parasite infection), feed hay before allowing goats
into pasture will also reduce the scouring as they will have already a
full belly and will not eat quite as ravenously on pasture.
Keep
a close eye on the goats, I would give them thiamine (1cc/100lb goat IF
using the 200mg/ml strength, half of this for the 500mg.ml
strength) or in the very least vitamin B complex that has
thiamine in it.
If you have not vaccinated for CDT, now would be a good time to make sure you have the
C&D ANTI toxin
on hand , offer baking soda free choice to make sure they do not bloat
and watch for enterotoxemia. Keep in mind also that it may be a
poisonous plant in your pasture causing scouring as well- go check your
pastures weekly and before you allow goats to browse.
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