BLOAT

 

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Bloat

Gorging on anything unsuitable such as wet grass pastures or after raiding food bin. This is a serious condition commonly caused by overeating grain or new pasture.  Preventative steps should be taken to stop bloat from occurring.  Do not put goats out on new pasture until their digestive systems are adjusted to that type of food. Be especially careful with fields of rapidly growing plants such as alfalfa and clover.  Gradually introduce goats to new pasture by bringing them some of the new pasture for a few days along with their regular hay.  Then turn them out for only a few hours at a time, making sure that the field is not wet, as a wet field is more likely to cause bloat than a dry field.  Make sure feed barrels and bags are completely inaccessible. The first obvious symptoms of bloat are distension of the rumen of the left side, labored breathing, and signs of discomfort such as kicking, grinding teeth, bawling, and profuse salivation.  ANY EVIDENCE OF BLOAT SHOULD BE DEEMED AN EMERGENCY - CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN IMMEDIATELY.

Symptoms:
Tightly inflated flanks, misery, collapse.

Treatment 1:
15cc Pepto-Bismol
5cc Penicillin orally
5cc SQ Penicillin
5-7cc CD antitoxin SQ

Then give another shot of CD ANTITOXIN and Pepto later that day as well to make sure all is okay...

12-24 hours later make sure you give the goat a probiotic to put the live bacteria back into the
rumen...You will need to repopulate the gut once you clean it out.

Treatment 2:
3 Tablespoons of Baking Soda
30cc water

Mix well and use drench gun. Repeat if necessary.

Treatment 3:
 Drench with Mineral oil (6-8 fl oz) for an adult, (2+ fl oz) for kids. Walk goat about, massage flanks.

"Giving mineral oil is very effective in getting a goat that has over eaten grain to speed that grain
on it's way. Vegetable oil will add to the digestive load, and can cause more harm than good.
Mineral oil is not digestible, and I have used it with no problems at all. Feed that is overeaten
ferments, causes gas, and acidosis to occur, which can lead to death. The object is to speed it
out of there without adding to the digestive load."
by Coni Ross.

Treatment 4:
5 cc Dawn dish soap
Baking Soda roll in balls by mixing with a little water & Vegetable Oil > give orally with syringe, or in bottle for kids approx ? cc for mini goats and approx 5cc for large breed goats
2-3 pills of gas x, usually takes the tummy down in about an hour
1/2 cup vegetable oil mixed with several Tbs of sauerkraut juice just so they can taste it and don't choke on it. takes longer to work than the gas - x pills.

Treatment 5:
1C warm water
1/2cup oil
1tsp Epsom salt
1tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ginger
1 egg yolk
Mix together and give

Treatment 6:
 You should always have Bloat Release or Therabloat on hand as well as Probios, which replaces good bacteria needed to help the rumen function properly. These items are very reasonably priced, and if you have need of the product, it can easily save your goats life and save you a hefty vet bill. Another tip from a long time farmer that had problems with bloat in cows.  Always put a small amount of biodegradable soap in the water. 

Feed the most course hay you can find as the softer grassy hay seems to aggravate this condition almost as much as grazing on fresh grass. Vegetable oil can also be used as a preventative or treatment if bloat occurs although the Therabloat or bloat release is the better remedy. What I found is that tubing to release air is very tricky and doesn't always work, as the object is to get the tube far enough into the stomach to release the air. What worked for my animal was to use a 16 gauge needle through the outer wall into the rumen. You can see where the rumen is located, as it is usually always the most distended area when the animal is bloated, high up on the left side of the stomach. 

Clip a small area of hair, use alcohol to clean the skin very well, so that you don't carry anything through with the needle. Poke the needle all the way through, and you should be able to hear the air releasing, as if from a balloon. Massage the stomach to help the air free itself, and when the animal has been relieved, and you can see that the stomach is once again flat, remove the needle. 

I have always given (1 cc) of penicillin in the muscle for 3 consecutive days after this procedure to fight off any bacteria that might  have been introduced. You do not want your animal to get peritonitis. There are no surefire answers, and I am certainly not a vet, only experienced through necessity in dealing with  this problem.


FROTHY BLOAT

Treatment 1:
1/3cup water
1/3 cup cooking oil
½ cup antacid
Add some baking soda
Mix and give

 

Treatment 2:
Pepto Bismol- for scours
Dose-2cc every 4-6 hours for newborns
5cc for older goats
Give with Probios

Treatment 3:
Spectrum scour halt- follow directions on label. Follow with Probios Dose for scours-1cc/10lbs

Treatment 4:
Oral ruminant gel (Probios, fast track)- Give after antibiotic therapy, treatment for diarrhea and gut related problems-----helps replace the normal flora of the gut. Follow the instructions on the package.
Treatment 5:
MOM (milk of magnesia)-for constipation, impactions, toxic reactions including poisoning and FKS (floppy kid syndrome). Dose - oral drench 15cc/60lbs
 

Treatment 6:
Mineral oil- give for constipation, impactions, toxic reactions including poisoning and FKS. Dose - oral drench 1oz/30lbs
****Caution has no taste---can flavor to decrease the chance of getting into the lungs.
Can also be used for ear mites by placing 2-4 drops in ear canal.
Treatment 7:
Cooking oil-can be used in place of mineral oil.

Treatment 8:
Gas X, phazyme (or generic brands)- used for bloat
Dose --1-2 caps (puncture cap with a needle and squirt medicine out ) give every 2-4 hours.

Tagamet- Used for gut related pain and problems. Helps sooth.
Dose- ½ tablet of 200mg tablet. Give 1 a day for 3-5 days.
Treatment 9:
Plain yogurt- to help replace the normal flora in the rumen after rumen problems like bloat and after giving antibiotics.
Dose--give about ¼ cup 2-3 times a day for 3-5 days.
Treatment 10:
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)- for regular rumen care. Leave out free choice. For emergency treatment for bloat.
Give 1 T in 30cc water and drench.
Treatment 11:
Ginger- To sooth stomach and intestines.

Treatment 12:
Slippery elm--stops diarrhea and coats the stomach and intestines.
Treatment 13:
Beer (dark malt is better)- for bloat give one can

 

For frothy bloat:

PREVENTION --

Use 1 tsp. Pro Bios powder in milk replacer for kids. This provides digestive microbes to avoid chemical reaction in rumen from fresh green material & milk Replacers.

TREATMENT STEPS--

1. Banamine for tummy pain;

2. Soft stomach tube 1/2" diameter to remove gas & as much content as possible (really gross, use lavender oil or Mentholatum on your upper lip to       prevent YOU from getting sick) Rotate goat's position to reach as much stomach content as possible.

3. Using stomach tube still in place, inject 20 cc/20 lbs. body wt of Olive oil mixed w 2 crushed tablets of Phazyme or Gas-X. Also give 5 cc of penicillin orally (be sure to give Pro Bios gel or powder to replace gut enzymes)

4. CarbaLax (looks like Pepto) 20 cc/20 lbs. Caprine supply has it.

5. Essential oil of lavender mixed into 1 cup steaming water for inhalation (just keep it near the goat). Calms, relaxes, & aids rest & pain relief.

6. GENTLE massage, not squeezing, keeping rump elevated to aid in passing gas.

 

Bloated kid:

Treatment 1:
Give her 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 5cc of water.
Give her 15cc/60# milk of magnesia orally
3cc Of CD anti toxin SQ
and do warm water enemas on her until you get her to passing feces. Keep massaging the tummy as well.

Author: Barbara Howard

Treatment 2:
 Most of the time, when a kid bloats, it is Enterotoxemia.  I use it to treat Enterotoxemia, bloat, and grain overload. It is antacid, antibacterial (bismuth inhibits replication of the bad bacteria) and anti gas. Do not use vegetable oil ever, it adds to the digestive load. If you must use oil, use mineral oil, it is inert, and will speed peristalsis, so that digestive contents move down the digestive tract.  The Clostridial bacteria that causes Enterotoxemia grows in the gut, and systemically. The bacteria produce acid, that cause gas formation, and toxins that kill the organs.  Pepto Bismol is very good.   I use it for scours mixed with Biosol (man is it ugly, but it works well). The Salicilates help sooth  pain.  It does drug test if you are going to a terminal show with a Wether, So if that is the case, Use plain Kaolin Pectin mixed with Calf Pac.

Any time you kill normal gut bacteria to stop scours, be sure to replace it with Calf Pac.

Author: Coni Ross
Enterotoxemia:

Bloat is the most common symptom. The kids die very quickly. Grown goats take a little longer, but still die if not treated. Depending on size, I treat a 50 lb kid with:

5cc CD antitoxin SQ
5cc SQ long acting penicillin
5cc orally of Penicillin
15cc orally of Pepto Bismol

Usually the kid will be significantly better in an hour. I repeat the Pepto Bismol later in the day. On day two, I give CD antitoxin 5cc, 5cc SQ penicillin, and a dose of live Probiotic.

Vaccinate in 5 days after last CD antitoxin.  Does can be vaccinated 2-3 weeks prior to kidding; to have colostrum immunity, that protects kids until they are 12 weeks, and old enough to vaccinate. I use Covexin 8, to vaccinate for the Clostridial diseases

Flunixamine Megulamine is Banamine:

It is the same, regardless of brand. You need to know why the kid died, not just treat pain. If it died in such pain, I would suspect Enterotoxemia. Saving kids with Enterotoxemia:
I give 10cc oral Penicillin (to kill bacteria topically in the gut)
5-7cc  Sq of Penicillin  depending on kid size.
5-7cc CD antitoxin SQ depending on body size of kid, 
15-20cc Pepto Bismol oral with the Penicillin.
Banamine per body weight-1cc/100lbs.
For young kids, I use an allergy or insulin syringe, it is 1/10th of a cc per 10lbs.  Pepto Bismol is antibacterial, anti-gas, antacid, so it works to reduce pain, acidosis, and inhibits reproduction of the bacteria causing the problem. Penicillin is the drug of choice for Clostridial species bacteria, which includes the bacteria that cause Enterotoxemia.

Author: Coni Ross
             CR Ranch