Gas is a natural by-product of digestive fermentation in the rumen, and it is expelled continuously as the goat belches. Bloat occurs when gas is trapped in the rumen. It is a life-threatening condition. Frothy bloat is usually caused by overeating lush, damp feeds such as clover, alfalfa or legume pastures.” kinne.net/bloat.htm
Indications of bloat are, *large left belly..up high and tight, goat may breath heavy, grind teeth, kick at side in pain.
No matter the kind of bloat you are dealing with,start with cd antitoxin shot
Frothy bloat is caused by the goat overeating fresh lush green pasture, clover, alfalfa etc..especially when wet...Flothy bloat is by far harder to deal with than dry bloat. tiny bubbles form a foam, making it impossible for the goat to pop and belch the gasses out.. the goat can die from respiratory or circulatory failure due to the pressure building on his diaphragm.
Dry Bloat usually caused by grain product, or rumen stress...anytime the goat can not belch or gas ...gas builds on the upper portion of the rumen.
Other cause of bloat is if the animal has something stuck in his throat..Some of us may have experienced when a goat began thrashing about coughing after being a pig at the grain feeder. It is scary. If what has them thrashing stays stuck, bloat will quickly build.
Treatment
In mild bloat cases, removing the cause of bloat is best for 12 -24 hours. Probiotics can help.
In dry bloat case where large amounts of grain has been fed, do not offer water for 12 hours. Water will add the fermentation of the grain and make matters worse. Feed hay during the 12 hour water fast to help stimulate the rumen. You may also find it helpful to offer baking soda free choice during this time.
In Severe cases, tubing meds to the goat maybe the only thing to save her life. Here is a link to show you how
http://goat-link.com/content/view/6...
Using a inserted needle to release gas
Clean the area with iodine and inset a large 14-16 g needle about 1 1/2-2 inches long to puncture the rumen at the highest point to relieve gas. This will not leave a large hole to be concerned about how ever in desperate situations, it may call you to puncture the wall of the rumen with a trocar...this is for last resort..and better done under a vets care!!! here is a link on that
http://goat-link.com/content/view/1...
DiGel or powdered plain Tide laundry detergent (one tablespoon of Tide powder mixed with maybe 60 cc of water) will eliminate the froth and allow the goat to belch. the soap weakens the walls of the bubbles making it easy to “pop” and burp out. Be sure its plain tide powder, no bleach added or other additives. Dawn dish soap can also be used...same measurement as the tide. There are over the counter bloat remedies that you can also keep on hand.
Milk of magnesia 15 cc per 60# , Baking soda in enough water to drench or make a paste to feed. A few natural remedies are Peppermint Ess. Oil, Ess. oil Digestive blend, Peppermint tea.
“Make a STRONG Peppermint Tea using 1 cup Medicinal grade Peppermint Leaves to 1 quart of hot distilled water. Infuse for 30 minutes then DRENCH. You are dealing with acidosis and enterotoxemia, and there is a race against time to save the kidneys. You DO NOT need to wait the entire 30 minutes before you use some of this infusion to drench the animal. Syringe some out after 5 minutes, and cap it back up tight to allow it to steep longer. You can keep doing that every 5-10 minutes. Get at least 50cc's down them each time.” ~Totally Natural goats
“Make a drench with HOT water and handfuls of Dandelions and Peppermint Leaves. Combine that with equal amounts (tsp.) of clove, cinnamon, ginger, myrhh, goldenseal, fennel, dill and big pinches of cayenne (40,000 heat unit potency). Infuse and Drench.” ~ Totally Natural goats
Once you have the goat in recovery, I would give tummy tamer 2-4 times a day to help tame the tummy, and feed a bland diet of hay and water for 12-24 hours.
To make Tummy Tamer, use 1 teaspoon each Cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, slippery elm, ACV and molasses in enough water to make 20-30 cc and drench...
Avoiding bloat is always better than treatment. Don’t over feed. Make sure the animal cannot break in to feed bins or chicken coops. Setting out to graze after the dew has burned off. Feed hay before other more lush foods.
Indications of bloat are, *large left belly..up high and tight, goat may breath heavy, grind teeth, kick at side in pain.
No matter the kind of bloat you are dealing with,start with cd antitoxin shot
Frothy bloat is caused by the goat overeating fresh lush green pasture, clover, alfalfa etc..especially when wet...Flothy bloat is by far harder to deal with than dry bloat. tiny bubbles form a foam, making it impossible for the goat to pop and belch the gasses out.. the goat can die from respiratory or circulatory failure due to the pressure building on his diaphragm.
Dry Bloat usually caused by grain product, or rumen stress...anytime the goat can not belch or gas ...gas builds on the upper portion of the rumen.
Other cause of bloat is if the animal has something stuck in his throat..Some of us may have experienced when a goat began thrashing about coughing after being a pig at the grain feeder. It is scary. If what has them thrashing stays stuck, bloat will quickly build.
Treatment
In mild bloat cases, removing the cause of bloat is best for 12 -24 hours. Probiotics can help.
In dry bloat case where large amounts of grain has been fed, do not offer water for 12 hours. Water will add the fermentation of the grain and make matters worse. Feed hay during the 12 hour water fast to help stimulate the rumen. You may also find it helpful to offer baking soda free choice during this time.
In Severe cases, tubing meds to the goat maybe the only thing to save her life. Here is a link to show you how
http://goat-link.com/content/view/6...
Using a inserted needle to release gas
Clean the area with iodine and inset a large 14-16 g needle about 1 1/2-2 inches long to puncture the rumen at the highest point to relieve gas. This will not leave a large hole to be concerned about how ever in desperate situations, it may call you to puncture the wall of the rumen with a trocar...this is for last resort..and better done under a vets care!!! here is a link on that
http://goat-link.com/content/view/1...
DiGel or powdered plain Tide laundry detergent (one tablespoon of Tide powder mixed with maybe 60 cc of water) will eliminate the froth and allow the goat to belch. the soap weakens the walls of the bubbles making it easy to “pop” and burp out. Be sure its plain tide powder, no bleach added or other additives. Dawn dish soap can also be used...same measurement as the tide. There are over the counter bloat remedies that you can also keep on hand.
Milk of magnesia 15 cc per 60# , Baking soda in enough water to drench or make a paste to feed. A few natural remedies are Peppermint Ess. Oil, Ess. oil Digestive blend, Peppermint tea.
“Make a STRONG Peppermint Tea using 1 cup Medicinal grade Peppermint Leaves to 1 quart of hot distilled water. Infuse for 30 minutes then DRENCH. You are dealing with acidosis and enterotoxemia, and there is a race against time to save the kidneys. You DO NOT need to wait the entire 30 minutes before you use some of this infusion to drench the animal. Syringe some out after 5 minutes, and cap it back up tight to allow it to steep longer. You can keep doing that every 5-10 minutes. Get at least 50cc's down them each time.” ~Totally Natural goats
“Make a drench with HOT water and handfuls of Dandelions and Peppermint Leaves. Combine that with equal amounts (tsp.) of clove, cinnamon, ginger, myrhh, goldenseal, fennel, dill and big pinches of cayenne (40,000 heat unit potency). Infuse and Drench.” ~ Totally Natural goats
Once you have the goat in recovery, I would give tummy tamer 2-4 times a day to help tame the tummy, and feed a bland diet of hay and water for 12-24 hours.
To make Tummy Tamer, use 1 teaspoon each Cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, slippery elm, ACV and molasses in enough water to make 20-30 cc and drench...
Avoiding bloat is always better than treatment. Don’t over feed. Make sure the animal cannot break in to feed bins or chicken coops. Setting out to graze after the dew has burned off. Feed hay before other more lush foods.