I was wondering if a person could use a magnet in a goat the same way cattle farmers use them in their cows if they knew or thought the animal had swallowed something metal. I recently lost one of my best dairy does, and am thinking she nibbled on a droped piece of fencing wire. And I thought if I had acted soon enough to put a magnet in her if I would have saved her. Any help will be greatly appreciated. (Yes I know I should be more careful with the odd bits of wire, but anyone who raises goats knows how inquisitive they are).

-- michelleheath (dickfogg@ainop.com), November 18, 2000

Answers

Michelle, the idea behind the magnet is that the magnet keeps the "hardware" from traveling and blocking any of the various openings along the digestive tract, the magnet settles to the bottom of the rumen, and the "hardware" stays there. If indeed it was a piece of wire that killed your doe, if it was sharp, damage would have still been done, she would have just died more slowly. The magnet really only works with more benign pieces of metal. Sorry about your doe, Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), November 18, 2000.

Hi Annie, Thanks for getting right back to me about the magnet in cows. The doe that died had gone down and would not get up. It was like she was paralized. When I tried to pull her into a standing position she wouldn't even try to get up herself. She would just go limp. She ate and drank well for a few days, then the last day she kept her head tucked into her right side and wouldn't do anthing. She was dead by morning. It's sad as she was a great dreeder; triplets last year, then quads this year. She was only 3 years old. I'm thinking it was either a piece of wire or selenium defecientcy. Our soil does not have any selenium in it thats for sure, but the grain does. Thanks for taking the time to help me. Michelle

-- michelle heath (dickfogg@ainop.com), November 20, 2000.

Michelle, don't beat yourself up about this, my best friend just lost her favorite goat just about as you described here. Your goat didn't die from "hardware", it does sound like selenium deficiency however. The selenium levels in the grain mix are sometimes not enough, and can vary widely from batch to batch of grain. Talk with your local vet, or local goat people, see what kind of loose mineral mix they recommend for your area, or talk to the feed store folks and see what they say. If your goats don't want to eat the loose mineral mix on their own free choice, you might want to mix a bit with their grain at each feeding, the bag should say how much to use. Perhaps your area is extremely selenium deficient, and you should use injectable selenium at intervals, again, check with your local vet to see how much to use, and how often. Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), November 20, 2000.

Michelle, I am so sorry for the loss of your animal. I have had goats for many years. Recently I have been seeing a weird reaction kind of like you describe. However the animal goes down, and acts almost convulsively at sharp noises. The head seems to turn around to the side and they are unable to rise. You won't believe what I found as a cure... vitamin B1... thiamin. I have proven this many times over, saved several animals that were near death. In fact the turnaround is so dramatic that it is almost miraculous!! You can give a B complex by mouth but it takes a fairly large quantity to get much B1, and it seems to help, but I purchase injectable B1 from my vet. I always keep it on hand and have used it many times. Now for the cause.... it seems that mold in the feed or hay is the suspect cause. It gets into the goat and produces a toxin that attacks the central nervous system. It seems to deplete thiamin. I believe it is called "polioencephlamalacia (sp)" They go down, shudder, and act as if they are at death's door. Which they are. If untreated they will die in a few days. When treated, the animal recovers within an hour as if nothing had ever been wrong! Pretty amazing. I am now a true believer in the power and importance of vitamins in health, theirs and mine!!

-- Starla (olystar@hotmail.com), November 22, 2000.

Michelle: sorry to hear about your goat. It does not sound like metal to me either. I agree with the previous comment - I think they call it a form of polio. When I first had goats I lost a young one to it but since then I have discovered Vit. B and given massive does I.M. and saved several animals. Even some of the Vets who don't do many goats don't know how to treat it, so don't feel like you did something wrong. I always keep a bottle of Vit. B on hand. Good luck with future goat keeping. Diane

-- Diane Green (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), November 23, 2000.

Thanks to everyone who has sent good advice on this goat problem. I will definately get some selenium and vit. B1. Thanks again!! Michelle

-- michelle heath (dickfogg@ainop.com), November 24, 2000.

Hey Michelle, One of our favorites died that same way,her name was peaches.Exact same way seemed to be getting better too.We had her in the house for the last bit cuz she was paralyzed.Th e vet said Polio I believe him he's usually right.It's hard when there doesn't seem to be a clear reason,and hard enough when there is.Take care ,.... teri

-- teri (mrs_smurf2000@yahoo.ca), November 24, 2000.