Ah yuck, I can still smell it

[Keren]

I went out to this bloke's place today to pick up the goats he wanted transported to a local show. Anyway, while catching them, we looked at the teeth of one of the does, and her whole mouth was full of infected, imbedded barley grass seeds. Oh my goodness, that poor doe. Her front teeth were full of them, they had imbedded between the teeth and the front two were that loose because of it, they fell out when I touched them. Everywhere the seeds were had become infected, and her whole mouth was just a bleeding, festering mess. Her top lip also had three abcesses where seeds had entered. Spent two and a half hours on her picking out seeds with forceps, and flushing out bits with saline. Ugh, the amount of flesh that was just falling out of her mouth. Checked all the goats and about 50% had mouths similar, but she was the worst. Found one kid that has an abcess under the jaw, seems like one of the seeds has gone through the bottom lip. Managed to squeeze the seed and some puss out of that one. Found another kid with an abcess on the side of his face, looks like a seed has gone up his nose and travelled up and abcessed in the sinus. Not sure what to do with that one yet. I've had similar in cattle but you can get your finger or forceps up their nose. This kid is a month old -- no chance of getting anything up the nostril. Any suggestions? Ugh, it turned into a revolting sort of day. Spent all day cleaning the mouths then giving antibiotics. Those infected mouths stunk like anything -- I can still smell it on my hands after a shower, several hand washings and dettol. The barley grass was in the hay he was feeding. He wont be feeding that hay anymore.

 

[sidney411]

EWWW! I'm supprised the were even eating if their mouths were that bad.

 

[Keren]

So was I. I was also suprised they were in such good body condition with their mouths that bad.

 

[CowCop]

~

Found another kid with an abcess on the side of his face, looks like a seed has gone up his nose and travelled up and abcessed in the sinus.

I had a similar situation years ago and used some plastic aquarium tubing from my fish aquarium filter to reach up in the sinus region to drain dried blood clots from a bullet wound in a cow.

I wet the clear plastic tubing and it slid right up the nose and did the job.

If you don't have that, you may be able to use a plastic drink straw instead.

Was the goat with the sinus issue, circling ?

Hope this helps.

 

[simangus23]

Perhaps the goat board is down the hall

 

[Keren]

~

Found another kid with an abcess on the side of his face, looks like a seed has gone up his nose and travelled up and abcessed in the sinus.

I had a similar situation years ago and used some plastic aquarium tubing from my fish aquarium filter to reach up in the sinus region to drain dried blood clots from a bullet wound in a cow.

I wet the clear plastic tubing and it slid right up the nose and did the job.

If you don't have that, you may be able to use a plastic drink straw instead.

Was the goat with the sinus issue, circling ?

Hope this helps.

Thanks cowcop, I have plenty of aquarium tubing. I will be taking the blokes goats back on Wednesday, so might talk to him about trying that then. And no, he wasnt circling. Didnt seem to be affecting his health/behaviour at all.