# goat ate a screw



## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Yeah, just like it sounds. I was constructing a shelter and 3 month old nigerian dwarf wether snatched up a 1.5in drywall screw and before I could stop him swallowed it.

Is he done for? Will it come up with the cud? Will he pass it? Please don't tell me I have to incur a 1,000 vet bill for a 50$ companion animal. 

Advice?


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Nobody is going to touch this one! It's so hard to say what to do. Mine have eaten some pretty strange stuff and probably a nail and a screw along the way. I don't know and I don't wanna know. If you call a vet they will probably want to take X rays and get it out. Do you have an experienced vet that you could call? 
I think it was Donna on here who's goat ate the metal clip on a bungee cord...I don't recall what happened with that. 
I would not say he is done for.... Hopefully more people here will chime in! What a major bummer!!!


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

When cattle eat metal, they're given a magnet. You might see if that is an option with a goat. Since goats and cattle are so similar and both are ruminants it might work. With cattle, if you don't do something, you will usually lose the animal. With a goat? I don't know. I've never had one of mine die from that... or if they did, I didn't know what caused it. But.... it is a possibility.


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## HomersGoatLady (Dec 23, 2004)

I had a milker who grabbed a needle off the end of syringe I'd just given a shot with. She was rolling it around in her mouth and I was frantically trying to get it out when...GULP, she swallowed it. I couldn't afford to take her to vet and have it surgically removed, so I watched and worried a lot. I just knew she would die. That was 3 years ago and she's my best milker now. She's never acted distressed by it at all. I don't know what happened to the needle...as far as I know, its still in there.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

If it makes you feel better...my goats (pets) ate a roll of insulation once. I gave them oil to help pass it through...what a mess. They had oily slimy poops for a few days afterwards. I don't know if that would help or cause more problems with your guy though. Is he acting ok???


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## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Thanks guys. Been a couple hours and he's acting his usually friendly playful self. Up side it was not the registered doe who ate it. Down side, Franklin is the clear house favorite when it comes to personality. I'm hoping since it was a drywall screw it may start to rust a little and the point will not be as sharp coming through. I figure the next few days will tell. Wish him luck.


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## Donna1982 (Jun 14, 2011)

Minelson said:


> If it makes you feel better...my goats (pets) ate a roll of insulation once.


Did they think it was cotton candy?

mooman I have no advice for you but I hope he will be okay.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Donna1982 said:


> Did they think it was cotton candy?
> 
> mooman I have no advice for you but I hope he will be okay.


They thought is was delicious..that's all I know!  
I should have said the Donna who is Mygoat here..not you Donna who is Donna here, that had a goat eat the bungee cord. ig:ig:


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I hope he does ok. This is scary.
Hopefully it stays in the first part of his stomach and it dissolves.


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## MaddieLynn (Nov 23, 2011)

Never had one swallow something pointy, but one of our bottle babies bit the entire nipple off of the bottle and swallowed it before I knew what had happened. He was fine.


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

Golly I would _think_/hope all that powerful rumen juice would eventually kill the screw but I dont know!
Hope the guy continues to do well.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

How is your guy doing today?? Did you end up doing anything?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Could you drop a magnet like you do with a cow? Maybe that would keep the screw contained, so it wouldn't move.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

I keep checking this thread to see how he is doing. I hope Mooman updates soon.


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## akaRach (Sep 29, 2009)

We had a goat do the same thing!

Put her head in the bucket and lipped up a 3 inch deck screw. I screamed at everyone to grab the goat but she took off like she had the best treat in the WORLD and gulped it down (I swear she swallowed it)

I was sure she was done for, and watched her for the next 3 days or so with great trepidation, but miracle of miracles, she's fine 3 months later.


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## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Well....24 hours and he is fine so far. I really wish I knew how long the "wait and see" period will be for this. I figure a week and we will know either way.

Minelson

No, we didn't end up doing anything. My mom, a nurse, suggested feeding him lots of bulky foods. I was like: He's a goat! All he eats is bulky foods! No trip to the vet, although we are temped. We've only had these guys about three weeks and I'm really surprised how friendly they are (both Dam raised btw).

I'll update in a couple days. Thanks again.

PS What does the magnet do? I've seen cow magnets. Seems like they are small enough to pass right through. I don't know about forcing one of those down the throught of a 3 month old nigerian dwarf.


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## andabigmac (Jan 10, 2011)

You know this propogates every story there is about goats eating anything. Maybe you should give him a tin can chaser. He'll probably be fine.


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## KrisD (May 26, 2011)

Mine ate an entire plastic grocery bag while frantically chased her through the yard. She's still here. I've had dogs swallow glass and I gave them bread to bind up the glass they were fine too. My theory is that goats will eat anything you don't want them to eat and nothing you do. Good luck on our boy, keep us posted.


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## momagoat61 (Mar 30, 2008)

I once had a house cat swallow a sawing needle that was attached to a lamp shade with a string. I was on the phone talking and I seen the cat setting on the arm of my easy chair beside the lamp and the cat was brushiing his wiskers with his front paw when I realized what he had I dropped the phone and ran over to him and prided open his mouth and seen the end of the needle go down,I even touched the needle before it went out of site. I knew for a fact he swallowed the needle, I called the vet and I was in a panic, Vet said he should be fine and should pass the needle and string in about 3 days, I was crying my eyes out and the vet reassured me the cat would be oK, Vet told me to keep the cat's food bowl full and let him eat all he wanted to and to check his litter box daily. I used a plastic knife and fork to cut through his business daily and on the third day there was the needle incased in his fesces. Cat never once acted sick or hurt, he lived another 12 plus years after that.If I had not seen the needle in my cat''s mounth I would have never known he eat it... Saying a prayer and wishing the best for your boy... I am with Goat Servant and hoping his rumem juices attack and eat up the screw in short order...I have had goats 19 years and it never cesses to amaze me what all they can do and get into...


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

In the first a few months my yellow front parrot was sitting on my shoulder & suddenly grabbed the center out of a flower shaped earring I had on. She meancingly chomped on it as I tried frantically to get it out of her beak. She finally spit it out.
Another time she flew out of a room after I heard a pop. It smelled like burnt wires in there. I found the loose wire & went to her with it. She cowered.
As for goats, yeah they have been known to steal plastic grocery bag out of my pocket. If it's raining I bring minerals pan protected in one.
Somebody took a bite out of one and she's still here.


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## mooman (May 19, 2008)

Well its been three days and Franklin seems fine as this video will attest to. At this point no news is good news and I will only post if he take a turn for the worse. This is them playing this evening on the "play set" I was building when he filched the screw from me. (Franklin is the brown and white one)

[ame=http://youtu.be/PuvpCRkiiCY]Goat parkour - YouTube[/ame]


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## Goat Servant (Oct 26, 2007)

He doesnt know he has a loose screw.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Awesome playset!!!! My goats would love that!  cute goaties too  I'm glad Franklin is so far so good!


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Goat Servant said:


> He doesnt know he has a loose screw.


Hehehe- loved that.


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## BethW (May 3, 2007)

Cool playset! Cute goaties! Glad Franklin is no worse for wear


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

Apparently this guy never met your goat: 


> In cattle, magnets are often placed in the reticulum to catch and hold nails, pieces of wire and other hardware the animal might swallow. Since goats are more fastidious in their eating habits, magnets are not necessary.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

Others agree, Goats just don't do that. 

Capricorn Consults!!


> Occasionally, especially in cattle, ingested wire can puncture the nearby heart causing reticulum pericarditis, or "hardware disease". Goats, of course, would not be inclined to ingest a large piece of wire so this condition is almost unknown.


Can goats get Hardware Disease? Is it only found in cattle? - Yahoo! Answers


> Goats can get Hardware Disease, but it is rare. This is because goats are discriminating eaters compared to cattle


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## gila_dog (Jun 17, 2011)

Sounds like Franklin is going doing well. I'm glad to hear that. My packgoat wether, Apache, is a big time thief. He is always watching for something edible to steal when we are out hiking or camping. He once ate 6 apples and the plastic bag that contained them. Another time he snatched a friend's plastic bag of nuts and ate the whole thing before I could get it away from him. I've quit worrying about it.


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