# cough... lungworm or ?



## mamakl (Jul 6, 2006)

I've got another question about coughs. I've read the last thread about chronic coughs, but I'm still not sure whether or not I should be worried about the cough our new doe has. We got her two weeks ago, and she'd been in with a large, free-range, group of other goats, sheep, donkeys etc. and fed on the ground. Her previous owner is a great guy (but getting up there in years) and does the best he can, but has so many animals he really doesn't may much attention to most of them...

Anyway... Right after we got her, I noticed that she had a dry, hacking cough occasionally during the day. Since I heard it so seldom I didn't worry about it. But lately my husband has been working late into the evening in the barn and says she's coughing a LOT during the night. Except for the cough she seems healthy... her eyes look good, no runny nose, she's alert, active, eating well and seems to have normal stools. Her breathing doesn't seem labored. She's pregnant and seems to be getting bigger by the day...

She is grazing in a good sized (1-2 acre) field during the day, at night she and our other goat are shut in the barn (in a good sized stall) to protect them from predators. (Our other goat isn't coughing)

I'm starting to worry about lungworm, but don't want to give her ivomec (isn't that the right treament?) if she really doesn't need it. Are there other causes of a chronic cough like this?

Thanks!!!

Maura


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## coso (Feb 24, 2004)

For lungworm you have to use Ivomec Plus, I think Valbazen will get lungworms also(just not much of anything else in MO IMO)


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## mamakl (Jul 6, 2006)

Thanks Coso, Is there anything else (besides lungworm) that you know of that could cause her to cough so much at night?


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

Cydectin gets lungworms also. I thought the Ivomec Plus was especially for liver flukes??


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## mamakl (Jul 6, 2006)

Is one or the other (cydectin or ivomec) better for a pregnant doe (or maybe less worse  ) to give her when pregnant?

Maura


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## mamakl (Jul 6, 2006)

Ok, after reading this message board for a few days I'm feeling totally overwhelmed by the health problems that goats seem to have. :help: 

I've been calling around and finally found a vet about 30 minutes away who treats goats and I'm taking my doe to him on Saturday. Hopefully he'll tell me she's wonderful, _pretty_ healthy and give me something for her cough. (And maybe even give me some idea of when to expect her kids!) 

Thanks for the feedback... I'm just feeling a little stressed right now about how quickly goats seem to get sick and die, and I think I'd feel best just spending the money to have a vet give her a once-over. I'll let you know what he says...

Maura


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

But please do remember that people bring their problems to the board and don't generally post about all their healthy goat experiences...  I may get on here and post about my one sick goat, but won't mention the other 100+ in my goat herd that are happy and healthy. Goats are actually very hardy creatures and most problems are caused by the ignorance of us as owners. Live and learn. :shrug: Please do let us know what the vet thinks.


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## coso (Feb 24, 2004)

Your right, OJ both of the Ivomecs are supposed to get lungworms. Plus just for liver flukes, or that's what the Merial site said. I thought the plus was supposed to be better for lungworms too for some reason. Fiasco Farm website has good information on what wormers to use when pregnant.


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## coso (Feb 24, 2004)

Here is a thread on DGJ you can read on coughs might help. http://dairygoatsplus.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2160&highlight=lungworm


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## goat^farmer (Dec 28, 2005)

Goats can be coughing for other reasons. It could be due to lungworms yes but they can also have alleigics just like us humans. The cough could be from dust, pollen or hay dust too. Not always a cough from lungworms. If really worried take goat to vet and see what they think.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

We wormed my goats with Valbazen on July 17 and it hasn't stopped the coughing at all. The northern half of our state (MN) just got moved from severe drought to the next level and there is lots and lots of dust on everything.

The cough sounds terrible but I don't think it's lungworms on my farm.

Also I just finished 5 days of 5 cc penicillin on the oldest wether and he still coughs as much or more. His temp went from 106.5 down to 104 on day 3 but I also gave him 5 asprin twice a day.


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## mamakl (Jul 6, 2006)

Thanks Ozarkjewels for the reassurance...It's good to know that goats really are pretty hardy animals. I hope our girls avoid the nasty illnesses I've been reading about! 

Coso, thanks for the link, it's a good one. I read through the thread on coughing and also bookmarked the site for future reference...

Maybe it is just allergies... We live in Colorado and it's DRY here just about all the time (except when it's dumping snow, rain or hail!  ) Our appointment with the vet is tomorrow and I'm hoping he can answer my questions and maybe even give our doe a little relief from all the coughing! 

Maura


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## lacesout (Jul 5, 2005)

mamakl said:


> Ok, after reading this message board for a few days I'm feeling totally overwhelmed by the health problems that goats seem to have.
> Maura


We felt exactly the same way - and I can still hyper out when I read about Johnes disease and mycoplasma, etc. But our goats have been very healthy overall and we have had them three years. We have not had any real problems to speak of.

I had a buck with a cough exactly as you described. Dry, hacking cough at night. We live in Western Colorado, which is very dry and desertlike so thought it might be dust. But we wormed him with valbazen, and it did subside.

If your goat gets better after worming - be sure and let the list know! I always like it when I know the outcome - it's good for future reference.

Lynn in Mesa County, CO


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## mamakl (Jul 6, 2006)

Ok, here's what the vet said... Rose doesn't have lungworm (whew!) but she does have some kind of respiratory infection. She doesn't have pneumonia, but he said she sounds congested. If she weren't pregnant he would have given her steriods to help her breathing, but he said the steriods would make her abort... So instead he just has me giving her penicillin for the next two weeks. If the cough isn't better in 4 days, he wants me to call him back (there is another antibiotic that is stronger, but a lot more expensive... so we are trying penicillin first). She looks good and healthy in every other way, and the nurse (who trimmed Rose's hooves for me...) said she wished all goats were as sweet as ours. 

Rose rode well in the back of the minivan (with no third seats) for the whole 30 minute drive to the vet and back home. In fact, she didn't even poop or pee until we were almost home... and then just a little. (When she got out of the car she spent the first 15 minutes pooping and peeing like an elephant!) Can (do?) goats "hold it" sometimes? 

Anyway, I feel better... now all I have to do it figure out how to give her two shots a day for the next two weeks!  

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions! (and to Lynn in Mesa County... Hi, it's good to run into someone from Colorado! And yeah, the vet thought that dust might be aggravating the cough, and suggested I keep the dust in the barn down as much as possible...)

Maura


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## Faithful Heart (Jan 28, 2006)

mamakl said:


> Can (do?) goats "hold it" sometimes?


So good to hear the prognosis.... sounds like things are under control. 

And I think goats can/do hold it sometimes. I wouldn't imagine it would be all that easy/comforable to pee in a moving vehicle. But anyway, mine do something that's like "holding" it. I can spend lots of time with them in their pen, and rarely see them pee or poop. But as soon as I take them out on the pasture on their lunge lines they'll poop - RIGHT AWAY - then pee.


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