# HUGE lump on goat's neck



## Mrs. Homesteader

I had a friend call me and ask me about a lump on her goat's neck. I was thinking CL, but when she described it she said it is as large or larger than a pint jar. It is on the side of the neck and seems fairly hard. It is a Boer goat. She said that it does not seem to bother the goat at all. They noticed it when they got back from a trip. Any ideas?


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## Minelson

I wonder if it is swelling from being kicked or an insect bite. I would still be very cautious about CL even thought it's so huge. Could it be a reaction to a vaccination?


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## susanne

cl abscess can come in different sizes. i would isolate the goat and have the content of the abscess tested.
boer goat and neck area alone doesn't sound too good.


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## Goat Servant

Bottle jaw? Can you post a pic? No it wouldnt be vac lump...those are usually either in the armpit or front shoulder. And not that size.


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## susanne

bottle jaw is not hard, more squishy


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## Mrs. Homesteader

I haven't seen it yet. I am going over there tomorrow to look at it. I will take a picture.


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## moonspinner

Did this pop up all of a sudden or come on gradually? Any possiblity of a cyst?


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## Mrs. Homesteader

I finally got pictures of the lump on the goats neck. They were out of town and when they came home they noticed it.


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## billooo2

WOW!!!! Is it still growing?? It seems very unusual for something to get that large so quickly.


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## Common Tator

Do goats get goiters?


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## betsy h.

WOW~! That's quite a 'hema-tomato' you got there! Seriously, it looks like a hematoma. It probably has blood and fluid in it and lancing it is iffy because it does nothing but make more blood and fluid.

I doubt this is CL- hematomas come up very quickly and will grow out big- 

OTOH, it could also be a huge salivary cyst- which will have the blood and fluid as well, but also some pus- runny pus, not cheesy. But my money is on hematoma.

It's vet time.


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## susanne

yes, they can get goiter. very easy to test with iodine along the spine. should see a reaction very fast and swelling would go down. 

i would visit a vet with her and have it checked out. could be a salivary gland that is blocked? how does it feel like? 
i personally have no experience with cl and although it is the location, i have no clue if it can get that big???????


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## pookshollow

My money is on a hematoma too. I had a Standardbred racehorse go down on concrete (brainless wonder) and get a huge one on his rump. Took a long time to go down - and the vet said no point in trying to drain it. If I remember correctly, we used DMSO on it, but don't think I'd want to use that on a goat!


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## Tallabred

I used DMSO on my filly's hematoma which was about the size of a soccer ball. It helped a lot but I got it all over my hands because it was such a big area - I thought that that was going to be a problem but it took the swelling out of my joints. DMSO is a carrier so I combined it with aspirin.

I doubt that it would hurt a goat - just do not put it on open sores.


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## HilltopDaisy

susanne said:


> yes, they can get goiter. very easy to test with iodine along the spine. should see a reaction very fast and swelling would go down.
> 
> i would visit a vet with her and have it checked out. could be a salivary gland that is blocked? how does it feel like?
> i personally have no experience with cl and although it is the location, i have no clue if it can get that big???????


Susanne, would you explain what you mean about the iodine along the spine? Thanks.


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## susanne

goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) is caused by iodine deficiency. 
if you put iodine tincture along the spine, it will be absorbed through the skin. the faster is gets absorbed, the more the body was deficient.
after this first aid, you need to look in the minerals and/or diet of the goat. add some organic iodine to the mineral mix if that is/was the problem.
kelp is also a good source of iodine.


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## Mrs. Homesteader

susanne said:


> how does it feel like?


It felt hard like a tennis ball... not like a rock.

By the way, thanks everyone. I am passing all the information along to the owner.


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## HilltopDaisy

susanne said:


> goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) is caused by iodine deficiency.
> if you put iodine tincture along the spine, it will be absorbed through the skin. the faster is gets absorbed, the more the body was deficient.
> after this first aid, you need to look in the minerals and/or diet of the goat. add some organic iodine to the mineral mix if that is/was the problem.
> kelp is also a good source of iodine.


Do you purchase iodine tincture from the health food store?


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## susanne

you can get this from your vet.


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## moonspinner

A friend just went through salivary cyst on her goat. It did balloon up quickly and she took him to Cornell for the diagnosis and surgery. He's fine now.


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## deafgoatlady

OH WOW.. it is huge! I will have to read about hemotamo. I have never heard of it. It is amazing how it gets big. WOW!


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## marytx

susanne said:


> you can get this from your vet.


I'm pretty sure you can also pick it up at Walmart.


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## DairyGoatSlave

what was it???


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## hoofinitnorth

How old is this goat? A friend had a boer doeling that had a similarly-located & sized (in relation to the size of the goat) lump that was a salivary cyst/blockage/infection. The stuff taken from the lump smelled like rumen fluid. The classic signs were all there - she went down right after having it drained and with supportive care came back. Then she developed pus in the lump (probably from bacteria introduced by the needle used to drain it the first time). She treated with antibiotics for the infection and gave lots of baking soda. Several weeks later, the lump resolved itself.


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## Mrs. Homesteader

I finally got a hold of my friend again. She said it was an abscess and it did burst. She is still cleaning it out every night trying to help it heal up. She separated the goat from her other goats. Thanks for all the help from her and from me.


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## Minelson

Glad it opened up. I would be sure to have her on anti-biotics. Luckily it's in a spot that should drain well. Poor goatie


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