Our vets have full knowledge of goats that includes medical and surgical care. In addition, do we advise on nutrition and provide vaccinations and parasite control. We offer goat owners long-term health management and critical care for goats. If required, we perform horn and hoof trimming as well.
Goat Nutrition
Like sheep, cattle and alpacas are goats also ruminant animals, however, unlike sheep and cattle, their preference is bushes and leaves instead of other pasture and grass. Therefore, are they easy to keep as they can live on lands that are unsuitable for cattle or sheep.
This nutritional upside also comes with a downside as they will easily start to eat your garden flowers and plants as soon as they get a chance. A goat’s digestive system copes well with a variety of plants but there are many that are highly toxic. A good example is a rhododendron and oleander which should be avoided completely.
Plants that are acceptable and can be given in moderation can also be potentially harmful and toxic when eaten in larger quantities, like bracken fern.
A common goat problem is overfeeding using concentrated feed like grains and pellets. While it is true that your goats will love it, and chow all of it, these lead to digestive problems like bladder stones in males, ruminal acidosis and bloat.
A goat should have access to pasture and when you don’t have adequate pasture, supplement with hay. A combination of well-mixed grass hay or small quantities of hay is fine to feed.
Foot Trimming
If your goats are only running and feeding on soft surfaces like grass and soft grounds, foot trimming is an essential part of goat care. Feet that are overgrown cause deformities and lameness and requires trimming every two to three months.
Castration
If you do not intend to breed and have a goat kid, your goat should be castrated when they are between six to twelve weeks old. When your vet does it at this age the kid suffers less, and the procedure is simple and quick.
Castration is performed either through the use of elastrator rings or surgically. We prefer to use the surgical technique through general or local anaesthesia as it is painless whereas elastrator rings give up to twenty minutes of pain.
Worming
Goats are very susceptible to worms with the common signs including reduced appetite, diarrhoea, lightened gums, lethargy and weakness. Debilitated, young and pregnant does are very susceptible but goats of all ages are easily infected. Severe anaemia followed by death can be caused by a Barber’s Pole worm with an increase in mortality.
Our worming protocol depends on numerous factors including population density, pasture and feeding types as well as breed. We monitor worm egg counts and treat goats accordingly.