# My goat ate WHAT?!



## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

OK.
I am not at home. My kids are painting near the goat pen. Our 2 year old doe was licking boards that were just painted with Kilz primer. She licked it maybe 5 times, enough to get it onto her tongue and teeth. The label says it's harmful or fatal if swallowed. It says it has ethylene glycol in it. What do I need to have them do?

I don't really have good access to a vet. I do have a limited medicine cabinet for the goats.

Thanks.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

I would give charcoal.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Ok, from what I just read charcoal isn't terribly effective for ethylene glycol, they generally suck the contents of the stomach out. I don't know how much is dangerous...


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

OK.
I am home now.

I have no idea how to empty the contents of her stomach.

My kids gave the charcoal.
She is drinking, and eating. Is it ok for her to keep eating after the charcoal?

Her eyes are clear and she seems normal. I tried 2 vets, which was a no go. Nobody knows anything.

I guess I am pulling the late shift here at home tonight, watching for any signs of difficulty. 
Of course, I won't know what to do if she changes....

Say a prayer.....


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

The more she eats fibrous foods the more it can be diluted and absorbed by the fiber. I don't see any reason to restrict food. Make sure she has good fresh cool water to drink for her kidneys. Hopefully she didn't get enough to hurt her. Wish I could be more helpful.


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

Thanks so much for the info. 

I don't feel all alone!

Can you make recommendations of products to buy/keep for situations like this? It is my understanding that goats have a reputation for eating what they shouldn't, try as I might to keep them safe!


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

I have been online with a vet through justanswer.com. He basically said exactly what you said, Ashley. He also said to watch for her become excited, have muscle twitching, trembling and weakness. If those signs appear, then we need to treat with calcium borogluconate sub-q. He said first that it should be at a vet with IV, but when I said I have no access, he recommended the sub-q. Hopefully, all will be well and none of that will be needed.

Thanks again, Ashley.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Looks like the longest symptoms should take to show is 12 hours, says 30 mins to 12 hours, at least in people. I wonder how much is actually in the primer. In people it says 100 mls is deadly, though as low as 30mls. 5 licks surely couldn't be more than 2 Tablespoons, or 30 mls, right? And that's not pure either so hopefully she will be ok.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

If it would even absorb under the skin, some forms of calcium cause horrible abscess when given subq. I would think if she actually licked enough to be poisoned with something like this, being a ruminant that your first idea of a problem will be in a couple of weeks with her having liver failure. Sort of like when someone overdoes medications, cures the disease process and kills the does liver, she relapses in a few weeks, not from the disease but from liver failure.

I just can't imagine a goat doing much more than getting the stuff on her, not actually licking enough to cause any problems. Vicki


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Problem is ethylene glycol tastes sweet. Now how much is in the killz I wonder?


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

It's been 10 hours. She seems to be fine right now. I'll take that at this point.

My biggest problem is that I have to rely on others, who know even less than I do about goats, to decide how much she actually got into her. I don't want to panic and cause harm by doing too much and I don't want my attitude to be like it's no big deal either.

So far so good.


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

*Actually it's been 8 hours. Guess I'm more tired and stressed than I thought.

Oh well.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

What you will find with goats is so much of it is wait and watch....let us know how she does! Vicki


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

Thank you so much for the help.

We have been watching our doe. She isn't putting out nanny berries, but pine-cones (maybe from the charcoal). Other than that, she seems to be ok. Energy is good, eating and drinking well, and she still is crushing on my husband! The exact formula of Kilz was a water based one, so that probably helped. I am hopeful that there won't be any issues that crop up a couple of weeks from now.

My children have learned a very good lesson about what magic tricks a goat can do. 

Now, on to the next adventure.........


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

The best thing to do is to go get the can of paint, get the number off of it and call the company! They are required to have MSDS sheets on every chemical they produce and have on site. They might not know much about ruminents, but they can give you general advice about their product and the symptoms to watch out for, the damage it can possibly do, etc.

Last summer when my dog ate about 1/2 cup of quickbayt I freaked out and started looking it up online and not finding out anything....meanwhile waiting for him to kill over any second just like the flies do. I finally got smart and called the company and they had done extensive animal tests and said that my dog could eat much more than he did and it should not affect him other than maybe some diarreah or he might throw up. The dog was fine and so was I after almost having a heart attack!


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Glad she is doing well so far


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Several of my goats drank water based wall paint last fall when I was trying to paint their shelters. They are fine. I didn't want to post though as it wasn't primer. I didn't know if that made a difference. At that time I asked a group of goat herds, and several reported the same thing had happened to them. Silly goats!!


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Ethylene glycol is what is in antifreeze that is so attractive and deadly to pets. It ruins the kidneys. The way it is treated is to give ethyl alcohol IV to a dog because the e.g. is not toxic until it's converted in the liver. The ethanol (usu. in the form of Everclear-no joke) will use those same receptors and block the glycol from converting to its toxic state. Basically, you get the dog drunk. Also lots of fluids to flush the kidneys. I don't really know how to apply this to goats, but thought I'd share anyway.


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## WGF (Jul 1, 2009)

Hope your doe is still doing good, and hope she will be ok.


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## Blackberry Farm (Jul 7, 2011)

Just to report, Mockingbird is doing great. She is as normal as ever.

Plus, with the cooler weather, she was playing in the yard with the other does! And since I am really new to goats, this is the first time I have ever seen our adult does play. Rolling around, butting heads and playing chase. What a wonderful sight it was!

Thank you, everyone, for all of the support.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

dance:


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