# Impacted cud



## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Cozette, my 7 year old Nubian doe who had pneumonia last summer was acting sickly again this past week. She was refusing to come out for her breakfast and when I brought her into the milk parlor to check her out, she was shivering. Her temp was 100.2. I started her on Nuflor because she seemed like she did with the pneumonia. Yesterday, when I brought her in for treatment, she seemed to have some cud on one sice, but I wasn't concerned because she was eating good. Today, I noticed thet side of her mouth looked swollen and felt firm. I checked her mouth using a speculum and saw that her cheek was impacted with rather dry cud. I worked it loose and she swallowed it. Tonite, it looked full again, but by the time I brought her in to deal with it, she must have gotten it loose and swallowed it. Someone suggested her teeth may need to be floated. Have any of you had experience with this. She was bred in early October and I don't want to put her through alot of trauma, but I do want her to be able to eat and cud properly.


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2009)

I have had goats teeth floated.. my vet used a pony sized tool for the job.. They don't like it tho..
Barb


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

get a vet to look at her teeth


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

what is her temp now? 100 is pretty low


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Also make sure she has plenty of water. With the very agressive roman nose of that bloodline I would expect bite problems as aged does, so far we have had only an abscessed tooth on Shoofly, but my vet does check all my does mouths once they hit about 8 or any problems at all. It can be as simple as a tooth that needs to be pulled, or she could have lost a molar and now the above or below tooth that doesn't have a partner to grind on has a dental point on it that needs to be filed down...all very simple procedures done by a horse vet, a big ordeal with someone who doesn't know what they are doing, it can be very painful for the doe...she can stop eating, she will loose wieght, and it's impossible for a doe like this to keep herself warm if she is not eating well. Remember they eat fine in front of you because there isn't alot of grinding going on with their molars, it's when they are cudding that everything is chewed up. Always watch your does chewing cud once a day, always watch your bucks pee and always make sure kids tummies are full and round before you go to bed at night in this cold weather. Vicki


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

When I took her temp tonight, it was 100.7. That still seems too low to me. She's eating, but I feel concern that if she's either not eating enough or cudding properly, she just amy not be keeping herself warm enough with the cold weather we have here. The vet said to wait a few days to see what happens. I did call him this morning when I noticed the lump in her mouth. He said to check her mouth, so I did and found the dryish cud there. She does have all the water she can drink. I have a 50 gallon stock tank which has a heater so it doesn't freeze. I've seen her chew cud in the past week, but didn't notice her doing it today. I'll keep a close eye on her and take her to the vet if necessary. I really don't want to lose this doe or her pregnancy.


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## ellie (Nov 17, 2007)

Low temp is usually an indicator of a metabolic problem (ketosis and hypocalcemia come to mind). I would NOT give antibiotics to a goat with a low temp. It's counter productive, as an infection would RAISE her temp. Care needs to be taken not to over use antibiotics and cause resistance problems down the line. Checking teeth is probably a good idea, but I don't think antibiotics are.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Last summer, when she had pneumonia, her temp was below normal. I had thought milk fever and treated that. The vet came out to draw blood for CAE tests and he examined her. He listened to her lungs and diagnosed pneumonia. As soon as she got the antibiotics, she got better. I don't think Cozette has ketosis or milk fever. She is dry and isn't due until the first of March. What I suspect is now going on with her is that she has something wrong with a tooth - either an infection or it needs to be floated and she's not chewing her cud as well as she should. That may be affecting her ability to keep herself warm enough through the digestive process. I plan to make her an appointment for dental work this week.


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## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

She could possibly have some facial paralysis on that side of her head. Check her over good to see if her ear on that side droops more that the other. She could have taken a blow to the head in a fight.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

I had an older doe that did this, it was facial paralysis, we don't think from fighting, but from a neurological episode (think stroke type symptoms in people). We were able to pull the impacted cud a couple of times a day, and kept her going for about 2 1/2 months. Then one day she couldn't stand up anymore, and we had to put her down. She was the reason we now own a miniture horse tooth float and a mouth speculum. Often it can just be a tooth problem, so I sincerely hope that is all it is with your old lady. 

Is her body temp always lower? I have a goat whose temp runs lower than everyone else all of the time, especially first thing in the morning. 100.5 is pretty normal for her, but it always scares me! Goats can have low normal bt, just like people.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

We have a vet appointment this morning. I'll let you know what he says. She has still been eating well, but that side fills up all the time.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

The vet dug all the cud out. He didn't see any sign of infection. She had a back tooth on each side that were sharp, so he floated them. We're hoping this will solve the problem. He did have to sedate her to work on her. He didn't think it would harm the kids, but also added that keeping her able to eat and cud was the most important thing. He gave her a shot of something called Rombin - a coctail of Ketamine and something else. She wasn't totally under and came out of it shortly after the work was done. She also got a shot of Banamine. Now, I hope she'll eat and cud like she is supposed to.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Glad you took her to the vet let us know how she does.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Her mouth is still filling up with cud today. She also drools a bit more when I'm working with her. I'm hoping her mouth is just sore and that the problem will resolve itself in a few days. I do have some concern about paralysis. Her ears don't look exactly the same, but I really didn't pay attention to them before. If she wasn't a Nubian, things would be more obvious. She still has a blink reflex in that eye. She does head butt with the other girls and was doing it today.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Hopefully that will resolve it, and yes she will have some pain just because of the procedure, keep up with the banamine for awhile it will also help with the swelling. Vicki


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## DittoRW (Feb 27, 2009)

I have a nubian doe that has had a stroke, and I remove her cud everytime I go by her. She has been drooling and her tongue hangs out of the side of her mouth, and her ear hangs straight down. She has been this way for 3 weeks. She has lost a little weight, but is due to kid in 60 days, and hoping she gets better. I just wanted to see how yours is doing and bump the thread up.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Cozette is doing better today. I think it was just her teeth and now her mouth isn't as sore. She did not have a cheek full of cud this morning and went straight for the alfalfa pellets when I fed.
DittoRW: when I loosened the cud from her mouth, I helped situate it so she could swallow it. That's part of digesting their food, so I didn't want to just remove it.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

DittoRW said:


> I have a nubian doe that has had a stroke, and I remove her cud everytime I go by her. She has been drooling and her tongue hangs out of the side of her mouth, and her ear hangs straight down. She has been this way for 3 weeks. She has lost a little weight, but is due to kid in 60 days, and hoping she gets better. I just wanted to see how yours is doing and bump the thread up.


have you given this doe B1 Thiamin??


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Cozette was doing better for a few days and today she had more cud in there and was a bit drooly. She's up and eating with the rest of the herd. I just hope she's able to digest her food properly.


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## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

Update here. It appears Cozette had two things going on with her. It helps that the vet floated her teeth because she can clear the cud from heer cheek. She still gets some there and she still drools, however. She's one of these quietly bossy goats. None of the big time fighting, but when she eats, she slings that side of her face at other goats who get close to her. I'm concerned that5 she continues to irritate a damaged nerve by this behavior. With the cold weather we are having, I don't want to isolate her because she cuddles with the other goats for warmth. She seems to be eating OK so I'm hoping this last two months of her pregnancy will be alright.


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