# Does this look like a hermaphrodite?



## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

This doeling is about 2 weeks old, nigerian dwarf. For the first week her vulva looked normal. a few days ago I noticed it a little pinker then normal like right after they pee. Today I looked and she looks like a hermie! There is nothing firm in there, and in the pics I notice that her perianal area looks swollen. Does she look like a hernie or maybe like swollen? If swollen dont know why!

Pulling the tail up:










Not pulling her tail up:


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes. If you press down on both sides of this vulva.....make a V with your pointer and middle finger like you are smoking a cigarette, press in on both sides, this protrusion likely will look exactly like a bucks penis does.

Always check your kids at birth, it's when it is the easiest time to see this. Sorry. Vicki


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

If you do take another photo pressing in on it, and also take photos of her teats, I would love it if you let me put these into goatkeeping 101, some of the best photos of this I have seen. Vicki


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## SALTCREEK_Nubians_Linda (Nov 13, 2007)

Thanks for posting the pictures. It really does look like what the Goat Medicine book describes for hermaphrodites


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## LLB101 (Sep 29, 2009)

so it looks like the protrusion goes away when the tail is lifted? 
or am I missing something?


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Are you talking about the little lighter-colored thing that you can see more easily when not pulling the tail up?


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

Normal vulva at birth and for the first week or more. No protrusion when spread apart. Normal sized teats. Also doesn't hump everything like her two brothers. That's why I'm confused.


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

OK just took pics of teats. Also double checked on inside of it. Remember she is tiny so may not be too accurate but I did sreap it and all there was was pink vulva, no penis in there (I assume like vent sexing poultry). The teats are smaller then my other doeling born this year but to be honest that is how her last doeling looked teat wise too. If this doeling came out of any other doe I wouldnt question it was a hermie, but I will attach pics of the mothers vulva too so you can see they are shaped somewhat similiar.


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## Holly Govero (Mar 26, 2009)

I remember like 10 years ago I thought my doeling was hermie and she wasnt. Her vuvula looked like ur doeling's. I remember I freaked out and I took her to the vet. The vet looked and said she is not hermie . And when she got older and she did have babies. I dont know what it is. It sure did scare me to death. So I am hoping ur doeling is like that. I dunno!


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You can see plainly she is peeing out of a penis....just because she has the penis, doesn't not mean she has testees up inside giving her buck behavior. She could be completely normal, with no ovaries, or no uterus.

Yes her dam has a tipped vulva, but so do most of Saada's stock, they also have a tendency of having very small slits to the vulva but they do not have this tell tail protrusion which is a penis. She is to young to see the teat difference but it's not small teats, it's playtex nurser human looking teats, not goat teats. I bet if you keep her longer she will get the more bucky voice and her teats will be obviously different than other doelings her age. 

Is she not peeing out of that tiny hole at the end of her vuvla and not out of her slit above the vulva? Vicki


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

No it is a slit, there are no protrusions, and nothing fleshy inside other then vaginal wall. This is why I'm so perplexed. There is nothing in there. Hard to photograph by myself for sure. The only abnormality is the exterior shape. I would take her to the vet but feel they wouldn't know anyways. Is there a blood test?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

The last picture looks like the urine is coming from a hole in the end of her "vulva" from a tubular thing that looks like a tiny "penis". I don't think you blood test for Hermi's, but any vet should definitely be able to tell. This is a pretty basic thing, and especially a livestock vet will be able to tell you for sure.


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

The picture of her urinating just didnt come out well. The urine is not coming out the tip, it is coming out the entire vulva. There is no protrusion, no tubular obeject in the vulva. When the vulva is opened there is nothing there. I myself am a vet tech so am aware of the normal anatomy inside of the vulva, but this one is just shaped so weird outwardly. It is actually a sudden change, within the span of about three days. The tissue around the vulva and under her anus also is a touch swollen more then normal. She is too small to put in a speculum. I think due to her size that a large animal vet would not be able to give me an answer any better then anyone here. In cattle there is a blood test, was hoping that maybe there was a goat one I didnt know about. Hoping the teats would give an idea too but guess she is too young?
SOOOO the answer sounds like wait and see? Wait untill she older and can be internally examined or she starts acting bucky?


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

The teat picture really looks like a hermie to me. I'm not an expert as I've not seen one in person, but look how their appears to be no mammary tissue? On doelings, even though they've not freshened, you can tell there is an udder there. Feel your other doelings, you can feel each half of mammary tissue waiting to grow into an udder. I don't think she has it. 

Do they have a blood test for this? 

If she were mine and there was no test to be sure and I had room, I'd keep her and see if she breeds. If you do, please come back to the thread and let us know. I'm curious.


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

The tissue under the teats is fleshy like there is mammary tissue but she is not even three weeks old so this is all guessing at this point.

Really my main concern is my daughter getting more attached. I am NOT keeping a pet only goat. She has the best personality so far though so its getting hard to not get attached. This was the one I told her we could keep so of course.....


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I had a doe that looked like this, and had several people think she was a hermaphrodite. She kidded many times. If she is out of a breeding you want, and you can afford to feed her, I'd give her a chance.


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## Cris S (Mar 9, 2012)

I have a hermaphrodite that started as a normal girl and when she was 3 months old she started developing males characteristics: her head enlarged, she grew a mane, and a small penis came out of her vulva. She now acts and looks like a buck now. Her teats are very small. I only have does so I use her to tell me when the does are in heat. I have pictures of her development but this is the first time I post and I don't know how to add pics. 
Cris


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## Golden Delta Alpines (Mar 8, 2012)

Welcome, Cris! 
I'm new here to but I have posted a pic through PM before.

I upload my pics to tinypic.com and resize to what I want.
I then copy and paste the last URL choice (I can't remember what it's called) in between the brackets you get when you click the icon that says "Insert Image".
Did that help?


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I have a Saanen yearling doe that definitily has an abnormal vulva. It looks like there's another tiny vulva (or penis?) at the tip end of her vulva. She was bred, looked bred and just started to sightly udder up when I noticed the abnormalcy. I was baffled, because she sure looks like a Hermaphrodite, but decided to keep her and see if I had a Hermaphrodite with a cloudburst pregnancy on hand (science project....). Well, she kidded day before yesterday, had a healthy, big, good looking set of twins (buck and a doe) and..... she's milking up a storm! Hmmmm, I don't understand it, but Im sure happy with it!


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## feistymomma (May 20, 2009)

In all honesty, I think that the doelings vulva looks just like the mothers. I would have her vet checked, just to make sure. The sooner the better if your daughter is getting attached to her, but I certainly see similarities in the two.


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

Inside:


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## lasergrl (Jan 24, 2010)

OK these goats are making me crazy. Tonight she looks normal.


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

The weird thing is how the slit doesn't go all the way down to the end, but it looks like her mom is that way too. It's like there is this extra tag of skin at the end. Maybe they just have an extra large clitoris?


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