# Boxwood eaten -



## pjt367 (Apr 3, 2010)

2 goats just ate some boxwood. How poisonous is boxwood? One had adult (1 year 5 months) had 3 bites and a 4 month old baby had 1 bite. Should I treat with activatied charcol and peptobismol or is that small amount nothing to worry about.

They have never done this before. No more going over to the neighbors to graze!

I having trouble finding information so thought I would post while I looked for what to do and doseages.

Paula


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## pjt367 (Apr 3, 2010)

They are not showing any symptoms, and I don't want them to. I read a site that said a bite on the way past could be real problems for a horse and that horses and goats are most susceptible. So I just treated them both with activated charcol at the dosage of 1ml per 2.2 pounds of body weight.

Paula


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You really only have a very small window in which to treat, and the charcoal amount may be fine, but unless you fill the rumen with the oil, that small amount of charcoal won't do anything. The problem is if you choose not to do anything more by the time you figure out you needed to do more for bloat, impaction and poisioning, it won't work. Tubing his rumen filled with charcoal and oil, will make everything slide right out, it can also induce him to sling his cud, which is what you want to do...it also induces diarrhea which gets it out of his system faster. Any kind of oil works, so use what you have on hand, but you have to tube it. Vicki


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## pjt367 (Apr 3, 2010)

So the boxwood was eaten around 7 something. I finished giving the charcol at 8. It is now 10:30. Do I tube now to help it all slide out or am I too late? How much oil do I tube into each (a 16 month yearling and a 4 month doeling)?

I'm headed to youtube to see how a tubing is done.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It's not really an amount someone can tell you. Like when a kid drinks a bottle or nurses mom, it's tummy is full and round, it's the same with tubing and adult. You want to fill the rumen so it smothers everything and makes it pass. Then start them back on good grass hay and until they are ruminating and the diarrhea has passed (don't give anything that stops the diarrhea) then and only then can they have some grain. 

It coulds be a quart or two on the 16 month old and a quart or less on a kid. Vicki


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## pjt367 (Apr 3, 2010)

Thanks so much for your help. I was not successful trying to tube them with the aquarium tubing I had so I will call the vet in the morning and hope they are still alive. They still are showing no signs of sickness.

My husband wanted to know why we had to tube them and not just drench them.

Thanks again for your time and staying up late. I really appreciate it. 

Paula


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Because if you aspirate oil into the lung it will kill them. By tubing you bypass the lung completely. Getting a goat to drink via a syringe that amount of liquid, especially something tasteless like oil, is dangerous and futile, you will be wearing more of it than they actually swallow. Vicki


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

How are they today, Paula?


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## pjt367 (Apr 3, 2010)

There don't seem to be any complications for the boxwood or the activated charcol. I gave them both some Milk of Magnesia yesterday in case there were constipation problems. Both goats are having normal stools. I have taken the baby off of grain for a few days to be sure everything is functioning propely. Both girls get free choice alfalfa pellets, and hay and I am giving them alfalfa pellets when I feed instead of grain so they don't feel left out (that's all the 16 month old gets anyway). 

If a problem is going ot come up, how long could it take? How long does it take for the boxwood and activated charcol to pass through their system?

Thanks for your help and concern.

Paula


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You would be seeing problems by now if there were going to be anyway. With so many kinds of foundation plants being posionous, I simply don't have any of them to deal with this. Glad they are doing fine. Moving this to the main forum... Vicki


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## pjt367 (Apr 3, 2010)

I have been careful on my property and since they never even sniffed them before on the neighbor's property I didn't worry about it. But the 16 month old is a new goat who is very interested in EVERYTHING. Very loveable, but a handful for me right now. I've learned my lesson. Now I need to learn to tube so I can have a chance at being successful in a real emergency.

Again, thanks so much.


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## Cotton Eyed Does (Oct 26, 2007)

Actually when I trim my boxwood hedges around the patio I throw the clippings over to the goats. They have never had a problem. Been doing it for probably 10 years.


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## supermom (Feb 24, 2009)

Mine come up and sneak some leaves off my boxwood and it's never bothered them. They don't get much, but every time the thing tries to grow some leaves, they do it again....so the one on the end really looks terrible. I had no idea it was on the poison plant list.


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