# Please Help Old Goat Won't Eat



## Hayley (Nov 24, 2018)

Hello, I'm new here and have come to ask for some advice from you all regarding my elderly Nubian female goat.

We have had her for a year and received her in poor condition, I worked with her to get her back to a healthy weight and improve her coat which appeared to have been burned. We estimate her age to be about 14 but we don't know how old she actually is. Almost all of her front teeth are missing.

We have been constantly battling worms with her we treat her with Prohibit and Dectomax in appropriate amounts for her weight. In the last 2 weeks she has been hardly eating or not eating at all, she is also scouring badly, we have treated her again for worms (we are treating on a 2 weekly cycle), we've changed her food from 50/50 Cattle Feed to an 18% Goat Feed in pellet form which she will eat occasionally. The only thing we are able to get her interested in is Alfalfa, we've been giving her in both pellet and hay form. But again sometimes she'll eat it and sometimes she won't. We have also been giving her electrolytes, and have given her vitamin B. She is given goat minerals in her food, and has access to a salt block and baking soda at all times. She seems to be going downhill fast and I'm at a loss of what to do. We've taken her to our vets but have been told it's because of her age.

I don't expect her to live forever of course but I would really like to know if there is anything I can do to at least help her go out of this world happy and in good condition without suffering.

Thank you all for your time and I appreciate any and all suggestions.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

If she's scouring badly, she may have cocciodsis. Bad scours could also affect her appetite and would inhibit nutrition intake.


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## Hayley (Nov 24, 2018)

Goat Town said:


> If she's scouring badly, she may have cocciodsis. Bad scours could also affect her appetite and would inhibit nutrition intake.


Hello,
Thank you for the suggestion. We haven't yet treated her for cocciodsis so I will definitely give that a try. Her scouring is worse today, it's become a thick water so I'm honestly willing to try anything that could help at this point. Thank you again.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

You might also pull the protein. Keep the alfalfa but add some grass hay.


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## Hayley (Nov 24, 2018)

Goat Town said:


> You might also pull the protein. Keep the alfalfa but add some grass hay.


We can try doing this with her too, thank you for the suggestion. Would you mind explaining why the protein could be affecting her? I'm sorry to ask but this is the first goat I've owned and am looking to learn as much as possible. We do now have a second goat and plan to have more in the future.


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## Goat Town (Nov 20, 2010)

The protein might be upsetting her digestive system. If she's scouring she's not adsorbing it anyway. Dry matter will help dry her up. The alfalfa will give her calcium, but you might find something to increase magnesium.


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## LittleDairyAcres (Nov 7, 2018)

How is she?


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## Tonya Strait (Jan 2, 2019)

The protein might be upsetting her digestive system. If she's scouring she's not adsorbing it anyway. Dry matter will help dry her up. The alfalfa will give her calcium, but you might find something to increase magnesium.


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