Protocol for the sniffles

[Nanno]

I'm curious what the different opinions are about what to do if your goat gets the sniffles.

Phil took 9-week-old Huck Finn for a hike yesterday and he fell in the creek. This morning he has a snotty nose and has a little bit of a wet cough. He's eating well and looks bright and happy otherwise. I did not take his temperature (should I?).

My inclination: Do nothing.

I'm guessing he just has a touch of cold and will get over it without help. But I'm wondering what the rest of you would do. I have LA-200 on hand if I necessary--like if this turns into pneumonia. Do you folks ever give a preventative dose, or do you wait to see if the goat gets better on its own?

[Reckless]

I know I'm not as experienced as a lot of you; but this is what I did when one of my goats got a cold or something minor like that.

I made sure the shelter was dry and semi clean, unclean and un dry shelters may make the cold manifest into something like pneumonia. I then fed them a lot of vitamin A, like; carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes, occasionally spiced up with one teaspoon of paprika. Garlic, I read, also helps. Pushing fluids, just as you would with a human, is really important. The juice of a large lemon mixed with 1 teaspoon of warm water and 1 tablespoon of honey. (I doubt the exact mix matters much) And I find it helps their breathing if you clean their nostrils.

Avoid giving antibiotics for something small. I know for a fact (As it happened to me before) that if you give them antibiotics unnecessarily or even just regularly, your goat can create an immunity against them, hindering their use when you need them most. (Colds are viral by nature; not caused by bacteria, and thats what antibiotics attack.) (Trust me; I realize that you said IF it gets worse :p I'm just warning (Unnecessarily) because I don't want the thing that happened to me, happen to you.)

I found this usually got rid of a cold in a week and a half depending on how severe it was. The sniffles; probably in no time.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

If it were me, Id be inclined to think pneumonia so I would start treatment but if you keep a close eye on him and if its clears up in the next day or so, you might be right to not dose. The problem is pneumonia can kill so fast often while you wait to see if its pneumonia, you wake up and the goat is dead. So if you do wait, be vigilant on watching him.

[Nanno]

He already looks a lot better tonight.

[Charlie Horse]

I sure am paranoid about gnumonyuh. Tina got it and I thought it wasn't a big deal at first. That delay was a huge mistake. The other goats so far have been sickness free.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Great to hear Nanno and I am with you Charlie. It can strike like lightning sometimes.