How to identify goat diseases? Practical methods to help you judge the condition in time

   The early stage of illness in goats is not easy to detect, and once obvious symptoms appear, treatment is less effective. For this reason, adopting the methods of the "six looks", "two checks", "one listen" and "one touch", with farmers paying attention to the flock to detect sick goats early and treat them, is an effective way to achieve good economic returns from raising goats.


   First, look at the goats' behavior. Healthy goats, whether feeding or resting, often gather together, and when resting mostly lie in a half-side position; as soon as a person approaches, they stand up. Sick goats have reduced appetite and rumination, often lag behind the flock and lie down while grazing, and show various abnormal postures.


   Second, look at the goats' rumination. Healthy goats begin to ruminate 30 minutes after each feeding and ruminate for 30-40 minutes, ruminating 6-8 times in a day and night. Sick goats ruminate less or stop ruminating.


   Third, look at the goats' coat color. Healthy goats have a neat, glossy coat with good elasticity. Sick goats have a messy, lusterless coat.


   Fourth, look at the goats' eyes. Healthy goats have agile eyes, bright and spirited, clean and moist. Sick goats have dull eyes, both eyes drooping and listless, with slow reactions.


   Fifth, look at the goats' ears. Healthy goats often hold both ears erect and mobile. Sick goats have their head lowered and ears drooping, and the ears do not move.


   Sixth, look at the goats' urine and feces. Healthy goats' feces are generally small pellets and fairly dry and hard. Improved-breed goats supplemented with concentrate feed may pass softer lump-shaped feces with no unusual odor. The urine is clear and colorless or slightly yellow, and regular. Sick goats urinate and defecate irregularly, with feces either thin or hard, or even stopping altogether, and urine that is yellow and scanty or contains blood.

 

   First check the goats' tongue. Healthy goats have a pink, glossy tongue that moves agilely, with a normal tongue coating. Sick goats have a tongue that moves inflexibly, is soft and weak, with a thin and pale coating or a thick, rough, lusterless coating.


   Second check the oral cavity. Healthy goats have pale red oral mucosa, which feels warm to the touch, with no foul odor. Sick goats' oral cavity is sometimes cold and sometimes hot, with pale white mucosa and drooling, or flushed, dry and astringent, with a foul odor.


   First listen to the goats' sounds. Healthy goats make loud, rhythmic calls. Sick goats' calls often vary in pitch, and breathing sounds or coughing sounds can be heard without a stethoscope.


   First touch the goats' horns. Healthy goats have cool, smooth horns with a warm horn base. Sick goats' horn bases feel too cold or too hot.