Whole Goat Care

I need some help. Jackson came up with this yesterday. He was standing around still and opening and closing his mouth like he wasn't comfortable. His coat is shiny, no one is in close quarters and no one else has this. It is not under his jaw but on the side of the back of it. It is hard. Opinon's and questions please. Oh, and he has been given probios and nutridrench as well as benedryl in case of bite when I first found it.
Hugs to all,
--Cathy

Um....hello...anyone out there? Is there someone in the emergency section?

it looks more like a bite to me than bottle jaw. did you check his eye lids

No, that is not bottle jaw. That is either a reaction to a bite or a pustule from a splinter or such. You will need to wait until the hair falls off to lance it open and clean it out. Follow the same procedures for lancing a CL knot.

If it were bottle jaw the throat area would be swollen, looking like he had a pocket on his throat that was full of fluid. Also his eyelids would be pale, almost white, indicating anemia. That fluid filled pocket is blood cells that pool from the parasites feasting on the blood.

Thanks, he seems fine, just that this just bothers his mouth. I thought it might just be a bite or someone wonked him good.It is hard and is localized. His gums and eyelids look like everyone elses.

Oh and everyone's coat is really shiny... not an indication of worms.

I would guess he got a thorn or splinter in there then since it is hard

Thanks again, I really appreciate the advice of knowledgeable goat owners!

Last year one of our doe kids, Monkey, got something like that. In her case I'm sure it was a sting from a paper wasp. There were tons of them in the barn where she was, and I think she either got too close to one when eating (they like to hide in the hay and straw) or actually ate one.

Anyway, I watched it carefully and the swelling and weirdness (she was lopsided on her face for a while) went down in about a week. The wound did break, just like paper wasps stings break and sort of weep when I get them on me. I cleaned it for a couple days until it closed up. I think I gave her benadryl too, for the swelling. Something like that.

She looked so uncomfortable when she had it. She was only about 6 weeks old and the welt was as big as the side of her face for a while.

Cathy
I agree. I have had this happen when the goats eat blackberries or raspberries. They get a thorn and then a lump.

Poor Jackson!
Cathy, Tully, the dog I used to have, got a place identical to that and the vet never could find anything. They even sedated him so they could look inside and out. Their theory was either a thorn or splinter of some sort. I placed warm, wet compresses on it for a few days to get it to 'come to a head' for lack of a better term. So one day when I let him out on a potty run he rubbed his face on the ground and that thing poured pus out of it...yuck! But it took about four days for it to open.