Deborah Niemann – Goat Health

Do you want to spend time with your goats without worrying, “Is that normal?”

Do you know what’s normal for a goat’s temperature, rumen sounds, eyelid color, and behavior?

Do you want to save money by not over-buying products for your goat medicine cabinet?

Whether you have a couple of pet wethers or you’re thinking about bringing a few milkers into your life, this class will teach you what you need to know to keep them healthy and happy without spending a fortune
— and to recognize when something is wrong.

Do you want to avoid buying goats that are sick and could infect your other goats?

“Most health problems are bought and sold.”
~ old veterinary saying

Step 1 to having a healthy herd — Buy healthy goats!

We will talk about how you can avoid buying sick goats that have diseases that have no symptoms in the early stages. You can’t tell they are sick without lab tests. Many of the worst goat diseases are contagious, so if you bring home a sick goat, they can infect your whole herd.

Even worse, Johnes disease can live on your pasture for up to five years, meaning that if you bring in more goats, they could also become infected. We will talk about when testing makes sense (or not), so that you don’t waste your money — AND you know you can count on accurate results.

“Goats can eat anything!”
~ common goat myth

It’s kind of crazy that so many people think that “goats can eat anything!” when the reality is that digestive problems cause a variety of health problems, such as enterotoxemia, bloat, diarrhea, goat polio, and more. We will talk about how to avoid those problems, as well as red flags that tell you to call the vet now!

Course Curriculum