Goat Bloat

I will admit that I was one of those who thought raising goats was not much more then a fence, a bucket of fresh water, and some hay. I remember cartoon goats eating tin cans, so naturally I thought goats eat anything.

The truth is, goats are complicated eating machines, and it really does not take much for one to eat the wrong thing and get very very sick.

Little Willie our baby Saanan Goat started crying around 11pm, and this was not normal for him. When I checked on him he was obviously in pain and his sides were bloated.

I remember being told if a horse gets colic, which I believe is like a goat with bloat, you need to walk him and keep him moving. I took poor Willie outside and he had a very hard time staying on his feet. He would take a few steps and his legs would give out.

A little voice inside my head told me to start rubbing is belly and sides. So I started to massage his sides, and I could see it was relieving his pain. Little Willie curled up next to me and I rubbed and massaged him for the next 2 1/2 hours non stop.

I must have done something right because after 2 plus hours of thinking we might lose him, he rose up on his feet and acted as if nothing had happened. I ended up spending the night next to him, and I am very pleased to say he is doing good.

It has been about a week and I still get up a couple of times in the night to check on him. And for the first time I am happy about little voices in my head.